Students with Non-Proficient Information Seeking Skills Greatly Over-Estimate Their Abilities

Abstract

A Review of:
 Gross, Melissa, and Don Latham. "Attaining Information Literacy: An Investigation of the 
 Relationship between Skill Level, Self-Estimates of Skill, and Library Anxiety." Library & Information Science Research 29.3 (2007): 332-53.
 
 Objective – The objective of this study is an investigation of the relationship between students’ self-assessment of their information literacy skills and their actual skill level, as well as an analysis of whether library anxiety is related to information skill attainment.
 
 Design – Quantitative research design (Information Literacy Test (ILT), Library Anxiety Scale (LAS), pre and post surveys). 
 
 Setting – Florida State University, United States.
 
 Subjects – Students, incoming freshmen.
 
 Methods – Information literacy skills were measured using the Information Literacy Test (ILT), presenting subjects with 65 multiple choice items designed around four of the five ACRL information literacy standards, in which students were expected to: 1) determine the nature and extent of the information needed; 2) access needed information effectively and efficiently; 3) evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his/her knowledge base system; 4) understand many of the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally. The ILT categorized participant scores as non-proficient (