Finding Context Study (February 4, 2009)

Table of contents

Abstract

A report of preliminary findings and analysis from student discussion groups held on seven U.S. campuses in Fall 2008, as part of Project Information Literacy. Qualitative data from discussions with college students (N=86) across the country suggest that conducting research is particularly challenging. Students’ greatest challenges are related to their perceived inability to find desired materials. Students seek “contexts” as part of the research process. A preliminary typology of the research contexts is developed and introduced. Finding contexts for “backgrounding” topics and for figuring out how to traverse complex information landscapes may be the most difficult part of the research process. Our findings also suggest that students create effective methods for conducting research by using traditional methods, such as libraries, and self-taught, creative workarounds, such as “presearch” and Wikipedia, in different ways.

Preferred citation format: Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg (February 4, 2009), Finding context: What today’s college students say about conducting research in the digital age, Project Information Literacy Progress Report, University of Washington’s Information School, https://projectinfolit.org/publications/finding-context-study/

Related PIL resources

• “Barbara Fister: Playing for keeps: Rethinking how research is taught to today’s college students,” email interview by Michele Van Hoeck, Project Information Literacy, Smart Talk Interview, no. 12, July 26, 2012.
• “Dale Dougherty, “Web 2.0 and the social context of learning,” email interview by Alison Head, Project Information Literacy, Smart Talk Interview, no. 4, November 1, 2010.
• Michael B. Eisenberg, & Alison, J. Head (May 2, 2009), “Add ‘research’ to education’s traditional three Rs,” The Seattle Times.