The Borderland of Value: Examining Student Attitudes towards Secondary Research
Jacqueline Courtney Klentzin, PhD. - Associate Professor of Learning Resources
Robert Morris University - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
E-mail: Klentzin@rmu.edu
Introduction
This study utilized a simple qualitative survey to investigate college student attitudes towards secondary
research at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. The participants were a purposeful sample of
students who have recently received library instruction as part of their participation in a required first semester
course. The survey responses were analyzed for meaning and then contextualized through the lens of Bloom’s
Taxonomy (Affective Domain). As a result of this study, the RMU information literacy librarian will better
understand the attitudes students carry with them in regard to the value of secondary research and consciously
incorporate affective components into her work in order to craft more impactful library sessions.
Findings
Based on a content analysis of the written responses, eight themes emerged that together describe the
students’ shared attitudes towards secondary research. For the majority of participants (“Mixed”), secondary
research has no real value. Instead, it is the topic of study that brings worth to the process thereby creating an
inconsistent affective experience (Bloom’s Level 2/Level 3). A substantial contingent of students (“Don’t Like”)
described their motivations for conducting research as solely extrinsic in nature and maintained adverse
emotions and attitudes towards the process (Bloom’s Level 2). Finally, smaller group of students (“Like”) were
both intrinsically and extrinsically driven to participate in the research process and reported either positive or
neutral emotions in relation to the activity (Bloom’s Level 3).
Content Themes
"Like"
"Mixed"
"Don't Like"
n=30, 16%
n=91, 49%
n=61, 33%
Intellectual Curiosity:
Intrinsic motivation to
conduct research in order to
add to one's personal
knowledge base.
Content Knowledge:
Secondary research
facilitates the completion of
assignments and increases
overall product quality.
Situational: The value of
research is dependent upon
the indivdual student's
personal relationship with
the research topic.
Locate the "Right"
Information: Secondary
research is done in order to
find specific data that will
please the instructor.
Uselessness of Data:
Information found during
research for a class
assignment has not value in
"real" life.
Simple Dislike: Research is
"boring," "tedious," and
"time-consuming."
"Library Anxiety": Students
felt they lacked effective
research skills, which
resulted in low confidence
levels.
Not the Research "Type":
Prior self-catagorization put
students at odds with the
research process.