Information literacy

Abstract

Purpose The 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/approach Foucault’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. Findings Postings 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 implications Students 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/value This 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.

Information literacy and the Societal Imperative of Information Discernment

“…Given these finding we argue that it is imperative that we attempt to enable all people to gain higher information discernment capabilities. Previous research (for example Walton and2013;Shenton and Pickard, 2014;Pickard, Shenton and Johnson, 2014;Walton and Cleland, 2017;Walton et al, 2018) has shown that this is achievable. The next section outlines a possible way of delivering effective information discernment teaching and learning.…”

Research Competencies to Develop Academic Reading and Writing: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Moreover, Zetina et al (2017) concluded that designing strategies for the adequate development of research competencies with the purpose of training sufficiently qualified young researchers is crucial. Walton and Cleland (2017) also presented qualitative research with the purpose of establishing whether students as part of a degree module can demonstrate through their online textual publications their IL skills as a discursive competence and social practice. Lopatovska and Sessions (2016) conducted a study examining reading strategies in relation to information-seeking stages, tasks and reading media in an academic setting.…”

Complex Interdisciplinary Approach to Modelling Information Literacy Education

“…Considering this, the Bruce's relational model maps IL onto the different ways of experiencing it. The experiential nature of learning is tangible insofar as it involves continuous building, amending and eventually transforming previous knowledge structures (Walton & Cleland, 2017).…”

“…Discourse analysis is heavily influenced by the work of Michel Foucault, for whom the central issue was to uncover the mechanisms in which social reality is produced. By "capturing the socially and culturally shaped ways of understanding information competencies and information practices" (Limberg et al, 2012, 110), discourse analysis recognizes language as central to social life, and a key to functioning in a society (Walton & Cleland, 2017).…”