What Can We Learn from Library Instruction Research? A Content Analysis of Evidence Summaries from Evidence Based Library and Information Practice

摘要

Objective: Library instruction can and should be informed by research, and current research should inform librarians’ instructional practices. In order to maximize the impact of research, the journal Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) publishes evidence summaries - synopses and critical appraisals of published research which facilitate knowledge translation in library and information practice. Each evidence summary consists of a structured abstract describing the objective, setting, design, results and conclusion of the original research, as well a commentary highlighting the methodological strengths and weaknesses of the research and any implications for practice. The current study examines the methodological strengths and weaknesses of 27 research studies on instruction, and their findings.Methods: A qualitative content analysis of the commentary section of evidence summaries of instructional research published in EBLIP from 2006-2008 will be undertaken. All 12 issues of the journal will be included, for a total of 27 evidence summaries. Using a standardized data extraction form, each evidence summary commentary will be reviewed to determine:- Strengths and weaknesses of the original research study, as noted by the evidence summary writer;- Aspects of critical appraisal that were included or excluded from the critical appraisal;- Implications for practice of the original research, grouped by theme.Data analysis will be completed by three researchers, with all evidence summaries being independently reviewed by two researchers to ensure reliability. The content analysis will be guided by EBLIP’s guidelines for evidence summary writers to determine concepts for which coding will be conducted. Pre-testing of the concepts will be undertaken on a subset of evidence summary commentaries to ensure consistency between coders. Results will be grouped by study type and research setting (e.g., academic, health, school, public) to reveal patterns not only within the collection of evidence summaries, but between types of research and practice settings.Expected Results: This research, part of a larger study examining all 117 evidence summaries published in EBLIP, will provide a detailed look at recent research on library instruction. It is expected that the results will reveal trends in critical appraisal of library instruction research, highlighting methodological weaknesses as well as strengths, and areas for improvement in both research design and in critical appraisal techniques. The analysis of the evidence summaries will provide researchers with examples of common methodological issues that arise in library instruction research and therefore potentially weaken results. For practitioners, results are also expected to reveal implications for library instructional practice in areas such as teaching strategies, assessment techniques, as well as the effectiveness of online instruction.Learning outcomes: As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to:• Utilize research results to improve library instruction practices. • Identify common methodological weaknesses of recent research on library instruction.• Explain the role of evidence summaries in promoting evidence-based library instruction.