Running head: Successful Information Seeking in Children (SISIC) Model

Successful Information Seeking in Children (SISIC) Model Dhyana Cabarga, Crystal Garcia, Kathy Street, Courtney Terry Emporia State University

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The American Library Association defines information literacy as the ability to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information (Robinson, 2008). Information literacy, then, is the accumulation of a learned set of skills rather than an innate ability. Thus, as with reading, information literacy skills become a fundamental part of early childhood curriculum. The question concerning how to effectively teach information problem solving skills has given rise to several information problem solving models. This paper will focus on those models which are built upon the concept of metacognitive scaffolding. Metacognitive Scaffolding Metacognition can be described as thinking about thinking. [That is], in order to perform metacognitively, learners must be aware of their own cognitive activities and be able to control and monitor those activities (Wolf, 2003). Scaffolding is defined as a support structure for learners engaged in activities just beyond their independent abilities (Wolf, 2003). Thus, metacognitive scaffolding is a series of prescribed steps a child can take, with the aid of an information educator, to solve an information need. With regular practice, a child will internalize these steps and eventually be able to independently navigate their information search process. For the purposes of our research, three metacognitive models were examined: the Super3, the Big6, and the FLIP-it models. Metacognitive Scaffolding Models The Super3 model aims to provide early learners with a framework for solving their informational needs by guiding them through a three-step action plan. In the first step, planning, students are encouraged to identify their goals and consider different options for achieving these goals, thereby clearly defining their task. In the second step, doing, students complete

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information seeking activities which may include working with a librarian. In the final step, reviewing, students reflect on their search process and evaluate their work (Robinson, 2008). The three stages are sometimes presented as Beginning, Middle, and End, mimicking the structure of story with which younger learners are typically familiar. Early exposure to the Super3 process has the potential to lay the foundation for more complex problem solving situations (Robinson, 2008). As the information needs of children mature and become multifaceted, a more comprehensive information problem solving model, such as the Big6, needs to be employed by information educators. Like the Super3, the Big6 model identifies a series of steps for educators to guide students through as they endeavor to solve an information need. Unlike the Super3, which is rather narrow in scope as it focuses primarily on early information learners, the Big6 expands upon the information search process by including additional steps which allow the model to be applied to students from kindergarten through high school. As Wolf has outlined, in the first step, task definition, students clearly define their information problem. Once the task is clarified, students go through the information seeking strategies and location and access stages in which they will identify possible sources and locate these sources, typically in a library. After having found their resources, students will peruse the resources (use of information) and extract information relevant to their information need. In the final two stages, synthesis and evaluation, students will create a final product (e.g. research paper) using the information gathered in previous stages and evaluate how effectively they completed the task which was identified in the first stage (2003). While both the Super3 and Big6 models are linear in structure, metacognitive scaffolding depends primarily on repetition of a search process. The FLIP-it! model for information skills strategies is illustrative of a non-linear information problem solving process which, when regularly practiced, can be internalized as easily as linear models.

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The FLIP-it model simplifies the information search into a four-stage process which encourages students to focus on your topic, locate the appropriate resources, investigate and implement the information you find, and finally, produce the results of our findings (Yucht). The name FLIP is a mnemonic device derived from the search process itself. The FLIP-it model is unique in that the model can be carried out in reverse (i.e. it can be flipped) since students sometimes know what the required form of the final product must be (e.g. a teacher has specified the form of final presentation) and, therefore, must work backwards to know how/what to do to accomplish [their task] (Yucht). In terms of our group research, the FLIP-it model provided an alternate interpretation of the processes involved in metacognitive scaffolding. Successful Information Seeking in Children Model Figure 1: SISIC Model

SISIC model

The model we developed, Successful Information Seeking in Children (SISIC), is diagrammed in Figure 1. The SISIC model illustrates the information search process in children of any age. The first step of the process involves understanding the information need which combines the students interest in a topic and the infrastructure of the curriculum itself. The students interest may be self-generated or developed in response to an assignment. Interest is vital to the success of the search process; it increases motivation and increases a students knowledge of the subject matter. When guiding students through their search processes, the SISIC model assumes that educators have a working knowledge of various information seeking models, and thereby work to develop appropriate information learning curriculum which encourages the development of intrinsic motivations. The second step in the process is the material search, which arises from the need for information on a topic, and which relies on educators to help students navigate through ageappropriate resources. Realizing the need, and knowing how to search, is crucial to this step of the process. Without a clear information seeking methodology progress stagnates and the students interest may eventually dissipate. Thus, proper guidance serves to avoid student frustration. A student provided with an education that promotes information seeking skills will learn the knowledge and skills which will allow them to move forward to the next tier of the SISIC model. Ideally, the teaching of information literacy skills will be a collaborative effort between the appropriate authority figures, which are typically classroom teachers and school librarians/media specialists. In sum, to be successful the student must have access to, and be guided through, material that is appropriate for both age and subject matter. As more and more resources become available sometimes exclusively online, instructing students how to search electronic sources is now a major skill needed to search for materials effectively. The increasing dependency on technology in student research can

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sometimes lead to a technological gap, that is, those students with access to technology are greater beneficiaries of electronic resources than those without access to technology. By including the term access in the SISIC model, it is only appropriate to acquiesce that the learning environment which the model assumes is, perhaps, quixotic at times. The third tier of the SISIC model is the interpretation of the information found during the search. The student must filter the many sources of information to synthesize the knowledge and complete a project. The student will be using their metacognitive scaffolding skills to accomplish this. The combination of the instruction from the classroom teacher, instruction from the school librarian and the results of the search process will all aid in the interpretation of the information. As students work through the three tiers they may need to move forward and backward to complete the project. Using the information transfer process the student will have researched an area of interest, interpreted the results and completed a final project. This process has been accomplished due to the guided instruction the student has had in information literacy. The Successful Information Seeking In Children model (figure 1) builds on the metacognitive scaffolding that students have acquired during their education. Thus, as education builds on itself, this model works for students at various levels of education. As students progress in their education their metacognitive scaffolding continues to grow with them. SSIC can be used for any search process and can be a successful addition to teaching information literacy to both students and educators. Knowing the process will provide a solid base for the information search process.

References

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Robinson, L. (2008). Information Literacy and Early Learners. Library Media Connection, 27(2), 10-11. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database Wolf, S. (2003). The Big Six Information Skills as a Metacognitive Scaffold. SLMR Online, 6. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org.mgrps/divs/aaslpubsanandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/ Volume62003/bigsixinformation.cgm Yucht, A. (n.d.). FLIP it! Handouts. Retrieved from http://www.aliceinfo.org/flip-it-handouts/