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Writing the Methods Section for Qualitative Research Studies

Ann Medaille

Listening to Change: Understanding Student Success Through Developmental Vectors and Evidence Based Qualitative Research

María Evelia Emerson
Objective – The objective of this study is to explore whether undergraduate students’ definitions and understanding of student success evolve over time and identify the factors and experiences that shape that development. It also examines implications for how academic libraries can better support student success. The study builds on observations from a prior study that students’ definitions evolved in distinct ways.Methods – The author used a qualitative, inductive approach to conduct semi-structured interviews with twenty undergraduates (n=20). The data was analyzed using thematic analysis and inductive coding to identify key themes related to student experiences, pivotal life moments, evolving definitions of student success, and environmental influences. Interviews from the prior study (n=30) were reanalyzed to assess consistency, yielding a combined dataset of 50 participants.Results – Inspired by Chickering’s (1969) use of vectors in his student identity development theory, the author identified six student success development vectors based on the recurring themes from interviews in both studies (n=50). These vectors illustrate how students define, understand, and experience student success in non-sequential and complex ways. They also underscore the critical role of students' identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences in shaping their evolving understandings of success.Conclusion – The research confirmed that undergraduate students' definitions and understanding of student success are not static but evolve over time, influenced by personal contexts. This study highlights the importance and insight that student voices bring to both student success librarianship and broader higher education conversations. Additionally, the findings support the idea that the concept of student success deserves more understanding in its complexity and should be viewed as individualized and context-dependent, to be defined by students themselves. For academic libraries, this research underscores the importance of holistic support that recognizes students’ perspectives and unique experiences.

Developing and Assessing Health Literacy-Based Instruction in Career Prep Courses for Adolescents: The High School Health Literacy Project

Colleen M. Foy
Objective – This study aimed to design, offer, and assess instructional modules developed using health literacy (HL) concepts for high school students interested in health care professions and to analyze variance results of content-based tests for each module facilitated. It intended to build a sustainable partnership between an academic library and public school system and to foster HL skill development in students.Methods – Taking a quantitative approach to a quasi-experimental methodology, this study included educational content and group-based engagement exercises along with pre and posttests to gauge acumen and effectiveness of material shared during sessions. Instructional sessions were facilitated based on three module themes: Pseudoscience, Human Vulnerabilities to Health Information, and Health Insurance. Sessions lasted up to 90 minutes and took place during a typical district school-specific block period. Test responses were analyzed using parametric and nonparametric statistical measures to determine association between variables. An additional median test score analysis aimed to investigate pre and posttest performance by module.Results – Twenty sessions were conducted reaching 91 students generating 195 pre and 153 posttest responses out of a possible 246 unique responses for each. Median test score analyses found that at least half of student respondents answered correctly on 41.7% of Pseudoscience pretest questions and 83.3% of posttest questions; Human Vulnerabilities (pretest: 33.3%, posttest: 66.7%); Health Insurance (pretest: 40.0%, posttest: 91.7%).Conclusion – Although small scaled, this study’s results should persuade health science librarians to develop programs for their communities because more practice and research are needed to further develop and assess instruction methods related to health information dissemination.

Open Access Publishing Fund Efficiency: An Expansion and Replication of Luo et al. (2022)

Leesa Love, Marco Seiferle-Valencia, Jylisa Kenyon and Jeremy Kenyon
Objective – This study’s objective was to replicate and test Luo et al.’s (2022) proposals regarding open access publishing fund efficiency, specifically the time efficiency of the overall workflow, to better understand the University of Idaho’s Open Access Publishing Fund and provide actionable insights to librarians interested in establishing such a fund at their institutions.Methods – Fund efficiency was evaluated across five fiscal years focusing on the number of days between fund opening, application submission, approval, and expenditure using a Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test and a Dunn’s test. Variables related to fund efficiency were identified using multiple linear regressions that both replicated and expanded Luo et al.’s (2022) methodology. Lastly, applicants and timing characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics.Results – None of the observed internal or external factors uniformly affected the fund’s overall time efficiency; rather, these factors targeted specific stages of the application workflow. FY 2021 was the only funding cycle that displayed significant variance for the number of days between fund opening and application submission. Similarly, FY 2024 showed significant variance for the number of days between submission and approval. The number of days between approval and expenditure demonstrated the most fluctuation, with efficiency gradually decreasing between FY 2020 and FY 2022, peaking in FY 2023, and falling again in FY 2024. Fiscal year variations were the only statistically significant factors that had explanatory power for the variation in fund efficiency. Other variables, including the presence of co-authors, applicant rank, applicant discipline, applicant status, payment type, publisher, and award amount did not yield statistically significant p-values for this dataset. However, requiring an article be accepted for publication or already published can greatly improve fund efficiency.Conclusion – In a climate where university budgets are often constrained, fund administrators will need to understand and articulate the efficiency of their fund and find opportunities to decrease the time they and associated fiscal officers spend with each application.

