This paper was published in 2020—before the pandemic. I originally designed the research as a mixed methods study during a MIxed Methods Research course that I took at the University of Vermont. At the time of the course (2016), I was employed at UVM and was working closely with students in their international bridging program, the Global Gateway Program.
Abstract (click on cover image for article)
Chinese international students are attending higher education institutions in the United States in ever-increasing numbers, and librarians must consider their cultural, sociopolitical, and linguistic backgrounds in information literacy instruction. This exploratory study examines how Chinese international students at a public American university describe, understand, and interpret information literacy concepts, such as authority, through qualitative vignettes and in-depth interviews. The findings of this study further the use of vignettes as a methodological tool in academic librarianship and help librarians resist one-size-fits-all information literacy instruction by addressing and building upon students’ cultural understandings and practices of information literacy that they bring into the classroom.