Information literacy—the ability "t

Information literacy—the ability "to recognize when information is needed
and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed
information” (American Library Association [ALA], 1989, para. 3)—has been
widely and increasingly cited as an essential competency for college success, for
the workplace, and for life (Bruce, 1997; Eisenberg, 2008; Fitzgerald, 2004;
Johnston & Webber, 2003; National Leadership Council for Liberal Education
and America’s Promise, 2007; Obama, 2009; Rader, 2002). Information literacy
best practice and standards state that students optimally develop this skill set
through immersion in the research process—often and over time—and this
proposition is also supported in the scholarly literature (ACRL, 2000; AASL &
AECT, 1998; Eisenberg & Berkowitz, 1990; Stripling & Pitts, 1988; Kulthau, 1986;
Irving, 1985). Additionally, best practice emphasizes that students further
develop these skills through exposure to problem solving and higher-order
thinking activities—a teaching style that best matches that of constructivist
learning theory (ACRL, 2000).
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the relationship
between a sample of first-year college freshmen students’ high school
experiences that are developmentally related to information literacy competency
and their scores on the iSkills assessment, an assessment developed by the
Educational Testing Service (ETS), which “tests the range of ICT literacy skills
aligned with nationally recognized Association of Colleges & Research Libraries
(ACRL) standards” (Educational Testing Service, 2011). A second purpose of