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Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 15 (2011) 3849–3854

WCES-2011

Investigating students’ ways of learning information skills in Malaysian higher education Aidah Abdul Karim a *, Rosseni Din b, Norizan Abdul Razak c a

Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia c E-Community Research Centre, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia b

Abstract This qualitative study examined students’ way of learning information skills in the context of Malaysian higher education. The study found students perceived the phenomenon as students actively participating in information practices that required them to engage with various information sources, necessary to complete their classroom assignments. Following the perception, the students engaged with their classroom and peer communities to assist their participation in the practices. Underpinning the perceptions is students’ personal beliefs about ways of learning; which are characterized by meaning, practices, community and identity. The findings are useful to assist higher education communities to facilitate the transformation higher education students into into knowledge creators and innovators as required by the national education framework. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Keywords: information skills; qualitative research; higher learning; Malaysia

1. Introduction Information skills are defined as a set of abilities that enable university students to recognize specific information need or goals; to search, evaluate, read, analyze, synthesize, and use the gathered information to accomplish the goals; as well as to communicate the information processes and goals (American Library Association, 1989; Association of College and Research Libraries, 2000; Bundy, 2004; Carey, 1998; Society of College National & University Libraries, 1999). Information skills have been further identified as a pre-requisite for lifelong learning (Bundy, 2004), as well as a basis for individuals and their communities to function and progress (UNESCO, 2006). In the context of Malaysian universities, information skills have been introduced to university students via university libraries when government calls for the universities to produce knowledge workers who are fluent in information technology; and able to access, use, synthesize and construct knowledge (Economic Planning Unit, 2006). Later, the introduction of the Malaysian Qualification Framework into the national education system has further implicated students’ acquisition of information skills across Malaysian universities’ curriculum. The Framework identified information skills as a series of desirable learning outcomes for Malaysian higher education students (Malaysian Qualifications Agency, 2007). Rather than being the receivers of information skills learning process, the framework

* Aidah Abdul Karim. Tel.: +603-89216461; fax: +603-89254372. E-mail address: [email protected]

1877–0428 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.384

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further requires Malaysian higher education students to actively and independently acquire and demonstrate the application of information skills across their classroom learning. 2. Statement of the problem Although Malaysian universities have been offering information skills’ programs via their academic library, previous studies (Chan, 2003; Edzan & Mohd Saad, 2005; Mohd Saad & Awang Ngah, 2002) suggested these programs were directed toward students’ searching, locating, accessing, evaluating, and organizing information sources, and less focused on students’ analyzing, synthesizing and using the gathered information. In addition these programs seems to emphasize heavily on helping students to use computer hardware and software (Reid, 1998). In this respect while existing literature (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2000; Bundy, 2004; Joint Information Systems Committee, 2002) identified information analysis, synthesis and usage as central components to students’ learning information skills in higher education, actual practices in Malaysian higher education may provide different learning information skills’ experiences to students in relation to peers in the west. Existing studies also suggested students’ learning information skills in Malaysian higher education might be influenced by classroom and social practices of their institutions of learning. For example Chan (2003) found students were able to apply information skills across classroom learning if only teachers provided pathways for students to do so. Badger and Roberts (2005) also observed cultural expectation of students’ social roles in Malaysia introduced a challenge for students to apply or demonstrate information skills across classroom learning. Although some literature in the west had examined students’ ways of experiencing information skills, no such research so far had been conducted in the context of Malaysian higher education as most studies are focused on assessing students’ information skills in Malaysian higher education(e.g., Abdullah, Ahmad Kassim, Mohd Saad, Tarmuchi, & Aripin, 2006; Chan, 2003; Edzan, 2007). This study aimed to explore the landscape of students’ learning information skills using an emic perspective of Malaysian higher education students. The finding is useful to help higher education teachers and librarians to design and implement better approaches than enable students to better acquire and apply information skills across classroom learning, and ultimately transforming the students into knowledge creators and innovators in Malaysia. 3. Research objective The study aimed to examine students’ learning information skills from the perspective of Malaysian higher education students. 4. Theoretical Framework The study employed a combination of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) and symbolic interactionism (Charon, 2007) perspectives to further understand how Malaysian higher education students perceived their learning of information skills. Both perspectives provide useful lens to further understand the phenomenon because the lens allowed the study to explore the interplay of personal and social dimensions experienced by of higher education students may contribute to the students’ construction of learning information skills. Since the study assumed beliefs, perception and action of higher education students are interrelated, by the virtue of active nature of human beings, the study further assumed the students will continuously interpret, negotiate and reify their beliefs, perception and actions about learning information skills as they continuously engaged in the process of learning and applying information skills . Based on the perspective, the study aimed to answer the following research questions: 1) How do Malaysian higher education students perceive students’ learning information skills? 2) How the students’ perceptions influence their earning approaches? 3) How the students’ perception is informed by their personal beliefs?


