Appraising information literacy skills of students in Singapore

Abstract

PurposeTo investigate information literacy (IL) skills of secondary students in Singapore after integration of these skills into school curriculum. The study also explored cyber wellness skills of the students.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 14 secondary schools, located in different geographical zones of the country. A total of 3,306 secondary students participated in this survey. A scoring scheme was devised to assess IL skills of the students.FindingsThe students achieved an overall mean score of 52.6%, which is considered as a “middle” level of IL competency. The students obtained high mean scores for two IL skills: “defining information task and analysing information gaps” (60.5%) and cyber wellness (60.1%). Lowest scores were achieved for two IL skills: “selecting information sources” (47.4%) and “appraising the information process and product” (48.0%).Research limitations/implicationsThis study has not investigated IL knowledge of teachers, responsible for teaching IL components. Similarly, content analysis of school textbooks, integrating IL skills, could be useful.Practical implicationsIt appeared that integration of IL skills into school curriculum showed limited success in imparting these skills. This paper suggests measures for improving the integration of IL skills into school curriculum. Findings of this survey will be useful to curriculum planners, education administrators, instructors teaching IL skills and school librarians.Originality/valueThis study was unique as, in addition to standard IL skills, it also investigated cyber wellness skills. It was desirable as now social media have become a popular source for information seeking and sharing.

Information literacy: a desideratum of the 21st century

“…Additionally, the overall mean was 3.35, indicating that the Fijian students were averagely information literate. Similarly, studies conducted by (Majid et al , 2020; Dolnicar et al , 2020; Squibb and Zanzucchi, 2020) show similar results-students with low to average information literacy skills. The referred study results are from both the developed and developing countries where the authors used different information literacy frameworks and instruments to evaluate the information literacy competencies of the students.…”

Digital Choice Board Pada Topik Cerita Fiksi Berbasis Literasi Baca Tulis Untuk Siswa Kelas IV

“…Membudayakan literasi dapat menjadi modal dasar dalam menganalisis berbagai fenomena yang terjadi (Marsh, 2016;Nopilda & Kristiawan, 2018). Melalui kemampuan literasi, jalan memahami dan menguasai ilmu pengetahuan, keterampilan, dan kecakapan hidup lainnya dapat dicapai (Hadiansah & Sauri, 2021;Majid et al, 2020). Umumnya, literasi berarti sebagai kemampuan membaca dan menulis.…”

Safe and Responsible Internet Use in a Connected World: Promoting Cyber-Wellness

“…Furthermore, students may have different levels of expertise. Girls had higher levels of information literacy skills than boys in a recent study in Singapore, and students without home access to the Internet (who we might assume were from more disadvantaged homes) had lower levels than those with access (Majid et al, 2016;Majid et al, 2020). Social media is a place of ambiguity, being both a public sphere embracing free discourse and a closed community amplifying homogeneous opinion (Mihailidis & Viotty, 2017;Lazer et al, 2018).…”

“…Thus, teachers must have appropriate knowledge of these skills and how best to teach them (Majid et al, 2016;Passey et al, 2018). Although some national policies mandate this approach, for example in Singapore, there can still be huge variation in students' experiences and skill levels across different schools (Majid et al, 2016;Majid et al, 2020). Furthermore, students may have different levels of expertise.…”

“…However, differences in the awareness and interest in cyber-wellness have already been highlighted. Students in Singapore (where cyber-wellness education is part of the curriculum) without home access to the Internet were less concerned about issues of privacy and cyber-bullying than those with access (Majid et al, 2016;Majid et al, 2020). Interestingly, there were gender differences with females expressing greater concern than males.…”