First Year and Junior Engineering Students' Self-Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

In this study we explored engineering students' ability to recognize the need for lifelong learning through self-assessment of their information literacy skills. We also conducted psychometric analysis of the instrument. Self-assessments are frequently used to understand students' perceptions of information literacy. One critique of this approach is that student perceptions of skills can be different than their actual abilities. Previous research has shown that advanced students and experts in engineering are more likely to gather information than first year engineering students. To determine whether students perceive this behavioral difference, first year (n=158) and junior (n=154) engineering students were given the Self-Assessment of Problem Solving Strategies (SAPSS). This instrument was designed to measure students' reported behaviors in gathering, locating, reflecting on, and using information. The factor structure of SAPPS was examined with exploratory factor analysis, which supported that students have distinct areas of information literacy. First year and junior engineering student scores were compared through an independent t-test. The results indicate that there is no significant difference between average scores of first year and junior year engineering students. In addition, students in both groups reported relatively high levels of information literacy skill. Considering that previous research has found differences between first year and more advanced engineering students, the findings from the current study point out challenges to the measurement of information literacy. In particular, developing measures that are capable of detecting differences between students' of varying abilities are particularly challenging, considering students tend to report they already possess these skills.