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Exploring the Lived Experience of Middle School Students Engaged in Inquiry Based Learning

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Information Literacy: Key to an Inclusive Society (ECIL 2016)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 676))

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Abstract

This paper discusses the phenomenological investigation and study findings of middle school students engaged in a unique Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) model named here as Student Driven Inquiry (SDI). SDI is a form of IBL that privileges student autonomy. Phenomenology allows an in-depth look into the student lived experience through the use of open-ended interviews. This pilot study elicited six common themes of student experience: joy in study immersion; appreciation for autonomy; satisfaction with self-selected topic; enthusiasm for learning; considerations of time management; and stress in project completion. These themes suggest the SDI model is one of deeper, joyful student engagement and learning with a certain measure of stress. The student perspective of the lived experience of SDI adds important information to the growing conversation on K-12 Information Literacy (IL), inquiry learning models, and student motivation. Implications for curriculum development, instructional practice and further research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

I am thankful for the tireless guidance and joyful encouragement of Christine Bruce, Sylvia Edwards, and Mary Ann Harlan in writing this paper.

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) granted permission for this research: Ethics Clearance # 1400000698.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information Systems School, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Shelly Buchanan

  2. Gateway Program, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA

    Shelly Buchanan

Authors
  1. Shelly Buchanan
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Correspondence to Shelly Buchanan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hacettepe University, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    Serap Kurbanoğlu

  2. Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France

    Joumana Boustany

  3. University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Sonja Špiranec

  4. University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA

    Esther Grassian

  5. University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA

    Diane Mizrachi

  6. University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA

    Loriene Roy

  7. Hacettepe University, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    Tolga Çakmak

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Buchanan, S. (2016). Exploring the Lived Experience of Middle School Students Engaged in Inquiry Based Learning. In: Kurbanoğlu, S., et al. Information Literacy: Key to an Inclusive Society. ECIL 2016. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 676. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52162-6_49

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52162-6_49

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-52161-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52162-6

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