Description
Models of information literacy (1,2) are explicit: critical thinking and ethical information use are essential skills within Higher Education (HE). Referencing is key to this, demonstrating how students select and apply information to create knowledge (3,4).Within HE there has been an increased focus on inclusivity and accessibility (5, 6, 7). Growing numbers of students are declaring a disability (8) and reports suggest they are increasingly dissatisfied with their courses (9). Proportionally, students with disability achieve lower grades than students without (10). Suggesting needs and expectations of students with a disability are not being met within HE provisions.
The presentation discusses an ethically approved small-scale mixed-methods study carried out as part of a MA in Special Educational Needs and Inclusion. The research investigated student perceptions of referencing, whether adherence to specific referencing styles is a barrier for students with dyslexia and began investigating the impact of referencing styles on reading comprehension. The largest disability declared with HE is Specific Learning Disability (SpLD) (11), which includes dyslexia (12). Students with SpLD report lower confidence with academic writing than non-SpLD students (13). Academic literacy skills are arguably intertwined with a sense of legitimacy and belonging (14) it is therefore vital to consider ways of improving inclusion for all students (15) The presenter observed that students with SpLD spent more time and energy on referencing than their non-disabled peers. This perception is corroborated by others (16) and when combined with slower reading speeds (17, 18, 19) reduces time students have for critical subject engagement (20) Attendees will gain an understanding of how students view referencing and whether the choice of referencing system disadvantages students with dyslexia. They will also hear how the presenter wishes to develop the research.
References
1. Coonan, E., Geekie, J., Goldstein, S., Jeskins, L., Jones, R., Macrae-Gibson, R., Secker, J. & Walton, G. (2018) CILIP Definition of Information Literacy 2018. CILIP Information Literacy Group [online]. Available from: https://infolit.org.uk/ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf [Accessed 11/11/2022].
2. SCONUL (2011) The SCONUL seven pillars of Information Literacy: Core Model for Higher Education. SCONUL [online]. Available from: https://infolit.org.uk/ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf [Accessed 11/11/2022].
3. Buckley, C. (2015) Conceptualising plagiarism: using Lego to construct students' understanding of authorship and citation. Teaching in Higher Education. 20(3), pp. 352-358.
4. Angelil-Carter, S. A. (1995) Uncovering plagiarism in academic writing: developing authorial voice within multivoiced text [online]. MEd. Rhodes University. Available from: https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:1807?site_name=GlobalView&view=grid&f0=sm_format%3A%22141+leaves%22&f1=sm_citation_publication_date%3A%221996%22&sort=null [Accessed 05/07/2021].
5. Equality Act 2010 London: HMSO.
6. United Nations (2015) The 17 Goals. Sustainable Development Goals [online]. Available from: https://sdgs.un.org/goals [Accessed 02/01/2022].
7. Department for Education and Department of Health. (2015) Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 – 25 years. Statutory guidance for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities. London: Department for Education.
8. Advanced HE (2018) Equality in higher education: students statistical report 2019. Advanced HE [online]. Available from: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-higher-education-statistical-report-2019 [Accessed 08/11/2020], p. 76.
9. Office for Students (2020) NSS Characteristic analysis data. NSS 2020 Sector Analysis. Student Information and data [online]. Available from: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-information-and-data/national-student-survey-nss/sector-analysis/ [Accessed 28/11/2020].
10. Advanced HE (2018) Equality in higher education: students statistical report 2019. Advanced HE [online]. Available from: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-higher-education-statistical-report-2019 [Accessed 08/11/2020], p.73.
11. Advanced HE (2018) Equality in higher education: students statistical report 2019. Advanced HE [online]. Available from: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-higher-education-statistical-report-2019 [Accessed 08/11/2020] p. 78.
12. American Psychological Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. 5th ed. Arlington: American Psychiatric Association.
13. Kinder, J. & Elander, J. (2012) Dyslexia, authorial identity, and approaches to learning and writing: a mixed methods study. British Journal of Education Psychology. 82(2), pp. 289-307.
14. Gourlay, L. (2009) Threshold practices: becoming a student through academic literacies. London Review of Education. 7(2), 181-192.
15. Office for Students (2020) NSS Characteristic analysis data. NSS 2020 Sector Analysis. Student Information and data [online]. Available from: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-information-and-data/national-student-survey-nss/sector-analysis/ [Accessed 28/11/2020].
16. Sanders, J. (2010) Horray for Harvard? The fetish of footnotes revisited. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning. 12, pp. 48-59.
17. Hendricks, M. & Quinn, L. (2000) Teaching referencing as an introduction to epistemological empowerment. Teaching in Higher Education. 5(4), pp. 447-457.
18. Sanders, J. (2010) Horray for Harvard? The fetish of footnotes revisited. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning. 12, pp. 48-59.
19. Serry, T., Oates, J., Ennals, P., Venville, A., Williams, A., Fossey, E. & Steel, G. (2018) Managing reading and related literacy difficulties: University students' perspectives. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties. 23(1), 5-30.
20. Wengelin, A. (2007) The word-level focus in text production by adults with reading and writing difficulties. In: Rijlaarsdam, G., Torrance, M., van Waes, L. & Galbraith, D. (eds) Writing and cognition: Research and applications. Oxford: Elsevier, pp.67-82.
| Period | 9 Jun 2023 |
|---|---|
| Event title | LLS Everyone a Researcher Conference 2023 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Northampton, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | National |
Keywords
- Dyslexia
- Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)
- Referencing