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5. Methodology In order to explore the emic perspective of Malaysian higher education students, this study used qualitative research strategies (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). These strategies required the study to engage with real and information rich cases or participants; flexible and emergent research design; personal and prolonged engagement in the phenomenon; and inductive ways of analyzing and synthesizing qualitative data. Apart from that, these strategies further required the study to highlight the uniqueness and variation of individual cases and across cases to reach collective research findings as well as locate those findings in the phenomenon social, historical and temporal contexts (Merriam, 2009; Patton, 2002). Based on these characteristics, the study attempted to highlight the voice of Malaysian higher education students in understanding the phenomenon of students’ learning information skills. The study was conducted in one of the universities in Malaysia, which is located at the outskirt of Kuala Lumpur. With 11 faculties, 13 research institutes, one teaching hospital and 15 research centres, the university currently offers multi-disciplinary academic programs at diploma, degree, master and PhD levels. Currently the student enrollment consists of 17,203 undergraduate and 5,322 postgraduate students, which include 1,525 students from 35 foreign countries (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2008). The university was selected as the research setting because the university was able and willing to provide an entry access for the study to identify, select, and engage with students who participated in information skills’ programs. Working with two key informants within the university library, the study further identified and selected 13 students participating in these programs which came from different gender, background, programs, and discipline of knowledge. A total of five information skills programs which were conducted by the university librarians were observed to identify aspects of information skills, teaching and learning aids, as well as techniques involved in students’ learning information skills. Based on the observation, semi-structured interview protocols for students were prepared and carried out. The interviews aimed to explore students’ tacit knowledge on aspects of information skills, and the interrelation between information skills learning and their classroom learning. Open, axial, and pattern coding (Merriam, 2009; Miles & Huberman, 1994) were used to analyze the qualitative data available in the forms of classroom observation notes, and interview transcripts. The transcripts were initially transcribed, read, sorted, edited and checked for accuracy and later read, reflected, categorized and coded according to their meaning(s). 6. Result and discussion The study found students perceived the phenomenon as students participating in social practices that enable them to complete and fulfil their classroom assignments and requirement. The students further viewed the information practices require them to engage with information sources in a systematic and transparent way. Underpinning the perceptions is students’ personal beliefs about the way of knowing which are characterized by meaning, practices, community and identity. Additionally following their perception, female students used practices of their classroom and peer communities as a mean to engage in the information practices. 6.1 Students’ perception Insert Students perceived students’ learning information skills as participating in the information practices, necessary for the students to complete and fulfil classroom assignments and requirement. The practices further require students to engage with information sources in a particular way, which the students perceived as comprising of students 1) identify the information needs or gap; 2) knowing about, searching, accessing, sharing, and evaluating information sources; 3) collecting, exciting about, reading, copying, translating, and rewriting information sources; 4) analyzing, synthesizing, organizing, and using information sources; and 5) writing, developing, communicating and interrogating their own information sources. The students further viewed students’ engagement with practices of higher order thinking, information technology (IT), library, and verbal and written communication are enablers for them to participate in the information practices, which the students viewed as interwoven across components of the information practices. The analysis further revealed students without working experiences did not perceive component of students identifying information gap and need as parts of their information practices as suggested by existing literature

