A Coded Analysis of Student Feedback and Implications for Bibliographic Instruction Programs

Abstract

In an attempt to understand students’ perceptions of library instruction sessions, the authors sampled from over 25,000 post-instruction questionnaires to identify common themes, patterns and issues across a range of demographics. Free-text comments were collected from undergraduate and graduate students between 2005 and 2010 and transferred to ATLAS.ti for data analysis. An earlier study identified overall themes across all student groups; this study focuses on specific themes that emerged according to student class, college affiliation, and repeat versus first-time attendees. The authors also examined comments that referenced personal and emotional statements. With a better understanding of user perceptions and information needs at more discrete levels, library instructors can provide more effective and targeted bibliographic instruction sessions.