Exploring the information literacy experience of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Learners #ecil2015

Jess Elmore talked about Exploring the information literacy experience of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Learners: a Discussion of Methods as the next presentation in the doctoral session at the European Conference on Information Literacy 2015. She is using a case study approach, focusing particularly on what is happening in the ESOL classroom. Jess identified the huge number of people who lack English in the UK (1 million) and the disadvantage this causes. She identified her research as interpretive, reflexive and participatory, and also identified the problematic issues packed in these terms. Her research questions (at the moment) are focused on the interaction between learning and information literacy in the classroom. Elmore was reporting on a pilot study, using focus groups and observation, and also drawing on interviews with stakeholders and documents. She used pictures to elicit discussion (e.g. picture of a smartphone to elicit discussion about use of phones).
From the pilot she learnt about how complex the ESOL classroom was (with "life going on" in the classroom), how diverse experiences was, the importance of religeon and of keeping in touch with home, and there were very varied digital practices (e.g. importance of video - but some participants can't use a computer).
Elmore talked about challenges and learning from her pilot (e.g. about how she deals with participants' language level; that she needed to build relationships with participants over time; working out what "participatory" means in this context; that her findings will be about these particular classrooms.)