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(American Library Association, 1989; Association of College and Research Libraries, 2000; Bundy, 2004; Carey, 1998; Society of College National & University Libraries, 1999). This finding suggested that the students may lack of exposure that help them to develop autonomous abilities to engage in the information practices, or lack of motivation in pursuing a specific intellectual endeavour. The findings also suggested that lacking both the exposure and motivation also contribute toward students’ inability or unpreparedness to interrogate the process and product of their information practices which may be contributed to students lack of abilities to engage with higher order thinking, library, and written and oral communication practices which act as pathways for students to participate in students’ information practices. The study also discovered students viewed their information skills learning as participating in social practices, in which students knowing about, searching, sharing, evaluating, writing, developing and communicating information sources, were conducted in the social context of their formal classrooms and informal peer meetings outside the classrooms. The findings also found especially female students attached emotional dimensions with information practices as they perceived excitement about information sources and stressfulness of interrogation of their information process and output as components of students’ information practices, which are not highlighted by Malaysian higher education teachers (Karim, Din, Razak, Abdullah, & Hussin, 2010). 6.2 Students’ learning approaches In applying information skills across classroom learning, students viewed ICT as major and current delivery tools for searching, accessing, collecting and reading various and latest information sources, and thus much preferred to use online information sources. Following the application of information technology in the university library, students perceived their engagement with library practices include students knowing about library collection, system and services, as well as searching, accessing, and collecting conventional and online information sources, either subscribed or developed by the library. Following the perception, students view their participation in information skills’ classes exposed them to efficient ways of using library facilities and equipped them with theoretical and practical knowledge of using library system and facilities. Although teachers and students perceived engaging in library practices enable students to access latest and relevant academic information sources in a real time, some students complained that not enough online information sources were published in the Malaysian national language or the major language in which their discipline of knowledge is founded upon. Due to this issue, some students opted for online and other secondary information sources, which some students with working experience did not in favour with because they perceived these sources had been interpreted and mediated using or assumptions of the secondary authors, which may or may not in accordance with the original authors or primary information sources. 6.3 Students’ personal beliefs The findings found underpinning students’ perception on students’ learning information skills is students’ personal beliefs about ways of knowing which are characterised by meaning, practice, community and identity as explained by Wenger (1998). Following their personal beliefs, students perceived the phenomenon of students’ learning information skills as ways of completing and fulfilling their classroom assignments; which enable them to construct identity in the context of their classroom and simultaneously becoming experts in their field of study. Using the information practices as tickets to complete and fulfil their classroom assignments and assessments, students further believed that they actually engaged in a meaningful experience, in which their learning endeavours, such as their learning accomplishment, preparation, abilities, and experiences, were recognized as competence in their field of study. By doing so the students were constructing their personal histories and identity of becoming competent members in the classroom communities and simultaneously becoming experts in their areas of study. The findings add another dimension of personal beliefs that may underpinned students’ learning information skills, which may compliment teachers’ beliefs about source of knowledge and justification for knowing that underpinned their perception of students’ learning information skills (Karim, Din, Razak, Abdullah, & Hussin, 2010). .

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7. Conclusion The study suggested in addition to social and cognitive dimensions, psychology and emotional dimension interplay in higher education students’ acquisition of information skills. Furthermore while the study found students’ beliefs about their information skills learning is situated at the intersection of meaning, identity, community, and practices; other study found teachers’ perception on students’ learning information skills is underpinned by source of knowledge and justification for knowing. To further understand the implication of students’ and teachers’ beliefs about learning on the construction of students’ learning information skills particularly in the context of Malaysian higher education, the study suggested there is a need for future studies to explore these aspects using a bigger number of respondents from both student and teacher communities. References Abdullah, S., Ahmad Kassim, N., Mohd Saad, M. S., Tarmuchi, N. R., & Aripin, R. (2006). Developing information literacy measures for higher education. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Asia-Pacific Conference on Library & Information Education & Practice 2006 (A-LIEP 2006), Singapore, 3-6 April 2006. Retrieved December, 14th, 2007, from http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/1384/01/31.Szarina_Abdullah_pp219228_.pdf American Library Association. (1989). Presidential Committee on information literacy: Final report.

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