Conference Agenda

This article explores the potential of experiential education for students in the field of information culture. Specifically, it investigates experiences using information for learning and knowledge building, focusing on the materiality and sensory/sensitive dimensions of these experiences: giving equal attention to things, objects, materials, and sensory experiences (Thrift, 2008; Savolainen, 2020). In this view, information is understood in a broad sense, as “related to becoming informed”: something is information if it is informative (Bukland, 1991). The idea is that students are not disembodied cognitive beings (Bruner, 1986, p. 5), they are active beings who learn through action and experiences (Dewey, 1925), active agents in the historical process of constructing their own world (Bruner, 1986); and that in this process, the body has an active, productive and sensuous role, throughout the information activities: each object, each material constitutes a path towards knowledge, each gesture expresses a becoming in service to its construction (Ingold, 2018). Field experience is inductive, it is both a voyage of world discovery and of self-discovery.

In this perspective, referring to an active self, articulating the sensitive and the social (Laplantine, 2009), the experience is creative. From primary experience, in its subjective version, a way of experiencing the world, to secondary experience, more reflective, which clarifies it by organizing it, experience is formative and transformative; it participates in the creation of useful knowledge (Dewey, 1925). Knowledge is thus constructed in the flow of experiences, with phases of self-reflection and distancing; it is not a linear and mechanical process. Culture – like information culture as “culture” - is alive, context-sensitive and emergent (Bruner, 1986).

We propose investigating and questioning here these different relationships to materials, objects and information, involved in the learning process and knowledge construction, by considering how knowledge is informed by experience, putting the body and the mind on alert in a same movement. In addition, we propose conducting this investigation and questioning from an anthropo-social perspective, by focusing on the dynamics that emerge, paying attention to the ordinary, the banal, as well as to the unexpected or the event, to what “happens and becomes” (Laplantine, 2022).

The empirical data that informs this article is drawn from a research project in school context, still ongoing in its qualitative part (2019; 2020; 2021). They are ethnographic data, collected over time, in immersion, closely to the actors, without an a priori grid (which would orient towards an interpretative system), but with a requirement of globality (rich observations, interviews, informal conversations, documents, photographs). Consistent with this approach, the references to an interpretative universe remain open: functioning as starting points, theoretical levers (vs. framework), they form a space open to reflection, intuition and the uncovering of meanings.

For this article, we focus on three projects observed in secondary schools, aiming at opening the school to the world, beyond the school space, and in which the sensitive/sensory dimensions play an important role (walking, as a learning path; creative production using the five senses; tinkering and making in fablabs/libraries). The passage through the material, the sensitive, the sensory is of great heuristic potential in the construction of knowledge and culture.

References

Buckland, M. K. (1991). Information as thing. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42(5), 311–388.

Dewey, J. (1925). Experience and nature. Chicago: Open Court Publishing.

Ingold, T. (2018). Anthropology and/as education. London: Routledge.

Laplantine, F. (2009). Le social et le sensible. Paris: Téraèdre.

Maury, Y. (2019). Expériences sensibles en bibliothèque: Peut-on parler d’un tournant? Revue Cossi, 6, 27–40.

Maury Y., & Kovacs, S. (2020). In-former le territoire local par l’exercice scolaire. In C. Tardy & M. Severo, Dispositifs du visible et de l’invisible dans la fabrique des territoires (pp. 59–78). Paris: L’Harmattan.

Savolainen, R. (2020). Elaborating the sensory and cognitive-affective aspects of information experience. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(3), 671–684.

Turner V. W. & Bruner, E. M. (1986). The anthropology of experience. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Initially, the purpose of this study had been only to explore information behavior of freshly retired scholars from a wide range of Polish university faculties. However, as the research progressed, it appeared that information practices, along with their affective background, described by former faculty members followed an astonishingly salient pattern resembling mourning. Following this path, I adjusted the research goals to provide the answers to the following questions: a) in scholar’s everyday life, is retirement a triggering event likely to provoke an information mourning? and, b) if so, what are the behavioral manifestations and consequences of such an information mourning process? This study pursues four goals: 1) to identify and describe retired scholars’ information behaviors that mightconstitute information mourning; 2) to assess the harmfulness/neutrality of these behaviors for ex faculty members’ wellbeing and, in cases of observed negative impact, reflect on possible remedies; 3) to identify and describe constant and individually variable coping strategies applied by scholars in order to mitigate information losses(see Williamson, 2005; Israeli, 2020); and 4) to interpret the findings in the light of information ecology.

