Information Seeking Behavior and Information Literacy Among Business Majors Casey Long Business Liaison Librarian University Library Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA Milind Shrikhande Assistant Professor of Finance Department of Finance Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA Presented April 22, 2004 at the Annual Meeting of the Financial Educators Association and Academy of Business Education in Mystic Seaport, CT.

Project Overview Inspired by Cooney and Hiris’ presentation at the 2003 Financial Education Association conference on integrating information literacy and assessment into a graduate business course. Project goals: Identify information literacy teaching methods that impact the quality of term papers and equip students with better information literacy and information seeking skills. Measure the impact of information literacy training on the quality of term papers to determine the benefit of integrating information literacy training throughout the business school.

Background Information literacy is a term used to describe a set of skills that enable individuals to seek, find, utilize and cite high quality information quickly and efficiently. Information seeking behavior describes the methodology individuals use to find information Business information literacy is a term that defines the skills needed by business students, academics and professionals to be highly functional in an information society. Martha Cooney and Lorene Hiris are currently researching and developing this concept.

Information Environment of Business Schools Wide variety of information resources available through resources provided by the library, available on free websites, and through subscription web-based resources. Students may be overwhelmed by the number of choices. (O’Keefe, Feast) Students are skilled in locating information using search engines on the Internet, but often lack the evaluative skills or the motivation to evaluate credibility and quality of the information found. (Fiegen) Students feel more comfortable using search engines than the library or library resources. (ENDER) Many students believe content from the Internet is free from copyright restrictions and do not need to be cited. (Cooney & Hiris) Research skills are taught as needed by individual instructors. Few formal research/information literacy skills training programs are incorporated into the degree program curriculum. (Feast)

Project Overview Track changes in information seeking behavior and the impact of information literacy training over four consecutive semesters. Stage I: Control stage, no information literacy provided. Analyzed 18 graduate papers (41 students) from Spring 2001 & Spring 2003 and 5 undergraduate papers (20 students) from Spring Stage II - III: Information literacy integrated into graduate and undergraduate International Finance course. Analyzed 10 undergraduate papers (34 students) in Summer 2003, 10 undergraduate papers (34 students) in Fall 2003, and 8 graduate papers (27 students) in Fall Stage IV: Currently in Stage IV. Analysis will include papers from two graduate classes and one undergraduate class. Presentation covers results from Stage I – Stage III. In each stage, refinements are made to the instruction mix to identify the most effective blend of information literacy training.

Methodology Developed learning objectives. Ensure students are familiar with key business information sources. Train students how to find information quickly and efficiently. Encourage students to select quality information resources that will lend credibility to the students’ arguments and assertions Help students learn to determine the amount of information and the type of information needed to present an argument, develop a case, or provide a comprehensive overview of the subject. Teach students to properly cite resources used.

Methodology Develop evaluation tools Design a pre-survey to test students’ existing knowledge of library resources and their skills in using library tools to locate information. Designed weighted average index based on the following citation analysis grading scale: Quality of Resources30% Variety of Resources20% Citation Format10% Utilization of Information40%

Methodology Altered teaching methods each semester based on finding from pre-surveys, student papers and interactions with students in the classroom and in student consultations. IIIIIIIV In-Class Library Research InstructionXXX Library resources and services XXX Research strategies XXX Database demonstrations XXX Citation techniques XXX Research planning XX Business information literacy principles XX Interactive activities XX Exposure to resources X Hands on training X Class Research Web GuideXXX Research ConsultationsXXX Individual consultations XXX Team consultations XX

Pre-Test Results

Changes in Information Literacy

Changes in Information Literacy Competencies - Undergraduates

Changes in Information Literacy Competencies - Graduates

Changes in Information Literacy Competencies - Overall

Correlation between Information Literacy Grade and Paper Grade Found no correlation between paper grade and information literacy grade. Lack of correlation may be due to the following factors: Significant levels of plagiarism/misuse of information discovered after paper grade assigned. Information overload. Some students focus too heavily on locating information and not enough time analyzing and interpreting information.

Role of Research Consultations Students are receptive to additional learning opportunities. 70% of the undergraduate teams in Stage II and III participated in research consultations. 50% of the graduate teams in Stage II and Stage III participated in research consultations. Encourage life long learning. Several students contacted the Librarian about other research projects during and after their participation in the course.

Differences between Graduates and Undergraduates Graduates Possess higher level of information literacy skills before training. Interested in learning about research tools. Less likely to take advantage of research consultations. Recognize variances in information quality. Undergraduates Less interested in in-class library instruction. Require interactive activities to retain attention. Concern with finding information quickly, not interested in learning about research tools. Take advantage of research consultations. Desire more direction and guidance.

Conclusion & Recommendations Information literacy training impacts students’ research capabilities. Courses requiring research papers should provide some level of information literacy training tailored to the needs of the assignment. Students are receptive to training. Opportunities should be made available for training and research assistance. Sustained inculcation of information literacy over time is more likely to be successful in creating lifelong research skills. Effort should be made to coordinate business information literacy across the business curriculum.