Freshman Overconfidence and Library Research Skills: A Troubling Relationship?

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationship between freshman college students’ self-reported confidence level in library research and their actual library research skills. A demographic survey and skills test were administered to 377 freshmen at East Carolina University in their first-semester English composition classes. The article addresses two research questions: What is the correlation between freshman students’ self-reported confidence level and tested skills? Do other factors such as age, gender, high school grades, or previous library instruction have an impact on students’ confidence level or skills? Results examine implications for library instruction.

KEYWORDS:

• Freshmen
• information literacy
• instruction
• overconfidence
• student research skills