Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Instruction & Curriculum Leadership

Committee Chair

Andrew Tawfik

Committee Member

Craig Shepherd

Committee Member

J Helen Perkins

Committee Member

Erin Shaw

Abstract

The application of information literacy (IL) skills is essential for K-12 students to succeed academically and in life (Yu et al., 2016). It thus follows that K-12 students need teachers who can teach IL concepts effectively. This is even more true for learners growing up in poverty who already face many barriers to their achievement. Due to a variety of barriers including a lack of understanding of the term IL, limited training and a lack of personal IL capabilities, teachers do not consistently and effectively provide IL instruction for their students (Lee & Lee, 2014; Shannon et al., 2019; Wang, 2016) Additional factors include lack of access to technology, limited opportunities and other challenges (Chatman, 1996; Morgan et al., 2016; Rowsell et al.,2017). Given this need, the purpose of this basic qualitative case study was to investigate the perceptions of barriers to information literacy instruction (ILI) of teachers of 7-12th grades in Arkansas who teach in poverty environments. Understanding teachers perceptions of ILI barriers in this setting is significant because their perceptions inform how they provide ILI. Initial survey data and semi-structured individual interviews will be used to answer the following research questions: What first order barriers to information literacy instruction in poverty settings do teachers of grades 7-12 perceive? What second order barriers to information literacy instruction in poverty settings do teachers of grades 7-12 perceive? What third order barriers to information literacy instruction in poverty settings do teachers of grades 7-12 perceive? First-order barriers included issues related to lack of training for ILI in poverty, access to information, and misalignment of faculty and administrators priorities. Second-order topics discussed the importance of question-asking. Finally, third-order topics discussed the role of design-thinking to meet students unique needs for their learning contexts. Studying teachers perceptions of barriers to ILI is significant since it will inform future training in teacher education programs and support for teachers to help overcome identified barriers. This study will also help to promote educational equity through helping their students to develop IL and contribute to their academic achievement and lifelong learning.Keywords: First Order Barriers, Second Order Barriers, Third Order Barriers, Information Literacy, Information-Seeking; Inquiry-Based Learning; Information Literacy Instruction, Information Literate, Poverty, Design Thinking

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

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