Information Literacy Capabilities Research Articles

“Being a Global Citizen”: Australian Secondary Teacher Librarians in the Changing Information Landscape

Teacher librarians (TLs) play a central role in developing students’ information literacy capabilities, which are vital for effective participation in formal education and active engagement in society. This research enhances insights into information literacy instruction in Australian secondary schools, by investigating the perceptions of practicing TLs regarding the information literacy needs of teachers and students. This article presents the groundwork for this investigation, employing a phenomenological approach and discussing findings from an initial survey. The study will inform TL education and improve current information literacy education practices, addressing the demand for nurturing 21st century skills embedded in the Australian Curriculum.

The Impactful Research Appointment: Combating Research Anxiety and Library Stereotypes

ABSTRACT The academic library research appointment provides invaluable benefits to both the academic library and the student, such as improved information literacy skills, trust, and a sense of community. Based on the rewards that the scheduled consultation can potentially yield, it is a service that should not be overlooked. A highly impactful research appointment derives from the librarian’s behavior. Throughout the consultation, the librarian must employ interpersonal skills and practice empathy. In doing so, they will dissolve the user’s research anxiety and negative library stereotypes, allowing information literacy capabilities to develop. In this opportune setting, it is the librarian’s responsibility to build up the user’s research confidence by drawing them out of their passive state and engaging them in the research process. Through a collaborative, communal partnership with the student, the librarian will familiarize them with the library’s online system. By considering the user’s perspective and responding appropriately, the academic librarian will inspire a highly impactful and transformational research appointment. This lasting impression will lead the student to view the library as a safe, dependable space. While the librarian’s attuned behavior is necessary for any consultation, it was especially vital in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Information literacy capabilities of lower secondary school students in Slovenia

The focus of the paper is on the study of differences between information literacy (IL) capabilities and IL self-assessment among Slovenian lower secondary school students. A total of 229 students coming from eight urban and suburban schools answered the tests. The shortened Information Literacy Test (ILT-B) used in this study contained selection of 14 multiple-choice questions relevant to lower secondary students. Each question follows a question on its difficulty level on 1 to 5 scale. The results show that the students perceive themselves as above average, whether the ILT showed only average IL skills. The results confirm the Dunning-Krueger effect, whereby unskilled individuals overestimate their abilities, while skilled individuals underestimate their achievements. Another counterintuitive result was that students who were online longer had lower IL knowledge but a higher opinion of it. Based on the results of the study we can conclude students should be explicitly taught IL skills and corresponding behavior.

A Multi-Method Information Literacy Assessment Program: Foundation and Early Results

The information literacy (IL) assessment program at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York, instituted in 2014–2015, evaluates students' information literacy capabilities as demonstrated in their written coursework, their test performance, and their comments on library instruction sessions. Both instruction and assessment are closely linked to five learning objectives, and five years' assessment results have led to significant changes in the IL instruction program. This paper presents key concepts in IL assessment; highlights the importance of evidence-based measures (that is, direct assessment of cognitive outcomes); describes Manhattan College's three assessment methods, with guidelines for the reporting of results; discusses sampling difficulties and related statistical issues; describes the changes in IL instruction undertaken in response to the results ("closing the loop"); and reviews additional assessment methods that can help demonstrate the impact of IL instruction on broader educational outcomes.

Information literacy capabilities of upper secondary students: the case of Vietnam

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on investigating information literacy (IL) capabilities and IL self-assessment of Vietnam’s upper secondary students.Design/methodology/approachThe investigation was conducted in two upper secondary schools in the country using a multiple-choice questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on the IL competency-level assessment toolkit of high schools in the USA, the tool for real-time assessment of IL, to measure students’ IL in terms of developing search strategies, evaluating information sources, using information ethically and using English to engage with information effectively.FindingsThe findings reveal that students’ IL has not been well equipped. There is a real need to work toward improving the IL capability of Vietnam’s upper secondary students. The findings also reveal gender differences in IL capabilities.Research limitations/implicationsThe research used a closed-response questionnaire, which is considered appropriate to engage with Vietnamese high-school students, to explore students’ lower-level IL skills and their self-assessment rather than higher-level thinking competencies.Practical implicationsThis research may help Vietnam’s educators understand high-school students’ IL competency and raise their awareness of the importance of IL to encourage the implementation of an IL programme.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing knowledge by adding substantially to current understanding of IL level of Vietnamese upper secondary students – a context which has not been explored to date. It also indicates gender inequality in IL capabilities.

Kemampuan literasi informasi peneliti dalam penulisan karya ilmiah di Loka Litbangkes Pangandaran

The productivity of scientific papers in disseminating research results, mastering basic tasks and competencies in functional positions does not necessarily make the researcher a literate person. Researchers at the Loka Litbangkes, Pangandaran still indicated the existence of issues related to the mastery of information literacy especially in writing scientific papers. The information literacy capabilities of researchers are not yet known comprehensively and deeply, so research is needed to uncover it. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach. The purpose of the study was to obtain a clear picture of the information literacy abilities of researchers, especially in scientific writing. The conceptual research framework to study the information literacy skills of researchers used the SCONUL Seven Pillars Information Literacy Research Lens. Informants were three researchers and colleagues at the Loka Litbangkes, Pangandaran who were determined based on purposive sampling. Results showed that researchers did not master information literacy skills yet. First-level researchers indicated that they did not fully master the Plan, Gather and Evaluate competencies. Middle-level researchers were indicated that they did not master the competencies of Plan, Gather, Evaluate and Present. Whereas the high-level researchers were indicated that they did not fully master the Plan, Gather, Evaluate, Manage and Present competencies. In conclusion, the researcher's information literacy skills are constrained by the lack of participation in information literacy training, limitations and irregularities in library collections, unavailability of access to Scopus indexed international journal databases, lack of science communication networks motivations and limited English proficiency.

