Addressing the Gaps in Eighth-Grade Students' Information Literacy Skills: A Mixed Methods Approach

Information literacy considers how individuals find, evaluate, and use information. This quasi-experimental, fixed-effects, mixed-methods study explored strategies for addressing the gaps in eighth-grade students’ information literacy skills at an all-girls independent school. To teach the specific information literacy skill of evaluating online information sources, students participated in a discipline-based, gamified instructional unit with teacher-librarian collaboration. All eighth-grade students participated in a seven-day instructional unit during social studies classes, with 50-minute class periods. Students completed lessons in Checkology, a web-based platform with gamified, interactive lessons. At the end of each class, the students participated in a whole-group discussion. Next, students worked on an individual research project. In addition to librarian-curated resources, students were asked to independently choose at least one online information source. Students also completed the ninth-grade, 10-item Evaluate Sources and Information subsection of the Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills before and after the intervention. Additional data included attendance sheets, classroom activities time logs, field notes from classroom observations, transcripts from student focus groups, student source annotations, and Checkology class reports. Findings indicated successful adherence to the research design. However, the dose delivered included additional activities, as students completed the planned lessons in less time than expected. Overall, students reported a positive experience interacting with the intervention components. Student results from the preintervention and postintervention assessment indicated a significant difference between the intervention and the students’ ability to evaluate online information sources. Qualitative data from focus groups and observations also revealed a positive change in students’ ability to evaluate online information sources. The intervention factors that appeared to provide the most impact included the discipline-based approach and teacher-librarian collaboration, while the impact of gamification on student learning was less clear. Data on self-efficacy was limited, but suggested a positive change in students

A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions based on metacognition and self-regulation in school-aged mathematics

Mathematics is an important gatekeeper for educational and professional opportunities and a useful tool for discovery and expression. Given previous research and theory demonstrating potential for metacognitive and self-regulated learning (MC/SRL) interventions to support mathematics achievement with diverse learners, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate their effectiveness within the years of general education, with pupils of ages three to 18. Appropriately-designed studies that were reported in English between 2005 and 2019 were included. Following a systematic search, with double-reviewing and expert consultation for consistency, 1,761 bibliographic items were screened, resulting in 60 included studies. Qualitative aspects of the designs, contexts, participants, and intervention activities were synthesised narratively. Posttest-only and adjusted, random effects meta-analyses were performed using a single mathematics achievement measure from each study. The results indicate a generally positive effect from the included interventions (combined Cohen’s d=0.46, SE=0.08, 95% CI=0.30 to 0.60). This represents a somewhat more modest effect compared with previous reviews in this area, possibly due to a greater range of included reports. No risk of publication bias was identified, reflecting the breadth and diversity of included studies, but efforts to mitigate heterogeneity were only partially successful. Interventions using structured problem-solving with metacognitive prompts were more effective than those not using it, while dissertations reported lower effects than journal articles. No differences were found based on participant age or intervention dose. Primary studies used a variety of assessments and differed on reporting of interventions and quality-related factors, and there remained substantial heterogeneity in the meta-analysis. Implications of this review for educational theory, research, and practice are discussed, with emphasis on reporting studies fully, using broad-scope, comparable assessments, and investing in comprehensive metacognitive and self-regulated learning interventions that can support lasting change in teaching and learning