Big6 Aligned with ACRL Competency Standards for Higher Education

1. Successful Strategy to Overcome Gaps
in Students’ Research
Majority of students do not:
• Brainstorm ideas;
• Formulate research questions;
• Use keywords relevant to research questions;
• Refine the search and add valuable questions;
• Construct research strings using Boolean words;
• Use reliable sources and database;
• Have research skills evaluation or assessment;
• Have recurrent opportunities to research;
• Have integration of research skills across subjects (Condition
changing this year !)

2. Big6 Aligned with ACRL Standards
Information Literacy Standards
Information Literacy Competency Standards For Higher Education
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&template=%2FContentM
anagement%2FContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=33553
Big6 Skills
1
2
3
4
5
• Standard 1: Big6 Step 1 (Brainstorming/ Key
words/ Statistics/ Resources/ Font/ Length/
thesis statement/ Presentation of data (graph,
charts…)/ Type of research …)
• Standard 2: Big6 Step 2 and 3 (Use the card
catalog/index/ internet/ Use keywords/
Boolean terms/ Use a variety of resources…)
• Standard 3: Big6 Step 4 (Evaluate websites
and resources)
• Standard 4: Big6 Step 5 (Extract
information/ Plan/ Outline/ Synthesize)
• Standard 5: Big6 Step 5: (Paraphrase/Quote/
and Cite)
• Present findings Big6 Step 6: (Evaluate)

3. Challenges and Recommendations
Challenges
1- Integration of Big6 within the curriculum;
2- Difficulty to master the skills;
3- Support of admin, teachers, and parents;
4- Assessment of research skills;
5- Students’Readiness.
Recommendations
1- Analyze the curriculum, select units and assignments
with long duration, and determine which Big6 skills are
relevant.
2- Repeat and integrate across subjects.
3- Meet with head of subjects. Find common research
issues. Adopt a research technique and I.L. Standards.
Share the vision with school principal. Provide training
sessions for teachers. Involve parents and share the
Big6 with them.
4- Collaborate with the librarian. Use Big6 and ACRL
rubric forms. Use plagiarism detective tools as a
technical support.
5- Have Partnerships with Universities to have librarians
discuss I.L. with high school students and invite them
to do research in university. Give I.L. sessions,
integrate and assess the skills across the curriculum.

4. References
Eisenberg, Michael B., and Robert E Berkowitz. Teaching Information & Technology Skills: The Big6 in
Elementary Schools. Linworth Publishing, 1999.
Information Literacy Competency Standards For Higher Education
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&template=%2FContentManagement%2FContentDisplay.
cfm&ContentID=33553
Library and Media Services. Yakima Valley College, 5 Sept. 2017, www.yvcclibrary.us/Yakima/il.htm .