How information literacy influences creative skills among medical students? The mediating role of lifelong learning

Abstract

This research investigated the influence of information literacy on the creative skills of medical students through the mediation of lifelong learning. A cross-sectional survey was conducted for data collection among medical students, recruited through a stratified convenient sampling procedure, of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The questionnaire was personally administered by visiting each college with written permission. A total of 473 survey responses were collected and analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results revealed that the information literacy of medical students had a direct and indirect but positive influence on their creative skills. Lifelong learning not had a direct but positive effect on creative skills but also mediated the relationship between information literacy and creative skills. The empirical evidence for how information literacy influences creative skills through the mediated role of lifelong learning may inform policy and practice for information literacy instructions. These results may help academicians and information specialists to initiate a credited or integrated course on information literacy in the curriculum of medical students not only in Pakistan but also in other developing countries. This research would be a worthwhile contribution to the existing research on information literacy as the mediated role of lifelong learning between information literacy and creative skills has never been examined so far.

A Thematic Analysis on the Factors Influencing Lifelong Learning among Medical Students in Jiangxi Province, China

“…This study demonstrates that information literacy has a significant impact on the lifelong learning of medical students. Findings align with previous research, indicating that information literacy helps students acquire and process information and enhances their problem-solving and innovative capabilities (Naveed et al, 2023). Furthermore, Tachie-Donkor and Ezema (2023) observed that medical students' preference for internet resources positively correlates with their information-seeking behaviors and lifelong learning.…”