Information Literacy Skills of High School Students in Botswana

Abstract

In this study, we assessed information literacy skills of secondary school students in Gaborone, Botswana and established whether and how they are being taught IL skills. The study employed the Big 6 model and was a case study design in which qualitative methods were used. The findings showed that students had low to fair information literacy skills in problem definition, information search strategy, and location of information. Use of information, synthesis, and evaluation were areas of significant challenge. Teachers were aware of information literacy, but were not intentional in their teaching of IL skills. The recommendations are four-fold, a) that education authorities in Botswana should ensure that information literacy is an integral part of students' education by requiring subject teachers as well as teacher-librarians to be intentional in their approach to developing students' information literacy, b) collaboration between teachers and teacher-librarians for more coordinated information literacy initiatives, c) training of both subject teachers and teacher-librarians on pedagogies that integrate the teaching of information literacy.