Library experience and information literacy learning of first year international students at QUT: Research report

This study provide insights about first year international students’ Library and information using experience at QUT and their associated information literacy learning needs. More widely, the findings are significant to other host universities as an evidence base to inform the development of library spaces and information literacy responses that enhance international students’ transition and learning. For many undergraduate students transitioning to university is a complex experience, educationally and socially. For international students this complexity is often intensified by a simultaneous shifting between countries, cultural contexts and academic environments. While the Library can be a source of challenge, it can also play a vital role in supporting first year international students. METHOD The study was conducted in 2015 by the authors as part of a wider international project entitled Understanding international students’ library use and information literacy learning needs when transitioning to a host university that also investigated the same topic at three US universities. As a qualitative case study (Simons, 2009) it addressed three inter-connected research questions: • How do first year undergraduate international students use the spaces, resources and support services of QUT Library? • What are their information literacy learning needs? • From the perspective of first year undergraduate international students, how could QUT Library’s spaces and support services be enhanced? To capture authentic insights, we sought the views of 110 international students who were in the first year of an undergraduate program at QUT in 2015. Thus the participants had fresh transitioning experience. Data collection involved an online questionnaire completed by all 110 students; and semi-structured interviews with 7 self-selected questionnaire respondents. The questionnaire identified WHAT library spaces, resources and support services the international students had used in general, and to complete an assignment. It also asked participants for recommendations for improvement. The interviews sought understanding about HOW the participants used the library spaces, resources and services. Following established qualitative practice, data analysis involved thematic analysis (Miles, Huberman & Saldana, 2013). Triangulation of questionnaire and interview data ensured research rigor and yielded a rich array of factual and experiential data. FINDINGS The findings indicate that international students value and make frequent use of QUT Library’s physical spaces, resources and support services. Limited attendance at information literacy classes, infrequent help-seeking approaches to librarians, and minimal use of online help suggest a need for extensive, targeted promotion of the library to international students to raise their awareness of the support available to them. Limited participation appears to be connected with inconvenient scheduling. The usefulness of information literacy classes would increase if they were held at regular intervals through the semester, including week-ends, and during the break. An extended orientation period would suit many international students who arrive after the start of semester (due to visa or travel delays) or must attend urgently to personal affairs like banking in the early weeks. The international students frequently expressed approval of library staff’s friendliness and helpfulness emphasises, although some still hold back from help-seeking due to lack of confidence or misunderstanding. These findings suggest the importance of creating a welcoming first impression of the library that encourages students to return. Student peer advisers are also beneficial as help gained from a fellow student is often enriched by ‘insider knowledge’ and shared experience. The findings illustrate the need for educators and librarians to be alert to international students as individuals – and to respond supportively in an assumption-free way. Through initiatives that bring together international and domestic students - such as peer support programs or the creation of an international conversation space - libraries are well placed to foster learning and social wellbeing across the diverse first year student population.