Information literacy trends in higher education (2006–2019): visualizing the emerging field of mobile information literacy

Abstract

The thematic evolution of research on Mobile Information Literacy (MoIL) between 2006 and 2019 in the field of Information Literacy, learning and mobile technologies is analysed in an international context. For this purpose, the relevant bibliographic references from five databases (ERIC, LISA, LISTA, Scopus and WOS) were retrieved. To systematize the keywords, high dimensionality is reduced by means of a term-based process. Fields, topics, sub-topics and top terms are defined. The main top-terms and their relationships are analysed applying the fractional counting methodology using VOSViewer software. Fifteen major themes were set, which were grouped into six clusters to identify the main thematic trends during the period under review: IL & e-learning, Mobile devices & competencies, Ethics, Library & e-resources, Educational technology and Technological environment. The convergence of IL and elearning, the growth of e-literacy, the increasing relationship between mobile devices and information competencies, as well as that of libraries and e-resources, are thus detected. In conclusion, there is evidence of a growing interdisciplinarity in the scientific publications on Mobile Information Literacy, which interrelates the studies of information and digital literacy with e-learning and mobile technologies.

A bibliometric analysis of digital literacy research and emerging themes pre-during COVID-19 pandemic

“…In terms of the main domain of research, it is noteworthy that the most prolific research has been conducted so far in education, information science, library science, communication, computer science, social sciences, environmental sciences, and psychology. This finding is in line with previous research, as the most notable results we have come across during the research place education on a forefront position (Pinto et al , 2020). It is notable that education and library science journals accept such articles as they fall within their aim and scope.…”

“…The author investigates the literature indexed in the Web of Science database and notices that there is an increase in the academic interest related to information literacy during the period under study, with publication peaks in 2007, 2008 and 2011. Pinto et al (2020) focus on mobile information literacy in higher education during 2006–2019 based on the queries of ERIC, LISA, LISTA, Scopus and WoS databases. The study unveils six clusters of thematic trends, i.e.,: 1) information literacy and e-learning, 2) mobile devices and competencies, 3) ethics, 4) library and e-resources, 5) educational technology and 6) technological environment.…”

Evolution and diffusion of information literacy topics

“…They note that incorporating IL in the context of online learning highlights how mobile technologies are gaining ground at all levels. Pinto et al ( 2020 ) further investigated the development of mobile information literacy from 2006 to 2019, and six clusters were identified—“IL and e-learning”, “mobile devices and competencies”, “ethics”, “library and e-resources”, “educational technology” and “technological environment”—demonstrating the growing interdisciplinarity of scientific publications on “mobile information literacy”. Wu et al (Wu, Li, et al, 2020 ) conducted source tracing, an association analysis and feature mining of the research content of information literacy theory from five aspects—“placement”, “dialogue”, “application”, “evaluation” and “generation”—emphasizing that information literacy should be interdisciplinary, should deepen theory and should be people-oriented.…”

Effects of ASQE-based learning on the information literacy, problem-solving and critical thinking of students with different growth mindsets

“…Pinto et al (2020) identified trends in key ILHE research themes, such as the integration of IL and e-learning, the increasing number of studies on e-learning and on the relationship between mobile devices and information competencies and the relationship between libraries and e-resources. Some researchers have shown that the flexibility of online learning allows learners to learn according to their own schedule, and it is effective in terms of facilitating students’ IL skills (Goodsett, 2020; Johnston, 2010; Magnuson, 2013).…”

“…The internet is ubiquitous in college life, and higher education students need to seek and comb through online information every day. Hence, the importance of information literacy (IL) in higher education (ILHE) has been emphasized repeatedly (Erlinger, 2018; Gross and Latham, 2012; Johnston, 2010; Pinto et al , 2020). In higher education settings, diverse knowledge and skills (including knowledge of notebooks, the internet and academic databases and academic skills or practices) are needed for learners to search for information, assess the relevance and credibility of the information and present and share information with others (Baird and Soares, 2020; Beetham et al , 2019).…”