The Role of Research in Undergraduate Studio Practice: A Qualitative Study Illustrating How Creative Research Aligns With Queer Theory and Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Giana Ricci
Objective – This study investigated if and how research plays a role in the creative practice of undergraduate student artists.Methods – This was a qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews with 15 undergraduate students.Results – 60% of students firmly believed that research is part of their creative practice. 40% of students had mixed feelings about it. All students used books and the Internet in their creative practice at some point. Students preferred getting their books from bookstores rather than libraries. Students desired more support in finding resources generally.Conclusion – The study concluded that most students believe that research plays a role in their creative practice. It also concluded that students use print books and the Internet as their primary sources of inspiration and research for art making, and that the majority of students are not utilizing the library to access these resources. Analysis of the results also reveals similarities between creative research practices and queer theory, as well as between creative research practices and Indigenous ways of knowing.

Usability Testing of an Academic Library Website: A Study of Student Navigation Behaviours With AI-Assisted Data Analysis

Debby R. Wegener and Yu Ying Chew
Objective – This study investigated the search strategies and navigation behaviours of students on an academic library website, with the focus being on identifying usability challenges and opportunities for improvement. The researchers also wanted to test the effectiveness of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in analysing qualitative usability data.Methods – A mixed-methods usability study was conducted with 21 second-year university students. Participants completed three task scenarios on the library website while their screen activity and think-aloud comments were recorded. Quantitative data was collected using a modified usability questionnaire, and the qualitative data was analyzed using multiple GenAI platforms following established prompt frameworks, with human review for accuracy.Results – Students encountered significant barriers in navigation, layout, content accessibility, and functionality. Many preferred external tools like Google over the library website, citing complexity and difficulty in locating resources. The average usability questionnaire score was 50 out of 100, with higher scores among students who had attended library training. GenAI tools expedited qualitative analysis but required careful prompt engineering and human oversight to ensure accuracy and context relevance.Conclusion – The findings highlight the need for ongoing, user-centered design improvements to library websites, emphasizing clear navigation, accessible content, and reduced complexity. Regular usability testing and integration of user feedback are recommended to enhance digital library services. In addition, while GenAI can accelerate qualitative analysis, human expertise currently remains essential for nuanced interpretation and validation.

Collection Development Policies From Academic Libraries in Ghana Under Address Electronic Resource Management Elements / Bentil, W. (2025). Analysis of collection development policies for electronic resources at selected academic libraries in Ghana. Collection Management, 50(1/2), 75–89. https://doi.org./10.1080/01462679.2025.2497833

Alyshia Bagley

No Clear Winner When Deciding Between Abstracting and Indexing Databases and Discovery Services / AlHamad, M. M. (2025). Balancing precision and usability: Librarian perspectives on abstracting and indexing databases versus discovery services in academic libraries. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 29(2), 169–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875301.2025.2472419

Kathy Grams

Over 70% of Non-Embargoed Peer-Reviewed Journals in EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete Database Are Open Access or Freely Available / Chen, X. (2025). OA journals in subscription-based full-text databases in 2024: An analysis of EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete. The Serials Librarian, 86(1–2), 72–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2025.2458295

Rachel J. Hinrichs

Researcher User Behaviour Offers Insight on the Impacts of Cancelling a Big-Deal Package / Walker, K. S., Chandler, A., Finlay, C., Gessner, G. C., Hines, T., Kendrick, S., Koennecke, J., McEwen, L., Sayward, J., & Spoon, H. (2025). Math and aftermath: Impacts of unbundling a large journal package on researcher perceptions and behavior. Library Resources & Technical Services, 69(1). https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.69n1.8170

Abbey Lewis

A Qualitative Analysis of 54 Case Studies Finds That Financial, Infrastructure, and Skills Deficits Constrain AI Capability Across Libraries and Archives / Pinar, A., & Cox, A. (2025). An analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) capability in libraries and archives. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 63(6–7), 566–599. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2025.2539790

Quincy McCrary

Auditing Diversity in Hospital Library Collections Using a Catalogue Search Method / Brillant, B., Guessferd, M. R., Snieg, A. L., Jones, J. J., Keeler, T., & Stephenson, P. L. (2022). Assessing diversity in hospital library collections. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 41(4), 424–438. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2022.2131185

Jordan Pike

School Library Collection Policies Lack Transparency and Need Stronger Diversity Messaging / Jamison, A., & McNamara, E. (2025). Let’s talk about diversity: A content analysis of school library collection development policies. Children & Libraries, 23(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.5860/cal.23.1.17

Collin Stephenson

Student Preferences for Print Versus Electronic Resources in Six Technological Institutions / Chohda, N., & Kumar, S. (2025). Impact of demographic characteristics of young generation on perception about attributes of information resources in Indian technological institutions. The Serials Librarian, 86(1–2), 56–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2025.2471919

Shiyi Xie