The study consisted of a series of 12 individual in-depth interviews conducted with researchers in the humanities and sciences who had retired from Polish universities within the last 2 years. , . The interviews were treated and processed en bloc as a set of narratives and submitted to discourse analysis using the method of cognitive metaphor mapping. Based on this textual material only, I extracted simple and ramified metaphors and interpreted them following a nomothetic approach without any preconceived assumptions (Massey & Ehrensberger-Dow, 2017; Csatár, 2014). Interviewed scholars tended to consider their retirement from university as a colossal personal loss, often described in terms such as banishment, amputation, and orphancy. The majority of the interviewees felt outcast from their familiar identity-shaping information ecosystem. The scale of experienced loss seems to set off a regular process of mourning with its typical stages of rebellion, anger, resignment, and so forth. Based on key assumptions of information ecology, as theorized inter alia by Fidel, Nardi and O’Day (Fidel, 2012; Nardi & O’Day, 2000) and research findings on information behavior of seniors (Williamson, 2005; Kim et al. 2016), combined with the conceptual framework of information horizons by Diane H. Sonnenwald (2005), information mourning could be defined as morbidly prolonged, harmful disturbance of individual information space caused by a loss of physical and immaterial connections with a larger community. Caught in the spiral of grief, the individual does not have enough agency left to recover without aid. It appears, however, that the affective heaviness of being cut off from the university information ecosystem might by relieved, and coping mechanism enhanced, by putting in place some simple practical remedies. The aim of these remedies should be to restore the sense of belonging and rebuild broken attachments with the academic community and, hence, accelerate readaptation. I will describe these remedies in the paper.

References

Csatár, P. (2014). Data structure in cognitive metaphor research. Peter Lang Edition.

Fidel, R. (2012). Human information interaction: An ecological approach to information behavior. Mit Press.

Israeli, T. (2020). Losing information is like losing an arm: employee reactions to data loss. Behaviour & Information Technology, 39(12), 1297–1307.

Kim, M. J., et al. (2016). Seniors’ loyalty to social network sites: Effects of social capital and attachment. International Journal of Information Management, 36(6), 1020–1032.

Massey, G., & Ehrensberger-Dow, M. (2017). Translating conceptual metaphor: The processes of managing interlingual asymmetry. Research in Language, 15(2), 173–189.

Nardi, B. A., & O’Day, V. (2000). Information ecologies: Using technology with heart. Mit Press.

Sonnenwald, H. (2005). Information Horizons. In K. Fisher, S. Erdelez, L. McKechnie (Eds.), Theories of Information Behavior (pp.191–197). Information Today.

Williamson, C. (2005). Ecological theory of human information behavior. In L. McKechnie (Ed.), Theories of information behavior: A researcher’s guide. (pp. 128–132). Information Today.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on information phenomena is being actively researched in information sciences (e.g. Lloyd & Hicks, 2020; see Montesi, 2021 for a review). The pandemic created unique possibilities to study different populations in extreme circumstances and unique crisis situations. One such unique situation emerged on the Faculty of humanities and social science at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. There, a group of 20 library and information science (LIS) students in an online information literacy course were faced with the task of reflecting about their information experience at the height of the pandemic. The material they submitted showed authentic and deep free reflection on a subject of interest related to the real, lived experiences of participating students. In this report we will show how emerging Croatian LIS professionals experienced the pandemic.

The task created what Bruce et al. (2014) frame as the intersection of the experience of information using and experience of learning. This assignment offered a unique research opportunity to study an information experience through student-created media. Students were asked to create a video log during the semester about the problems they faced because of the pandemic and the global health crisis. They reflected upon the impact of those events on experiences of information and their information practices. Through a subset of questions they were asked to consider how practices have changed, ways in which they encountered information, strategies they used to resolve their information needs, and how they responded to information they were exposed to sought themselves.

