Science Information Literacy Research Articles

What Teacher Librarians Need to Know about Science Information Literacy and Second Language Learners

Science is considered a critical area within the curriculum and instruction by teachers alone is not enough to ensure success for all students. School librarians must be considered in delivering science information to students, particularly those who are second language learners. This two-year study examined the effect of teacher and librarian collaboration (TLC) on inquiry-based science information literacy of Latino students in the United States. Although no significant gains were found between Control and Intervention classes, qualitative data indicated that TLC was successful in motivating students, improving inquiry and information literacy, and understanding of science concepts. The implication is that that test scores alone do not provide a complete assessment of student learning. Factors limiting student gains included reduced science and library time, and state policies that removed second language learners from regular classroom instruction. Continued advocacy for TLC is recommended to provide students needed tools for long-term academic success.

Contextualizing and Scaling up Science Information Literacy in Introductory Biology Laboratories

ABSTRACTContributing to ongoing research on the pedagogy of science information literacy, this article describes the contextualization of instruction within a consequential, biology-related public health issue and assesses the impact of this approach on student learning across a large number of course sections. Contextualized science information literacy lessons were presented in an introductory, general education biology lab. Lessons were assessed through a comparison of information literacy skills of students enrolled in the lab and lecture versus those enrolled in the lecture only. Results indicated that students in the lab had greater perceived confidence in their information skills and improved information-seeking methods, relative to lecture-only students who did not receive the contextualized information literacy content.

Information literacy in science writing: how students find, identify, and use scientific literature

ABSTRACTFor undergraduate students to achieve science literacy, they must first develop information literacy skils. These skills align with Information Literacy Standards and include determining appropriate databases, distinguishing among resource types, and citing resources ethically. To effectively improve information literacy and science literacy, we must identify how students interact with authentic scientific texts. In this case study, we addressed this aim by embedding a science librarian into a science writing course, where students wrote a literature review on a research topic of their choice. Library instruction was further integrated through the use of an online guide and outside assistance. To evaluate the evolution of information literacy in our students and provide evidence of student practices, we used task-scaffolded writing assessments, a reflection, and surveys. We found that students improved their ability and confidence in finding research articles using discipline-specific databases as well as their ability to distinguish primary from secondary research articles. We also identified ways students improperly used and cited resources in their writing assignments. While our results reveal a better understanding of how students find and approach scientific research articles, additional research is needed to develop effective strategies to improve long-term information literacy in the sciences.

Exploring Science Information Literacy Instruction at French and Spanish Libraries

Visits to university libraries in France and Spain offered an initial look at science information literacy practices in Europe. The study provides an overview of the information literacy programs at these libraries, discusses some of the similarities and differences in library instruction for sciences disciplines in these countries, makes comparisons to practices in North American academic libraries, and offers possible ideas that could be implemented in our own programs.

The Busy Librarian's Guide to Information Literacy in Science and Engineering.

The Busy Librarian's Guide to Information Literacy in Science and Engineering.

A Climate Change Course for Undergraduate Students

For the past 10 years, a climate change course has been offered in a large Midwest university. This course has been focusing on improving college students' scientific knowledge of climate change and human interactions using historical evidence as well as improving their information literacy in science through a course project that requires students to prepare a group presentation and a paper about an example of historical evidence of climate change and human interactions. This study evaluates the course's impact on students' learning of climate change and human interaction and improvement of information literacy in science based on students' responses to several questionnaires and interview data collected through the academic year of 2009. Results show that even if individual students had a different level of background knowledge of climate change and human interactions before the course, their content knowledge improved through the course. The students agreed that the course positively affected their information literacy in science (climate change) and interest. However, they neither disagreed nor agreed that they learned science knowledge relevant to their everyday lives and current socioeconomic issues related to climate change. They also thought that their environmental behavior did not change much as a result of the course.

A Test of the Efficacy of an Information Literacy Lesson in an Introductory Biology Laboratory Course with a Strong Science-Writing Component

Competency in science information literacy is an objective of most undergraduate biology programs and increasingly important in freshman introductory courses. We implemented a controlled study to test the efficacy of a single, information literacy lesson at the beginning of the semester in an introductory biology laboratory course with embedded writing components. We examined effects of this pedagogical manipulation by comparing laboratory sections that received the lesson with those that did not. We found that skills related to the identification of primary or secondary sources and use of proper citation format were higher in those sections that received a single literacy lesson in the semester-long course. Additionally, one year after the course, students who completed the course showed better mastery of information literacy skills compared to students who did not take the laboratory course. We used results from this controlled study to inform curriculum content decisions in our introductory biology course sequence.

Information Literacy Across the Disciplines: Using the Science Information Literacy Wiki as a Collaborative Tool in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science Librarianship

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Science and Technology Section (STS) wiki was launched in 2008. This article discusses the STS wiki development, content, publicity, and its application across the science disciplines. Information about assessment and future plans for the wiki is also provided. Some of the information included in this article was presented in a panel for the 2010 United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) Conference.

