A librarian visiting a college classroom to teach students how to research, evaluate sources and use library resources may seem like a small part of the educational experience. But a major study at Pellissippi State Community College shows just how valuable that instruction can be.

Research conducted over eight years involving more than 50,000 Pellissippi State students found a strong connection between librarian-led research instruction and higher course grades and passing rates.

Stephanie C. Gillespie, professor and instruction coordinator at Pellissippi State Libraries, published her findings in September in the peer-reviewed academic journal College & Research Libraries. Her study, “Passing Rates, Course Grades, and Research Instruction: An Eight-Year Study of Community College Students,” is among the largest of its kind.

“This is the first longitudinal study that shows this positive correlation,” Gillespie said. “And it’s one of the largest studies of its kind.”

The numbers tell the story

Working with Pellissippi State’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment and Planning, Gillespie examined whether students who received classroom research instruction performed better than those who did not.

The findings were significant. Students who received research instruction were more than four times as likely to pass their courses as students who were absent and more than 50% more likely to pass than students who attended comparable classes without research instruction.

“We did get a beautiful positive correlation for the whole study,” Gillespie said. “We broke it down year by year and were able to show that this is not a fluke. It was actually substantiated every single semester for eight years.”

The study also examined students at different levels of college readiness and considered the effects of chronic absenteeism.

Gillespie found that attendance was an important factor in accurately measuring the benefits of research instruction. Earlier studies often included absent students in their comparisons, potentially obscuring positive results.

“This study shows that we need to take attendance to get a clear understanding of the impact of research instruction,” Gillespie said.

A classroom visit with lasting value

Pellissippi State librarians provide what is known as “one-shot” research instruction. A librarian visits a class to help students with a particular assignment, demonstrating how to locate reliable information, evaluate sources and use research tools.

The approach is common at colleges and universities nationwide, and the Pellissippi State findings provide substantial evidence of its value.

“When we come in and help students – regardless of if they’re freshmen or sophomores, college ready or not – they benefit a lot, even when they aren’t equally likely to succeed,” Gillespie said.

Erin Elizabeth Whitaker, student success librarian for Information Literacy at the University of Tennessee Libraries, said the research offers compelling large-scale evidence that targeted library instruction supports student success.

“Drawing on eight years of data from more than 50,000 students, it shows that students who participate in course-based research instruction earn higher grades and pass at higher rates across readiness levels and student groups,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker also emphasized that tracking attendance helps researchers understand the relationship between instruction and academic performance.

Research with an impact beyond Pellissippi State

The study adds an important community college perspective to a national conversation about student success and the role of academic libraries.

While the findings demonstrate a strong positive correlation rather than proving cause and effect, they offer educators valuable information about a practical teaching approach already used in classrooms.

Gillespie hopes the research will encourage further studies and recognition of the work community college faculty and librarians contribute to higher education.

“It’s a testament to our college, and shows that community colleges can conduct this level of research,” she said. “I’m very excited that this will go out into the world, and hopefully it will generate a lot of excitement within my field.”

For students, the message is simple: Learning how to find and evaluate good information is more than a library skill. It is an important part of academic success.

Sources and further reading

Pellissippi State Community College is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college operates four campuses: Hardin Valley, Blount County, Strawberry Plains, and Magnolia Avenue.

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