We provided the students with some technical information on how to create their video logs. Out of 20 undergraduate students attending the course in their final (third) year of study, 18 students gave permission to use their video logs for research purposes, thus creating a unique convenience sample of rich content about the information student experience during the pandemic. The resulting videos were 4 minutes and 17 seconds long, on average. Together the films totaled an hour and twenty-five minutes of filmed material. This study used an intepretivist grounded theory approach in studying the films. We focused on a systematic exploration of the diversity of students’ information experience during the COVID-19 pandemic as the basic phenomena of interest. We also sought to portray the kinds of information needs, behaviors, and practices they found relevant to their information experience during the pandemic. We will map examples and contexts of the students’ information experience, illustrating the phenomena relations, strategies, and consequences about which the students freely reflected. We also considered the students’ stances and chosen approaches to video creation. This included taking account of the students’ personal experience, their attempts at expert analyses, their artistic expression of experience, and so forth.

We transcribed and coded the video logs in accordance with the grounded theory approach (following Strauss & Corbin, 1990). We organized the coding process as an inductive qualitative research process involving a stage of open coding. This was followed by an axial coding stage where elicited codes were combined into more general categories. These general categories defined aspects of students’ information experiences and formed the basis for a deeper understanding of the diversity of students’ information experience. We interpreted the results in the context of Croatia and related phenomena as perceived by emerging LIS professionals. We will explore whether the applied pedagogical method created authentic learning experiences for LIS students and whether it can, on the methodological level, be used as a basis for information experience research. Since this research emphasized information experience, future research needs to explore the same learning experience as an informed learning event.

References

Bruce, C. et al. (2014). Information experience: approaches to theory and practice. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Lloyd, A., & Hicks, A. (2020). Risk and resilience in radically redefined information environments: Information practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proc. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol., 57, e336. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.336

Montesi, M. (2021). Human information behavior during the Covid-19 health crisis. A literature review. Library & Information Science Research, 43(4), 101122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2021.101122

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. M. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications, Inc.

The main objective of this research is to define the correlation between film criticism, social issues in films and student audience reception, and how media literacy affects this process. In this case study the quantitative research will be used as a main method. A questionnaire will be used to question 400 students in 4 different Croatian universities. Croatia will be used as a case study and the results will be compared to those of other researches in this field.

A detailed questionnaire will be used with questions about the students (age, gender, etc.), how many of them read film reviews and where (printed media, online written media, video blogs, social networks, etc.), and the way the film reviews and different social issues in the films affect their decision to watch the film and its reception. We will also ask them how and which film books from university and public libraries they read influenced their choice and reception of films, and how the film courses they attended at their universities affected their choice and reception of films.

Qualitative research methods will also be used, with in-depth interviews with film professors at these 4 universities, in order to see how they present the importance of film criticism to students, what social issues in films they discuss with students, how the students react to film reviews and to films that deal with different social issues in their discussions on classes and in written papers.

In analyzing and commenting on the results of this research, the works of renowned researchers in these fields will be consulted. Eliashberg and Shugan (1997) empirically researched the correlation of critical reviews and box office; Livingstone (2004) considered how far existing theories and methods for researching audiences can be extended to new media; McDonald (2007) emphasizes the need of critical evaluation of films challenged by cultural studies and media democratization; Hobbs (2011) demonstrates how to incorporate media literacy into the classroom, providing the tools teachers need to effectively foster students’ critical thinking and communication skills; Gillespie (2012) claims that criticism is opposing the consumerist approach to culture and resisting the monetization logic of the cultural market; Frey (2014) writes about the challenges of film criticism in the age the new media and Eagan (2020) proved the influence of contemporary film reviews, especially negative ones.

This study will show how different aspects of media literacy affect the ways in which students choose and evaluate films. On the basis of this research an evaluation model will be established, applicable to other countries, and could have a wider impact on film literacy researches at universities. It should also be emphasized that the proposed research model, taking into account the specifics of theatrical and literary works, could be applied to theatrical and literary criticism. Therefore we believe that this research will give relevant scientific results, inspire new studies in mentioned similar contexts and give valuable input to a better understanding of information and media literacy.

