Source use by second-year psychology students in online distance learning

Abstract

Literacy skills and behaviours of university-level students are of wide interest today. The research reported here fits in this tradition. It examines second-year psychology students’ source use in a course taught through online distance learning (ODL). The number of sources used increased across assignments. Most used were the textbook, instructor sources, and librarian-selected sources. The mark achieved increased with number of sources, instructor sources, and librarian-selected sources. Compared with previous research on firstyear students, instructor and librarian-selected sources were frequently referenced by both sets of students, and source use related positively to their marks. This research expands the literature by comparing beginning and more advanced students; by replicating previous results; and by examining two assignments from ODL students.