China’s Perspectives on the Modern Educational Value of Critical Information Literacy

Abstract

Critical information literacy is a new and important direction of information literacy education for university students in the new media era. By comparing critical information literacy between China and the West, combining with the research on information literacy education in China in the past 20 years, and based on the three major relationships that Chinese philosophy is concerned about that people need to face in the world of life, i.e., the individual and the self, the individual and nature, and the individual and the society, this paper defines critical information literacy as that individuals, as information subjects, discover, select, confirm, and evaluate the information they are exposed to by obtaining and discriminating the content elements of the information world (information sources, information, and information assets) and using critical thinking skills and methods, creatively interpret or solve the relevant problems arising from the interaction between individuals and self, individuals and nature, individuals and society, and form the literacy that represents the knowledge, ability, attitude, habit, and level of the information subject through continuous reflection and practice. In order for human beings to better understand the world and construct it responsibly, critical information literacy can play a greater role and educational value. It not only helps contemporary college students build knowledge of “good questioning” and enhance their “reasoning” skills, but also encourages them to maintain a “firm standpoint,” cultivate a habit of “healthy skepticism,” and enhance their “decision-making” skills.