Show me! Seeing campus from the eyes of international students and learning from their experiences.

Description

Information literacy practice is context specific (Hicks & Lloyd, 2016). As an academic librarian I work with students from a range of backgrounds, that are different from my own. To best support them in my work, I am keen to learn more about their experience and how I can adapt my practice to suit their needs. In this long presentation, I will share the findings from my research exploring the experience of international students coming to study at postgraduate level in a UK university.

This presentation builds on the workshop I delivered at LILAC 2024, in which I outlined the visual research methods I used (Siddall, 2024). The project used participatory photography (Tewell, 2019; Wang, 2003) enabling the student co-researchers to showcase their experience of coming to the UK and studying here. The simplicity of the photographic prompts allowed the student co-researchers to communicate their experiences in more depth. After summarising the research method used, the presentation will reflect on how the project came together, including sharing successes and pitfalls, so attendees can learn from my experience.

Then, focusing on the findings, the presentation will explore the issue of culture shock – how students navigate their new environment and specifically the university. What issues should we anticipate to help ease their transition to study in the UK? I’ll also discuss the focus and direction of the international students, how students make conscious choices to improve their way of life and seek to make the most of the opportunities they have.

The student co-researchers shared experiences that went beyond the realm of university libraries. In this presentation, I’ll highlight how I have related these wider findings to my work, supporting students with their information literacy practice. I may not be able to change everything, but I can make a difference in my individual interactions with students. The research helps challenge assumptions about international students (Mittelmeier et al., 2022), and highlights the need to focus on clear and targeted communication.

Attendees are welcome to ask questions in relation to the research methods, the findings and how my practice has changed based on the project.

The research project was funded by the AHRC-RLUK Professional Practice Fellowship Scheme for research and academic libraries.

References

Hicks, A., & Lloyd, A. (2016). It takes a community to build a framework: Information literacy within intercultural settings. Journal of Information Science, 42(3), pp.334–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551516630219

Mittelmeier, J., Lomer, S., Al Furqani, S., & Huang, D. (2022). Internationalisation and students’ outcomes or experiences: a review of the literature 2011-2022. Available from https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/internationalisation-and-students-outcomes-or-experiences [Accessed 22/10/24].

Siddall, G. (2024). Moving beyond words – using photovoice to understand international students’ information literacy practices. In: LILAC: The Information Literacy Conference, 26th March 2024. Leeds, LILAC. Available from: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/moving-beyond-words-using-photovoice-to-understand-international-students-information-literacy-practices-gillian-siddall-eec1/267228846 [Accessed 22/10/24].

Tewell, E. (2019). Reframing Reference for Marginalized Students. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 58(3), pp.162–176.

Period	5 Jun 2025
Event title	LLSS conference – Everyone a Researcher.
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	National