Impact of library information literacy training on entrepreneurship competition scores: A quantitative study at University of California, Irvine

Abstract

Abstract The University of California, Irvine’s (UCI) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Librarian partnered with UCI’s New Venture Competition to provide embedded research support for teams participating in the competition, including a research workshop and individual team research consultations. To assess the impact of these library services, a quantitative study of three years of competition scores was conducted involving a control group and two experimental groups; the difference in the experimental groups was the mode in which the services were provided: in-person and virtually. The study hypothesized that teams who received information literacy training (i.e., attended a research workshop and/or participated in a research consultation) earned higher Concept Paper scores, as well as higher evidence question scores (i.e., scores for a rubric question related to providing evidence in support of claims made in the Concept Paper), than teams who did not receive information literacy training. Statistical analysis showed significant increases in both Concept Paper scores and evidence question scores for both experimental groups when compared to the control group, indicating that information literacy training positively impacted teams’ performance. Additional analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in teams’ scores based on training delivery mode, in-person or virtual. The results are of value to librarians seeking to initiate partnerships with entrepreneurship competitions on campus, as well as entrepreneurship educators interested in enhancing existing entrepreneurship competitions by incorporating research and information literacy training.