3.1. Information literacy conceptual analysis
3.1.1. Information literacy education and teaching and learning
Information literacy is an important tool for facilitating and enhancing teaching and learning in the educational system. Definitions of the concept which emphasise the user’s ability to locate, evaluate and use information resources have increasingly fortified the active teaching and learning process as a holistic approach for developing knowledge and skills (Warmkessel &
McCade, 1997: 81). Bibliographic instruction, library orientation and other user education programmes have been considered forerunners of the concept of information literacy.
Commentators on information literacy education have pointed to the conclusion that similarities have existed between information literacy education and other user education programmes (Fjallbrant & Stevenson, 1978: 11; Bruce, 1997: 42; Eisenberg, Lowe & Spitzer, 2004: 53-54).
These programmes, though confined to basic information retrieval skills, have provided a context through which information literacy education can be articulated (Bruce 1997: 43).
Research efforts in IL have provided insights into student learning and helped the development of various teaching models that define IL. A variety of approaches and combinations of
approaches have been undertaken in higher education institutions depending on their particular needs. Examples of some of these models include:
Christine Bruce’s (1997) relational model is based on phenomenography, an approach which seeks to understand the different ways in which people conceive information literacy. The model provides a useful framework for conceptualising information literacy and the approaches that can be adopted for developing the information literate individual.
The Big6 model was developed by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz in 1988 and is one of the most well-known models in the field and is being taught widely to students as
a guide for their research. The model provides students with a systematic framework for solving information problems.
Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process (ISP) developed in 1993 also
contributed to the theoretical foundations of IL. This model shows how users approach the research process and how a user’s confidence increases at each stage.
Others include:
The New South Wales (NSW) Information Process Model.
The Thoughtful Learning Cycle by Barbara Strippling and Judy Pitts developed in 1988.
Each of these models provide basic steps for information searching in order to help students learn how to evaluate and use information for problem solving (Eisenberg, Lowe & Spitzer, 2004: 44-45).
In many academic institutions changes in the educational philosophy indicated by a shift from teacher-centred to student-centred learning has become standard practice (Sparrow, Sparrow &
Swan, 2000). Central to this practice is an emphasis on critical thinking and independent learning which empowers students to be more responsible for their learning by providing them with the ability for deep learning and a high degree of flexibility for lifelong learning (Motschning &
Holzinger, 2002: 160). The emergence of the constructivist-cognitive methods of learning such as resource-based learning, active learning, problem-based learning, brain-based learning4 and so on, have challenged educators to re-think some basic assumptions as to how learning occurs in students (Warmkessel & McCade, 1997: 81). Such process oriented learning methods are aimed at balancing the process and content of learning in order to align differences between the
curriculum and the actual student experience in view of the overwhelming explosion of the knowledge base. These approaches have changed the application of rigid teaching methods by enabling students to construct knowledge and make meaning from learned experiences thereby
4 Brain-based learning is a natural, motivating and positive way of maximizing learning and teaching. It is an approach that is based on the ways our brain learn best (Politano & Paquin, 2000).
encouraging creativity and interest in learning and research (Brown, Bull & Pendlebury, 1997:
26).
Efforts in information literacy education have also influenced the development of better curriculum structures in higher education institutions especially with respect to course integration and design. The structure of a curriculum is a determining factor in the
implementation of information literacy programmes which should be made in accordance with the recommendations of the adopted standard in order to achieve the desired educational
objectives (Bruce, 2002: Establishing policy guidelines). According to Grafstein (2002: 200), the relevance of information literacy is best exemplified within a subject specific context. This is because locating conceptions of information literacy within a disciplinary context helps promote an attitude of critical inquiry in the learning process and provide a framework by which needed skills can be integrated into the curriculum. By teaching the conceptual models for handling information through an integrated and incremental approach, students are provided with a broad context for understanding the different forms, sources and structures of information which ensures the transferability of acquired skills to the workplace (Webber & Johnston, 2000: 385;
Whitehead & Quinlan, 2002: 13; Lwehabura, 2007: 321; Baro & Fyneman, 2009: 672: Lawal, 2009: 175). Similarly, efforts by governmental and institutional policy-makers to facilitate and accelerate economic, educational, and social development have been a considerable driving force to progress made in information literacy education in various countries. Such efforts have helped to ensure that standards are established to address issues of outcome assessment and identifying problems of deficiency in students’ information literacy skills in higher education institutions (De Jager & Nassimbeni, 2002: 169; Underwood, 2002: 10).
The challenge to prepare students for their role in the knowledge economy is reflective of the efforts towards promoting lifelong learning and other developmental goals. The concept of lifelong learning in information literacy connotes the inculcation of life skills to enable learners to adapt to the constantly changing information society. According to Bruce, (2002: 6) the transformative power of information literacy lies in its intrinsic ability to empower learners with the capacity to engage in self-directed learning outside the walls of the formal educational system.