An investigation into how L2 international postgraduate students select reading sources


Connaway et al. (2011) concluded that sources which were both easy to find and understand were key factors for students at a US institution when undertaking a search for reading material. Kim and Sin (2007) underscored this idea of the convenience and accessibility when searching as significant; however, they found that traditional reading lists, where the search is done for the student, were also a popular option if lecturers provided one.


PRE-REQUISITE DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE Research shows that familiarity with, or prerequisite knowledge of, a discipline significantly influences the selection of reading material (Belkin, 1980). Student engagement and deeper understanding of the subject matter results in their search behaviour being more focused (Vakkari, Pennanen & Serola, 2003). Zhang, Anghelescu and Yuan (2005) and Rowlands and Nicholas (2008) have noted that whether students are ‘experts’ or ‘novices’ in their field has a strong impact on the success of search behaviour (their participants were from a range of academic disciplines and not necessarily working in English L2).


EVALUATING SOURCES AND MATERIAL TO USE IN ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS


Although Thompson et al. (2013) indicated that L2 undergraduate students in this study were aware that not all websites provided reliable information, it is still uncertain whether those students were able to fully define reliability when selecting sources for their academic assessments. Reih (2002) outlines the difficulties students faced when making judgements based on both information quality and authority, particularly when confronted with multiple


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source options. When students are faced with rigid deadlines, being pragmatic, they may not to be concerned with the overall validity of information on the web (Metzger, Flanigan & Zwarun, 2003) or its academic provenance (Logan, 2004).


LANGUAGE


Searching in L2 is a defining characteristic of this research. EAP practitioners have outlined how literature search fits the process of reading (de Chazal, 2014, p. 150) and the complex nature of reading skills (Bruce, 2011, pp. 140–153). Mizarchi (2000) and Shoham and Mizarchi (2001) focused on how library knowledge and the linguistic ability of Israeli undergraduate students had impacted the student’s library search. Language confidence can cause anxiety as experienced by African-American students when conversing with library staff (see Jiao and Onwuegbuzie, 2004); students may simply ask their peers for help Thomas, Tewell and Willson (2017). Negativity and linguistic inadequacies were the causes of less active searches to locate appropriate reading material. Similar results were also noted for Sudanese (Abusin & Zainab, 2010) and Pakistani undergraduates (Jan, Anwar & Warraich (2016).


METHOD


CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS The selection of sources for a particular assessment is undertaken at varied times and places and, for some, in the privacy of a virtual environment. Investigating source selection seems to call for a qualitative longitudinal methodology. This small- scale study worked with two international L2 postgraduates who were completing a 15-month master’s programme within


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