Introducing Information Literacy to Mathematics Classrooms: A Cross-Case Analysis

• Published in: Numeracy : advancing education in quantitative literacy 2019-01, Vol.12 (1), p.7
• Main Author: Erickson, Ander
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: information literacy; information-based problems; instructional activities and practices; post-secondary education
• ISSN: 1936-4660; 1936-4660
• DOI: 10.5038/1936-4660.12.1.7

This study employs a cross-case analysis to explore the demands and opportunities that arise when information problem-solving tasks are introduced into college mathematics classes. Mathematics teachers at three universities developed and introduced tasks that required students to seek out, evaluate, and synthesize quantitative claims from disparate information sources. The results focus on a comparison of how the teachers balanced content-specific instructional demands with the information literacy goals of the tasks that they created. Three tensions were identified through this analysis: the need to balance mathematical content with opportunities for students to engage in a realistic approximation of the information problem-solving process, the limitations imposed by the students’ mathematical knowledge, and the ill-defined nature of teachers’ desired outcomes with respect to student dispositions towards quantitative claims. These findings provide tools for better understanding how to productively incorporate information literacy practices into subject-specific instruction while maintaining a focus on content goals.