Information Literacy Assessment for RDG081 – Pre-Test
Methodology
An Information Literacy pre-test was administered during the first few weeks of the Fall 2010 semester
to students in RDG081 classes. Although 217 students submitted pre-tests, not every student
responded to every question. Questions that were blank, unable to be scored, or answered with “I
don’t know” are not included in the summary analysis. However, responses of “I don’t know” and
blank/unclear responses are included in the detailed question analysis tables. This does cause a slight
difference in percentages between the tables.
Analysis
Overall, students had a mean score of 11 on the pre-test with scores ranging from 0 – 21 out of 281
possible points. The most common score (mode) was 12.
A large majority of students who responded (86%, N=155) scored well on Question 1 and demonstrated
an understanding that the Library catalog is the most direct tool for locating books and DVDs owned by
the library. Of the students who responded, a majority answered correctly on 12 of the 28 possible
questions. For example, 68% of students who responded to Question 6 demonstrated that they could
match a picture with a database search term. Approximately two-thirds of those who responded (67%,
N=120) answered question 13 correctly, indicating an understanding that the color and design of a
website is not a good indicator of credibility.
Question 18 seemed especially challenging to those who responded. Students were asked to identify
the purpose of an excerpt and only 17% (N=30) of the students who responded to this question
answered it correctly. Question 16 also posed a challenge; only 21% (N=39) of those who responded
recognized that the excerpt illustrated bias. Question 5 also proved challenging with only 22% (N=42)
responding correctly that “college freshmen, college sophomores” represented the best synonym for
the concept “college students.” See the summary and question tables for detailed information on all of
the questions.
Summary Tables
Pre-Test Summary
Mean
Median
Mode
Min
Max
1
11
11
12
0
21
Questions 10 and 17 included multiple correct responses. Students were awarded one point for each correct
response which accounts for the 28 points on a 20 question assessment.
Pre-Test Summary Question Results
Question
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10A
10B
10C
10D
10E
11
12
13
14
15
16
17A
17B
17C
17D
17E
18
19
20
Correct
N
%
155
86%
75
46%
54
32%
76
41%
42
22%
141
68%
80
52%
66
42%
65
34%
92
64%
50
35%
98
68%
103
72%
82
57%
78
42%
76
46%
120
67%
93
54%
56
35%
39
21%
108
59%
49
27%
83
45%
158
86%
85
46%
30
17%
105
62%
120
62%
Incorrect
N
%
26
14%
87
54%
117
68%
108
59%
150
78%
67
32%
73
48%
92
58%
128
66%
52
36%
94
65%
46
32%
41
28%
62
43%
107
58%
88
54%
59
33%
79
46%
105
65%
145
79%
75
41%
134
73%
100
55%
25
14%
98
54%
145
83%
64
38%
75
38%
Total
Responses
N
181
162
171
184
192
208
153
158
193
144
144
144
144
144
185
164
179
172
161
184
183
183
183
183
183
175
169
195
Detailed Question Tables
The tables below contain responses of “I don’t know” as well as blank or unclear responses which
causes the percentages to differ from the summary tables above.
1.
Which of the following is the most direct tool for locating books and DVDs owned by your
library? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
4%
3%
71%
5%
0%
17%
Article database
Google Books
Library catalog
Search engines like Google or
Yahoo
Wikipedia
I don’t know.
2.
Which of the following best identifies a database of full-text newspapers or magazines that you
can search with keywords? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
35%
4%
7%
3%
25%
25%
Article database
Ebook collection
Google Scholar
Library catalog
Online reference source
I don’t know.
3.
Which of the following best identifies a database of full-text dictionaries and encyclopedias that
you can search with keywords? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
3%
9%
13%
25%
28%
21%
Article database
Google Scholar
Library catalog
Online reference source
Search engines like Google or Yahoo
I don’t know.
4.
Consider the following statement: Explain the effects of rain forest depletion in global warming.
Identify the main concepts that would be most effective as initial search terms. CHOOSE ONLY ONE
ANSWER.
5%
14%
3%
28%
35%
15%
Effects, explain, rain forest
Explain, rain forest, depletion
Forests, deplete
Global warming, effects
Rain forest, global warming
I don’t know.
5.
Select the set of search terms that best represents synonyms (similar terms) for the concept
“college students.” CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
32%
19%
3%
20%
14%
12%
Colleges, universities, community colleges
College freshmen, college sophomores
Fraternities, sororities
University, adult learners, educational
attendees
Young people, youth, young adults
I don’t know.
6. If you are searching an online database or search engine for an image similar to the one below,
which set of search terms would help you find the closest match? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER..
17%
1%
3%
65%
10%
4%
Arizona, immigration, lawsuits
Capitol hill, crowds, flags
Illegal, immigration, constitution
Immigration, march, SB1070
Phoenix, protests
I don’t know
Source: SEIU. SB1010 Immigration Reform. 2010. Flickr
7.
While searching an online library database, you would like to limit your search to items in the
English language that are less than three years old. Which of the following would be the best option to
use for conducting this type of search? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
4%
37%
19%
10%
1%
29%
About
Advanced Search
Customize Settings
Simple Search
Site Map
I don’t know.