Integrating STEM Information Competencies into an Undergraduate Curriculum

ABSTRACT Students in science disciplines often arrive at college without experience using primary science literature and lacking in skills required to manipulate information. A cohesive, curriculum-integrated information literacy program is crucial in teaching science majors how to determine information needs and to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and use information. Described are the best practices, challenges, and assessment tools as applied in the implementation of a four-year science information literacy program at a large state university.

An Undergraduate Science Information Literacy Tutorial in a Web 2.0 World.

The development of an interactive web-based science information literacy tutorial that introduces undergraduate science majors to basic components of scientific literature is described. The tutorial introduces concepts, vocabulary and resources necessary for understanding and accessing information. The tutorial content is based on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and the Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology (American Library Association (ALA) /Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)/Science and Technology Section (STS) Task Force on Information Literacy for Science and Technology). In order to engage students in a Web 2.0 world, the tutorial has evolved to incorporate interactivity, graphics, and self-assessment. This paper provides information on the development of the tutorial, examples from the tutorial, suggestions for future designers, and the next steps in development of the tutorial and web-based tutorials. This tutorial fills a gap in information literacy as professors are trying to provide more instruction in limited classroom time and provides a resource that can be assigned or reviewed throughout a user's college career, reinforcing information literacy principles. This is especially important for science majors who, unlike social science and humanities majors, may not need to use science reference materials actively until upper division classes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Undergraduate Science Information Literacy Tutorial in a Web 2.0 World

The development of an interactive web-based science information literacy tutorial that introduces undergraduate science majors to basic components of scientific literature is described. The tutorial introduces concepts, vocabulary and resources necessary for understanding and accessing information. The tutorial content is based on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and the Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology (American Library Association (ALA) /Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)/Science and Technology Section (STS) Task Force on Information Literacy for Science and Technology). In order to engage students in a Web 2.0 world, the tutorial has evolved to incorporate interactivity, graphics, and self-assessment. This paper provides information on the development of the tutorial, examples from the tutorial, suggestions for future designers, and the next steps in development of the tutorial and web-based tutorials. This tutorial fills a gap in information literacy as professors are trying to provide more instruction in limited classroom time and provides a resource that can be assigned or reviewed throughout a user's college career, reinforcing information literacy principles. This is especially important for science majors who, unlike social science and humanities majors, may not need to use science reference materials actively until upper division classes.

The 2005 Continuing Education Survey: What Science Librarians Want to Know.

The biennial STS continuing education survey was conducted at the end of 200: in collaboration with two other organizations of science librarians. The top continuing education needs of science librarians include new technologies, professional development and keeping current, institutional repositories/digital archives, promoting science information literacy, collaboration between faculty and librarians, and finding free high-quality online data. This paper describes the process of developing and administering the survey and discusses the survey results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflections on Collaborative Teaching of Science Information Literacy and Science Writing

Examines the philosophy behind development of two team-taught courses in scientific writing: one for first-year students, the second for advanced students preparing for graduate and professional careers in science. Using student self-evaluations, course evaluations, and anecdotal evidence, chronicles some strengths and weaknesses of our ten-year experience with collaborative instruction and elaborates on both successful and unsuccessful pedagogies.

Information literacy in a biology laboratory session: An example of librarian–faculty collaboration

This paper describes a collaboration between librarians and the biology department to create a science information literacy component in a general biology laboratory. The objectives, planning, and execution of the program are outlined. The program was assessed in two ways: by judging the quality of the students' final reports and by a student feedback questionnaire. Both forms of evaluation indicate that the goals of the program were met. The assessment also indicated areas for improvement, such as moving the session earlier in the semester and broadening the range of topics to reduce overlap among the groups. Overall, this initial attempt to incorporate information literacy in the general biology course was deemed a success.

Building Websites for Science Literacy

Building a webliography on a scientific topic can be a daunting task. This paper seeks to simplify the process by suggesting straightforward guidelines for evaluating and organizing websites. The guidelines are developed from definitions of science literacy and science information literacy and illustrated by a sample webliography and a sample search strategy on the topic of acoustical oceanography.

Information Literacy in Science and Engineering Undergraduate Education: Faculty Attitudes and Pedagogical Practices

What are science and engineering faculty doing with respect to the development of information literacy in their undergraduate students? To explore this question, science and engineering faculty at two large Canadian universities were surveyed and interviewed regarding their perceptions of their students’ information literacy skills and their own pedagogical practices related to such skills. Faculty awareness of, and support for, a variety of bibliographic instruction methods and the perceived role of science and engineering librarians in information literacy instruction also were investigated. Based on the survey results, suggestions for the design of library instruction for science and engineering undergraduates are made.