“I’d say it’s good progress”: an ecological momentary assessment of student research habits

How can librarians recast the narrative we tell about the student research process? What evidence and assumptions inform that narrative? Attempting a more realistic assessment of student research habits, three librarians utilized a form of ecological momentary assessment to track student behavior in real time over the course of a research assignment. Knowledge gained from this study encourages librarians and teaching faculty to probe the assumptions made when communicating the research process to students and allows them to prioritize instruction around specific areas of research that best meet actual student needs.