International Students: Information Literacy or Academic Literacy?

Abstract Western universities continue to attract large numbers of international students. But we have not always understood their information literacy needs, which go much deeper than lack of facility with English and into the realm of educational philosophy. In order to enable international students to experience the education our universities are promising them, we need to develop integrated training programs that move beyond the basics of information literacy to what might be called "academic literacy. " Librarians are in a unique position to initiate the development of such programs. ********** The Challenge Of International Students Every year Western universities invite hundreds of thousands of students from countries around the globe to study at their institutions. In the United States alone, the numbers have grown from 154,580 in 1974 to 366,359 in 1988 to 547,867 in 2001. Half are undergraduate students and half graduate. Some 54% come from Asia, 15% from Europe, and the rest are from every part of the world. [1] While it is clear that these students often need considerable help to manage their information needs in our setting, the aid they are receiving in many institutions tends to be sparse. "Information literacy" has become a growing concern, especially since the release of the ACRL guidelines. It is commonly assumed that international students, as their English improves, can be made information literate using the same methods we undertake with our own students. That assumption, however, may be considerably short-sighted in light of the struggles such students face. On top of the easily identifiable issues of difficulty with the English language, unfamiliarity with our library systems, lack of comfort with technology, and tendency toward plagiarism, are obstacles that have to do with these students' very philosophies of life. It is the contention of this paper that academics, beginning with librarians, need to be in the forefront of initiating programs that lead international students through information literacy into what may be called "academic literacy," that is, skill at using information within a Western academic setting. The barriers faced by international students in assimilating into Western academia are too complex to be overcome by the training we normally offer our own students. Informational Struggles Of International Students A number of studies have identified the following as key challenges for international students: English language hearing and speaking, library systems and technology, Western academic culture, and research and writing. Let us consider each in turn. English language, particularly in the categories of hearing and speaking Most international students have taken English language courses that focused on written rather than spoken use of the language. [2] They may pass the TOEFL but not be able to understand a classroom discussion. [3] International students regularly complain that Westerners speak too fast, using too many colloquialisms, idioms, and technical terms. On the other hand, professors who over-compensate by speaking too slowly or raising their voices are not appreciated either. [4] International students often find themselves needing to ask a question but lacking the language skills to formulate it properly or to process the answer that is provided. For some, this means that the question never gets asked because the fear of appearing ignorant is stronger than the need to know. For others it means that the question is repeated endlessly in various forms until the answer becomes clear. [5] This struggle with English is a foundational problem. It permeates all aspects of an international student's quest for information literacy, from taking notes in the classroom, to asking directions in the library, to the kinds of database searches that are done, to papers that are written. …