Information literacy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a qualitative investigation into whether online textual postings, produced by undergraduate students as part of an undergraduate module, can demonstrate their information literacy (IL) capabilities as a discursive competence and socially enacted practice. It also asks whether these online postings embody power relations between students, tutors and librarians.Design/methodology/approachFoucault’s notion of discursive competence and the separate but complementary concept of practice architectures (specifically focussing on “sayings”) devised by Lloyd were used as thematic lenses to categorise online discussion board postings from a formative online peer assessment exercise created for first-year UK undergraduate students. Online postings were the node of analysis used to identify patterns of language across online conversation. These postings were inductively analysed through manual content analysis. Subject’s responses were initially categorised using open coding.FindingsPostings appeared to embody student’s discursive competence and information practice in IL, especially their level of information discernment and what constituted a quality “reference” for an assignment. However, they also demonstrated that the notion of “references” (information artefacts such as a journal article) perform a certain function in reproducing the discursive practices of an academic discipline as an agreed construct between tutor, student and librarian.Practical implicationsStudents were engaged in the process of becoming good scholars by using appropriate online postings to create valid arguments through assessing other’s work, but what they did not do was question received meanings regarding the quality of information they used as evidence. Far from exhibiting the desired outcome of critical thinking (a cornerstone of IL) students who appeared most articulate in discussion tended to emulate the “strong discourse” put forward by their tutors and librarians.Originality/valueThis research uses practice architectures and discourse analysis to analyse students’ IL capabilities and the context in which they are developed. An approach not employed hitherto. This has practical implications for the ways in which academics and librarians introduce students to the academic discourse of their discipline and the ways in which the production, communication and exchange of information in academic contexts is characterised.

Learning from faculty voices on information literacy

Purpose This paper aims to investigate faculty conceptions of information literacy (IL) in a digital information landscape by examining faculty definitions of IL in the context of undergraduate education, as well as faculty perceptions of, and expectations for, undergraduate IL knowledge and abilities. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative research study with 24 semi-structured interviews of faculty in different disciplines at a large public research university in Toronto, Ontario. Findings Faculty view IL as fundamentally intertwined with other academic literacies and as central for the successful pursuit of much undergraduate academic research work including developing autonomous, engaged learners. Faculty place special emphasis on fostering higher-order cognitive skills, especially developing a questioning disposition and the ability to evaluate, contextualize and synthesize information sources. Faculty see considerable scope for improvement of undergraduate IL capabilities, and a large majority see a role for themselves and librarians here. Practical implications Findings of this and other studies align well with core elements in the new IL guidelines and frameworks for higher education both in North America and the United Kingdom. This includes highlighting a need for a strong faculty role in shaping IL in higher education in the future, a need for a holistic lens in developing multiple academic literacies, an emphasis on high-order cognitive abilities and a recognition of the importance of affective dimensions of learning IL. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the literature where there is an absence of studies, especially of a qualitative nature, which explore faculty conceptions of IL. A majority of studies published focus instead on librarian conceptions and practice.

A Strategic Approach to Curriculum Design for Information Literacy in Teacher Education – Implementing an Information Literacy Conceptual Framework

This paper details a conceptual framework that situates curriculum design for information literacy and lifelong learning, through a cohesive developmental information literacy based model for learning, at the core of teacher education courses at UTAS. The implementation of the framework facilitates curriculum design that systematically, consistently and incrementally develops information literacy capabilities across entire teacher education course structures, thereby facilitating teacher education students to graduate as critical thinkers, problem solvers, informed decision makers and independent, self-directed lifelong learners. As education professionals, these graduates have the potential of developing these capabilities in the children they teach. The paper discusses the development of a conceptual framework and identifies areas for future research.

Information literacy and inquiry-based learning: Evaluation of a five-year programme of curriculum development

Inquiry-based learning describes a range of learner-centred pedagogies increasingly employed in higher education where students learn through engaging in open-ended research and inquiry. It is acknowledged that this type of pedagogical approach requires advanced information literacy capabilities in students, and that there is a need to support the development of information literacy in inquiry-based learning curricula. This paper reports on the evaluation of a selection of curriculum development projects undertaken at a UK university that implemented inquiry-based learning and information literacy development. Data was collected using a ‘Theory of Change’ evaluation methodology and analysed using a qualitative thematic approach. It was found that educators need to make explicit to students the need to develop information literacy to support their inquiries, and that dedicated approaches to facilitation from peers, librarians and academics are helpful when designing inquiry-based learning.

A study of the information literacy capabilities of the Kuwaiti police officers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the information literacy capabilities of Kuwaiti police officers by focusing on computing and information skills and perceived value of information sources. The study is designed to test the hypothesis that there existed significant differences in information literacy capabilities based on three personal characteristics.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire‐based survey was conducted of 211 police officers enrolled in a training program; 60 percent responses were received and analyzed using SPSS package.FindingsIt was found that generally the Kuwaiti police officers had weak computing and information capabilities. They were generally poor in searching skills. It was further found that departmental affiliation exhibited significant differences for computing and information skills.Originality/valueThe study is the first of its type in this region and has significant value in making it clear that appropriate programs of training are needed for the development of information and computing skills among Kuwaiti police officers.