What I had, what I needed: First-year students reflect on how their high school experience prepared them for college research

Abstract

This article is a continuation of the First-Years study (Valenza et al., 2022) that investigated college research readiness among novice and non-novice first-year students. This paper offers analysis of additional qualitative data from first-year college students reflecting on their high school preparation, levels of confidence regarding research and specific information literacy (IL) skills and how academic research differed from their previous inquiry experiences. Findings of this study hold implications for the instructional design of IL and underscore the need for heightened preparation in research and IL skills at the high school level and particularly for moving beyond the mechanics of research toward a focus on the critical thinking aspects of inquiry. Based on these findings, the researchers offer a three-part taxonomy of IL skills: information management, critical thinking, and metacognitive skills that could be used to guide the instructional design of IL at both the high school and college levels.