Far from a Trivial Pursuit: Assessing the Effectiveness of Games in Information Literacy Instruction

Abstract

the terms of the Creative CommonsAttribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the same or similar license to this one. AbstractObjective -To determine whether playing library-related online games during information literacy instruction sessions improves student performance on questionnaires pertaining to selected research practices: identifying citation types and keyword and synonym development.Methods -86 students in seven introductory English composition classes at a large urban university in the northeastern United States served as participants. Each class visited the library for library instruction twice during a given semester. In the experimental group students received information literacy instruction that incorporated two online games, and the control group received the same lesson plan with the exception of a lecture in place of playing games. A sixitem pre-and posttest questionnaire was developed and administered at the outset and conclusion of the two-session classes. The 172 individual tests were coded, graded, and analyzed using SPSS. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2015, 10.1 21Results -A paired sample t-test comparing the control and experimental groups determined that that there was a statistically significant difference between scores on pre-tests and post-tests in the experimental group but not the control group.Conclusion -Students who played the online games improved significantly more from pre-test to post-test than students who received a lecture in lieu of playing online games, suggesting that participating in games related to the instruction they received resulted in an improved ability to select appropriate keywords and ascertain citation formats. These findings contribute to the evidence that online games concerning two frequently challenging research practices can be successfully applied to library instruction sessions to improve student comprehension of such skills.

Undergraduates’ assessment of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) information literacy instruction

“…According to Pausch and Popp (2015) the WWW is being increasingly used to present information and tutorials particularly because academic libraries are increasingly involved in distance education. Tewell and Angell (2015) found students who played online games improved significantly more from pre-test to post-test than students who received a lecture in lieu of playing online games, suggesting that participating in games related to the instruction they received resulted in an improved ability to select appropriate keywords and ascertain citation formats.…”

Information Literacy Skills of First-Year Library and Information Science Graduate Students: An Exploratory Study

“…During ILAS-ED's development, the instrument demonstrated reasonable reliability and validity (Beile, 2005(Beile, , 2007. It is freely available and has been used in several IL studies (Alfonzo & Batson, 2014;Batarelo Kokić & Novosel, 2014;Cannon, 2007;Catalano & Phillips, 2016;Jesse, 2012;Magliaro, 2011;Robertson & Felicilda-Reynaldo, 2015;Tewell & Angell, 2015). Although the instrument was developed in 2005, the terminology used in the questions is still current.…”

Play On? Comparing Active Learning Techniques for Information Literacy Instruction in the Public Speaking Course

“…More recent attempts at discerning the merits of active learning in library instruction have tested specific, active interventions alongside more passive instruction (e.g., a lecture or database demonstration). Such research suggests that active learning may have some advantages, such as: reducing anxiety when students consult library resources, enhancing perceptions of the usefulness of librarians, more efficient searching, and greater use of librarian assistance (Detlor & Sorenko, 2012); improving the quality of students' research outputs (Johnson & Barrett, 2017), and augmenting students' searching and citation skills (Tewell & Angell, 2015).…”

“…SeeMargino (2013) for a review of in-person and online games in information literacy instruction; seeTewell & Angell (2015) for a study of online games in information literacy learning; seeYoung (2016) for a review of the potential advantages of games and gamification for information literacy learning; and see Hoppe's presentation on play in the library (2017) that inspired part of the methodology in this research project. 2 See Free (2017) andOakleaf (2014).…”