Moving beyond the descriptive

Abstract

Purpose Information literacy has been consistently undertheorised. The purpose of this paper is to contribute in the ongoing theorisation of information literacy by exploring the meaning and implications of the emergent grounded theory of mitigating risk for information literacy research and practice. Design/methodology/approach The grounded theory was produced through a qualitative study that was framed by practice theory and the theoretical constructs of cognitive authority and affordance, and employed constructivist grounded theory, semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation methods to explore the information literacy practices of language-learners overseas. Findings This paper provides a theoretically rich exploration of language-learner information literacy practices while further identifying the importance of time, affect and information creation within information literacy research and practice as well as the need for the continued theorisation of information literacy concepts. Research limitations/implications The paper’s constructivist grounded theorisation of information literacy remains localised and contextualised rather than generalisable. Practical implications The paper raises questions and points of reflection that may be used to inform the continued development of information literacy instruction and teaching practices. Originality/value This paper contributes to an increasingly sophisticated theoretical conceptualisation of information literacy as well as forming a basis for ongoing theoretical development in the field.

Reaching into the basket of doom: Learning outcomes, discourse and information literacy

“…Haider, 2011; Lloyd, 2010a; Moring, 2012; Pilerot, 2014; Veinot, 2007), with a few exceptions (e.g. Hicks, 2019, 2020; Schreiber, 2014). This emphasis, which has inhibited a broader examination of the semantic, material and social spaces that constrain and enable the enactment of information literacy practice within an academic setting, provides a further impetus for this research.…”

“Let's keep this video as real as possible”: young video bloggers constructing cognitive authority through a health-related information creation process

“…These practices are highly contextual, but at the same time influenced by broader discourses, which in the case of this study were connected to the norms and practices of the social media environment and other everyday contexts of young people. Future research should pay attention to the conceptualization of information creation and avoid oversimplifying it to information use or as a mere end product of the process (see also Hicks, 2020).…”

“…Although there is a long tradition of research on creating, producing or making informational things in other fields, these notions have not been well recognized or developed within information literacy or practices research (Kitzie, 2019;Hicks, 2020;Huvila et al, 2020). Lacking a clear definition, information creation is often viewed as synonymous or overlapping with information production and making, terms more often used in the context of digital media production (Koh, 2013), or regarded as information use, a final product of information literacy or a way to present content (Gorichanaz, 2019;Hicks, 2020). In empirical studies, information creation has been referred to as, for example, "making contributions to the information world" (Koh, 2013(Koh, , p. 1826, bringing information into existence (Trace, 2007) and as documentation (McKenzie et al, 2014;Gorichanaz, 2017).…”

“…Information creation may also serve as a way to fulfil the information needs of both the producer and receiver of information, as Kitzie (2019) showed in their study on the online identity work of American LGBTQþ [1] millennials who created YouTube videos. The most recent studies on information creation have focused on, for example, the information literacy practices of language learners (Hicks, 2020) and the documentation practices of Bangladeshi women (Frings-Hessami et al, 2020). These studies suggest that information creation not only fulfils anticipated information needs (Frings-Hessami et al, 2020) or supports identity work, but is an integral part of enacting information literacy in different contexts (Hicks, 2020).…”

Investigating Information Seeking and Information Sharing Using Digital Trace Data

“…IL has been identified as a key capability in workplace learning, helping organisations to effectively leverage information to create business value, such as innovation (Ahmad, Widén and Huvila, 2020;Forster, 2017;Middleton and Hall, 2021). As digital transformation is largely about change, that is, learning new information tools and technologies to master a complex information environment, the transition itself becomes a relevant context of study when developing WIL support (Hicks, 2020;Sharun, 2021). In today's workplace, the digital aspect of IL is of course crucial and is often focused as digital literacy (DL).…”