8.
In most library databases, an advantage to using a keyword search is that keyword searches:
CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
33%
6%
30%
4%
0%
Are especially useful for topics with well-known readings.
Are more discriminating and yield more appropriate citations.
Search most or all parts of the record and yield more results.
Use Library of Congress subject headings.
I don’t know.
9.
When using an online library database, which keyword search is the most effective one for
identifying articles on how weight affects self-esteem? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
48%
6%
1%
30%
4%
11%
How weight affects self-esteem
Self-esteem
Weight
Weight AND self-esteem
Weight OR self-esteem
I don’t know.
10.
Material included in an online library database typically can be limited by which factors?
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.
Don’t
Correct
Incorrect
Know
42%
24%
34% Date range (year of publication)
23%
43%
34% Number of pages
45%
21%
34% Not copyrighted
47%
19%
34% Publication (source) type
38%
29%
34% Owned by your library
11.
You are writing a paper on prescription drug research. Your search for “drugs and research” in
an article database has produced over 100,000 results! What is the best strategy to deal with these
results? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER
36%
10%
6%
27%
6%
15%
Add additional terms to the search.
Look at all of the results so as not to miss a good article.
Remove one of the search terms.
Remove the word “AND”.
Select a new database.
I don’t know.
12.
A search for HIV in an online library database returns almost 140,000 results! How would you
reduce your results to articles which were published from 2003 onwards and only in English? CHOOSE
ONLY ONE ANSWER.
23%
13%
5%
35%
0%
Repeat the search with the terms “HIV AND 2003 AND 2004”.
Since the articles are presented chronologically, page through until the last 2002 article
appears and then manually go through the rest to eliminate the foreign language ones.
There is no way to set these limits, so one must go through each retrieved record.
Use the Limits option in the database to set the publication dates and language.
I don’t know.
13.
Which of the following does NOT need to be considered when evaluating the credibility of a
website? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
12%
6%
55%
9%
0%
Background of the author
Date the information was published or updated
Suitability of colors and design of the website
Organization that is hosting the website
I don’t know.
14. In researching steroid use, you look up your topic on the Web and find an article in a personal blog that
claims the use of steroids by high school girls increased from 1.2 percent in 1991 to 5.3 percent in 2003.
Your next best step is to: CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
3%
15%
43%
18%
0%
Contact the blogger and ask them where they got their statistics.
See if you can find another blog that has the same information.
Verify the statistics in another source, such as a reference book or magazine article.
Write down the information so you can cite the source in your paper.
I don’t know.
15. You plan to write a paper on the environmental impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Which
of the following is most likely to provide balanced and unbiased information? CHOOSE ONLY ONE
ANSWER.
6%
31%
6%
5%
26%
26%
American Petroleum Institute (www.api.com)
BP’s website (www.bp.com)
Free the Planet! (www.freetheplanet.org)
Greenpeace (www.greenpeace.org)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(www.noaa.gov)
I don’t know
16. Does the excerpt below illustrate fact, opinion, or bias?2
“The argument against armed self-defense is one of the most sinister forms of victimizing women. The
dominant culture tells women that they are incapable of defending themselves with a gun. That’s why
fewer than 10% of women own guns.” CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
18%
26%
40%
16%
Bias
Fact
Opinion
I don’t know.
17. Which of the following types of sources often present a one-sided view and opinions rather than facts?
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.
2
Although there were only three possible responses and an “I don’t know” option, some responses were coded
with an answer that was not available.
Correct
50%
23%
38%
73%
39%
Incorrect
35%
62%
46%
12%
45%
Don’t
Know
16%
16%
16%
16%
16%
Blogs (personal weblogs)
Newspaper editorials
Personal or commercial websites
Scholarly journal articles
Tweets (posts on Twitter)
18. What is the purpose of the excerpt below?
“Most disturbing of all, some researchers want to use cloning to create human beings solely for
experimentation and destruction. They propose to supply genetically matched tissues for treating
various diseases by making human embryos from patients’ body cells, then dissecting these developing
embryos for their ‘space parts.’ Some even speak of growing genetically altered ‘headless’ human
clones as organ farms.” CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
42%
14%
25%
19%
To inform.
To persuade or trigger emotions.
To present a variety of viewpoints.
I don’t know.
19. You hear on a radio talk show that playing beer pong, a popular college drinking game, can spread
herpes. How might you best determine the truth of this statement? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
1%
4%
6%
19%
48%
22%
Call for a transcript of the program from the radio station.
Check the fbifiles.com website for information the government itself might not release to
the public.
Discuss the news with friends who might have heard the program.
Google “beer pong and herpes.”
Search for “beer pong and herpes” on the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control Prevention
(cdc.gov) website.
I don’t know.
20. If you need to know what chapters are in a book, which part of the book provides the best
information? CHOOSE ONLY ONE ANSWER.
3%
26%
2%
3%
55%
10%
Cover of the book
Index
Preface
Reference list/Bibliography
Table of contents
I don’t know.