INCOMING ONLINE GRADUATE STUDENT INFORMATION LITERACY KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-EFFICACY: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY

Abstract

Information Literacy (IL) is vitally important for student success among college students. Graduate students are often assumed to have basic information literacy skills, but research has shown that this isn’t always the case ((Bussell et al., 2017; Lamb, 2017, Hebert, 2018, Xie & Savory, 2022; Robertson & Felicilda-Reynaldo, 2015; Click, 2018; Saunders et al., 2015). In recent years, much emphasis has been placed on undergraduate students and rightly so. However, students entering graduate program at the master’s and doctoral level can still benefit from information literacy instruction. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to understand the level of information literacy knowledge and self-efficacy of incoming online graduate students and to determine if online modules introduced as a self-guided orientation to graduate research are helpful for student success and increases their information literacy knowledge and self-efficacy skills. Quantitative and qualitative assessments were utilized using the Open Test of Information literacy (OTIL) (Hollis, et al., 2019), and the Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale (ILSES) (Kurbanoglu et al., 2004), along with follow-up interviews after the intervention of the IL modules. Paired t-test analysis determined that both the IL knowledge and self-efficacy of the participants significantly increased after completing the IL modules. Qualitative analysis of data from the follow-up interviews indicated that participants were appreciative of the IL modules, found them helpful and anticipated referring to them during their graduate program. Graduate research orientation delivered through IL modules can increase IL knowledge and self-efficacy of incoming online graduate students, fill in any gaps from previous schooling, and serve as a needed refresher as students begin a new program. The researcher recommends v continuing to use the IL modules and locating them in a fixed place. Librarians and faculty should collaboratively work to keep the content current and applicable. Further studies on the utilization of IL modules in a fixed location along with a longitudinal study of graduate students as they progress through their programs are recommended.