PRE AND POST TEST DATA ANALYSIS
(Print and ANGEL Software)
LIBRARIAN: Deanna Sukkar
INSTRUCTOR: Jacquie George
ESL 99
Spring 2012
I created a non-graded assessment test for both library sessions. We administered them before and after each session.
The questions reflect the Information Literacy information covered in each session (Databases, Citations).
Instructor administered the assessment tests for Select Sources: Databases on paper. They were tallied by hand and
are without percentages.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE DATA FOR EACH TEST:
SESSION 1: SELECT SOURCES – DATABASES
Pre-test
Post-test
Score: 68 correct responses 94 correct responses
SESSION 2: PRESENT FINDINGS –CITATIONS
Pre-test
Post-test
Score: 51.69% correct responses 85.90% correct responses
PERFORMANCE DATA FOR INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS
Of note:
There appeared to be a significant increase in correct responses for both tests. As expected, the Citations
module was challenging for many students. Although the data collected during these quarters is small, it does
seem to suggest that ESL students more easily grasp the following concepts:



how Boolean operators affect searches
creating basic search terms
in what circumstances citations are needed
The students have more difficulty in the following areas:
 difference in usage between the Library Databases and the Library Catalog
 employing basic search terms with Boolean operators in database searching
 the elements needed in citations and where to locate them in various resources
SESSION ONE: SELECT SOURCES – DATABASES The correct answers are in gray. (The two numbers listed beside each
question show the number of correct questions from the test-takers of first the Pre-test, then the Post-test.)
1. What do you use to find a book, video, DVD or other materials owned by your library? 9/9
A. Wikipedia
B. Database
C. Catalog
D. Google Books
E. Search engines (like Google or Yahoo)
2. Which tool would be the most efficient way to locate reliable articles? 7/12
A. Book catalog
B. Database
C. Wikipedia
D. Browse the Table of Contents at the beginning of individual magazines
E. Search engines (like Google or Yahoo)
3. In an online database, such as ProQuest, which of the following searches do you think would give the MOST
RELEVANT results? 18/17
A. Madonna OR musician
B. Madonna AND musician
C. Madonna NOT musician
4. Library periodical databases are freely accessible on the web to anyone from anywhere. 8/17
A. T
B. F
5. What should you be sure to select when you use a database, no matter what you are searching for? 0/10
A. Date range
B. Scholarly (peer- reviewed) journals
C. Full Text only
D. Document type
E. All of the above
6. The “AND” operator limits your search and you will find fewer hits/result. 15/15
A. T
B. F
7. Consider the following statement: Explain why the musician Madonna is so controversial.
Identify the main concepts that would be most effective as search terms: 11/14
A. explain, musician, madonna, controversial
B. musician, madonna
C. musician, madonna, controversial
D. explain, musician, controversial
SESSION TWO: CITATIONS (The correct answers are in gray. The numbers listed beside each question show the
percentage of correct answers from the test-takers [for the past two quarters] of first the Pre-test, then the Post-test.)
1. What is the purpose of citations? Check all that apply.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Lends authority (credibility) to your work
Allows readers to find the sources that you’ve cited
Defines your research topic
Gives credit to the source’s author(s)
Q3
Q4
PRE POST PRE POST
59.5 84.4 50
87.2
2. Which of the following types of sources must be acknowledged?
Check all that apply.
A. Information available in a variety of textbooks and general
encyclopedias
B. Direct quotations, paraphrases and summaries, arguable assumptions
C. Common knowledge
D. Images, photos, graphics, charts, tables and statistics
E. Your own ideas, discoveries and opinions
Q3
Q4
PRE POST PRE POST
73.8 91.1 41.7 92.3
3. You only have to cite sources that you use in written papers. T or F
Q3
Q4
PRE POST PRE POST
42.9 86.7 81.3 92.3
4. If you paraphrase a source in your own words, you don’t need to provide a citation. T or F
Q3
Q4
PRE POST PRE POST
64.3 93.3 75
84.6
5.
A.
B.
C.
Of the following types of information, which one does NOT need to be acknowledged?
A word-for-word quotation from The Hollywood Reporter online about Madonna’s Super Bowl Fashion.
The reasons why you like or dislike Madonna and her music.
A paragraph you wrote summarizing a review from a Los Angeles Times about Madonna’s performance at the
Super Bowl.
D. A photograph of Madonna that you found in American icons: an encyclopedia of the people, places, and things
that have shaped our culture.
Q3
Q4
PRE POST PRE
POST
85.7 100
62.5
92.3
6.
6. Which piece of information is not in a citation? Pick one.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Title of the work
Journal Title
Publisher
Call number
Author
Publication Date
PRE
50
Q3
Q4
POST PRE POST
100
56.3 100
7. Where do you find the information needed for a book citation? Check all that apply.
A. Cover of the book
B. Verso page
C. Table of contents
D. Index
E. Glossary
Q3
Q4
PRE POST PRE POST
10.7 70
15.6 61.5
8. How do you order your Works Cited page?
A.
B.
C.
D.
In the order in which you found each resource
Alphabetically, usually by author
Alphabetically, usually by title
By the publishing date
Q3
Q4
PRE POST PRE POST
35.7 100
31.3 76.9