Information Literacy In Schools Research Articles

Educational Leaders As Change Agents Towards the Information Literate School

Over the last decade, the development of new information and communication Technologies (ICT) has provided a variety of opportunities for people all over the world. But still, the vast majority of society remains untouched by the digital revolution, creating real disparities between and within countries and socioeconomic groups. Undoubtedly, ICT plays a vital role in the future of our societies especially in Education. School heads, decision makers, local authorities and school librarians have significant role to play in the development of information literacy in schools. School principals trained in ICT should initiate information literacy in their schools and should provide support to secure cooperative deals and development aid. In the Philippine Educational System, schools located in affluent cities especially those schools in the capital are fully equipped with information infrastructure but too many schools in secondary cities and remote provinces are deprived of the tools to access information.

A Critical Evaluation of Year 7 Students’ Reflections on the Use of Information Skills when Completing a Curriculum Related Project

While there have been a large number of books, articles and reports on information literacy in schools, there is a lack of empirical evidence in relation to the use of information literacy models in schools, Wolf (2003) and Herring, Tarter and Naylor (2000 and 2002) being exceptions. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine students’ reflections on the information skills process following the use of an information skills scaffold (the PLUS model) during the completion of an assignment in a secondary school in the UK. The study takes a constructivist approach and data was gathered via a post-assignment questionnaire given to students. Results show that students’ confidence was variable at the start of the assignment; that students found the completion of a concept map to be generally helpful; that almost 50% of students found that completing a concept map made them more confident; that students used the concept map when searching for information; that students used a range of print and electronic sources of information; that students’ preferences for using particular types of resources included both print and electronic sources; that students found the PLUS model to be helpful with their project; and that most students were prepared to consider using the model when completing future assignments.

Auditing information literacy skills of secondary school students in Singapore

The aim of this study was to assess the information literacy (IL) and cyber-wellness skills of secondary 3 (grade 9) students, who are aged 14-15, in Singapore. The Ministry of Education in Singapore has introduced aspects of IL in schools through incorporating components into the syllabi of various subjects. A pilot-tested online survey, validated by IL experts from Canada, Hong Kong, Kuwait and Thailand, was used for data collection. The survey was taken by 2,458 students from 11 secondary schools in different geographical zones of Singapore. It was found that the use of school libraries and their resources was at a very low level. The majority of the students approached classmates and friends for help in solving their information-related problems. Only a small fraction consulted their school librarian. The overall IL assessment score showed that the students possessed a ‘middle’ level of IL skills which is better than previous (pre-curriculum integration) IL assessment studies in Singapore. As curriculum-embedded IL skills are taught by subject teachers, their level of preparedness could be a matter of concern. Similarly, fragmentation of IL concepts in different subject textbooks may cause co-ordination problems among teachers. This paper highlights the need for developing a roadmap for providing IL skills at different grade levels and in different subject areas. It is expected that the findings of this study will be useful to curriculum planners, teachers, schools librarians and others involved in IL education.

Guest editorial: Information literacy in schools

Guest editorial: Information literacy in schools

Information literacy in the new curriculum

South Africa has undergone a decade of curricular change that has evoked much debate, study and even condemnation. New terminology has entered the public domain. However this huge curriculum revolution had a curious passenger : Information Literacy. Prior to the release of Curriculum 2005, a bold new curriculum for Information Literacy was introduced for use in schools. With the advent of Curriculum 2005, with its totally new paradigm, one would have expected that the Information Literacy curriculum would have disappeared. However, in a somewhat surprising move, it appeared within the curriculum for the new 'Learning Area' : Languages, Literacy and Communication. Within this learning area it was found, intact, as one of the four Specific Outcomes, which were seen as the subdivisions of the subject. In the revision of the curriculum called the National Curriculum Statement this changed. This paper studies the position of Information Literacy within this curriculum, within each of the Learning Areas. It also outlines a practical exercise with education students to pinpoint their understanding and recommends actions for the better implementation of information literacy in schools.

Information literacy training for teachers in a developing South African context: suggestions for a multi-disciplinary planning approach

Information literacy and skills in Internet searching are important for teachers. There exists a large body of literature on information literacy in schools and universities and there are many guidelines and standards on information literacy. Little has, however, been published on information literacy training for teachers per se. Even less has been written on information literacy training for townships and rural communities in developing contexts where teachers may face special challenges. This article will argue that information literacy training for teachers in such communities can benefit from tailored planning influenced by Information Communication Technology (ICT) for Development (ICT4D) literature and taking into account factors such as relationship-building with a committed community; adaptation of the definition and standards for information literacy; and selecting appropriate methods and theories to support ongoing research. These suggestions came out of an United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) funded initiative by the Departments of Informatics and Information Science (University of Pretoria) to train teachers in information literacy in a township area close to Pretoria, South Africa.

Information literacy and the transition from secondary to tertiary education: measuring perceptions

AbstractHow people perceive information literacy and how they think others perceive it can affect how they teach and learn. The transition from secondary to tertiary education offers opportunities to develop information literate students. Variations in perceptions of information literacy in schools and universities in the UK and New Zealand are being investigated using phenomenographic techniques. The research focuses on students studying chemistry or English in their final two years at school and their first year at university, their teachers and library staff.

Evidence‐based practice in teaching: an information perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore UK teachers' use of research‐based information, with a particular focus on issues relating to access to information in schools, information literacy, and the role of the school librarian and school library services.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a mixed methodology. In‐depth qualitative data gathered through vignette interviews (n=28), group exercises (four groups of between three and five teachers) and a discussion forum were supplemented by quantitative data gathered through surveys of teachers (n=312), head teachers (n=78), school librarians (n=78) and school library services (n=26).FindingsTeachers' professional use of research information reflects a preference for predigested information and informal sources. Although professional bodies and government departments promote the use of research by teachers and provide a range of customised web sites for information, lack of ready local access to information and lack of time were cited as major barriers to the use of research information. Teachers also revealed uncertainties and lack of confidence in their own ability to find and evaluate such information. The findings suggest scope for more targeted provision by school librarians of both information and skills to support the professional development of teachers. However, this raises issues of priorities and resources, and needs to be seen in the context of a wider change in ethos supported by senior management. The study also raises questions about teachers' own experiences and approaches to the use of information in professional learning, and how this might impact on the provision of support for their pupils and the potential for collaborative working between librarians and teachers.Research limitations/implicationsThe qualitative aspects of the study provided a rich source of data from teachers with varying levels of experience and involvement with the use of research information. However, a low response to the teacher questionnaire survey (10.9 per cent, overall, 312 teachers) resulted in a bias towards more research‐oriented teachers in that particular data set. While the data from research‐oriented teachers do appear to triangulate, it is difficult to generalise to other teachers. Therefore teacher survey data have been treated with some caution and drawn on only to aid further understanding of the issues raised in interviews and group exercises.Originality/valueIn focusing attention on teachers' information behaviour and information literacy, this paper provides a new perspective on the issues affecting the lack of uptake of research evidence within the teaching profession, contributes to the literature on information behaviour and information literacy in professional contexts, and contributes to the understanding of factors which may have a bearing on the development of student information literacy in schools.