References

Eliashberg, J., & Shugan, S. (1997). Film critics: Influencers or predictors? Journal of Marketing, 61, 68–78.

Livingstone, S. (2004). The challenge of changing audiences or, what is the researcher to do in the age of the internet? European Journal of Communication, 19(1), 75–86.

McDonald, R. (2007). The death of the critic. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Twelve Oaks: Corwin.

Gillespie, R. (2012). The art of criticism in the age of interactive technology: Critics, participatory culture, and the avant-garde. International Journal of Communication, 6, 56–75.

Frey, M. (2014). The permanent crisis of film criticism. The anxiety of authority. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Eagan, O. (2020). The influence of film critics on movie outcomes. In Oscar Buzz and the Influence of Word of Mouth on Movie Success. Cham: Palgrave Pivot.

Introduction

For at least two decades the workflow of higher education (HE) institutions in Europe has been driven by the project approach. The European Union (EU) supports HE financially and aims at maximal internationalization and cooperation among European countries.

The European Universities Initiative (EUI) was established in 2017. Its ambition is to strengthen strategic partnerships across the EU between higher education institutions by building networks of universities across the EU. In 2019, EUI opened its first call for HE institutions’ alliances. At the end of 2022, 41 European University Alliances were already gathering 340 HE institutions (European Education Area, n.d.).

Rationale

Members of such alliances are forced to change a lot in their daily work practice and acquire specific project knowledge and skills. For the majority of libraries as members of those alliances, this is the first time they have participated in joint, international (so also multicultural) projects with specific requirements, terminology, and workflows driven by grant agreement requirements and expected outcomes.

Methodology

An in-depth analysis of the skills and competencies rooted in information literacy (understood here as an umbrella concept, thus gathering many related ‘literacies’) needed for successful project management was conducted. It was based on 1) a review of literature on knowledge and project management (e.g., Bartlett, 2021; Mounir, 2018) and on new job requirements for librarians (e.g. Wojciechowska, 2018) as well as 2) the work experience on the TRAIN4EU project, co-lead by the academic librarians from the University of Warsaw Library (Poland), run by 4EU+ universities in the framework of Horizon 2020 (4EU+, n.d.).

Outcomes

The analysis resulted in a map of competencies that are useful and needed to work on international projects funded by the EU. The analysis showed that the skills traditionally associated with librarians’ and information professionals’ jobs, such as fluency in metadata, information literacy, information management, or research data management are crucial while working with EU-funded projects. Hence, on the one hand, librarians and academic professionals may already become important actors on the scene of a project-based workflow; on the other hand, there are some competency gaps that should be filled not only to support the researchers comprehensively but also to be able to conduct projects independently. The map of competencies may be useful not only for the staff of European University Alliances but also for other librarians and information professionals who would like to become members of project teams and for the library management who hire them.

References

Bartlett, J. A. (2021). Knowledge management. A practical guide for librarians. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

European Education Area (n.d.) Factsheets on the 41 European universities. Retrieved November 25, 2022 from https://education.ec.europa.eu/european-universities-factsheets

Mounir, A. (2018). Project management between waterfall and agile. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group.

Wojciechowska, M. (Ed.). (2018). Multibibliotekarstwo. Warszawa: Wydaw, SBP.

4EU+ (n.d.). 4EU+ Alliance. Retrieved November 25, 2022 from https://4euplus.eu/4EU-1.html

Problem Statement

One avenue through which academic librarians may be able to have a significant impact, both in supporting student information literacy learning and shifting the teaching culture at their institutions, is adopting the “teach the teacher” model and taking on the role of educational developer. The model has often been described as an alternative to the one-shot approach to information literacy instruction, which has been significantly criticized as an ineffective method for achieving the integration of information literacy into the curriculum. There are examples of librarians leading information literacy-centered instructor development initiatives, including workshops, courses, and faculty learning communities, and there are some indications that this approach does support changes in faculty teaching practices related to information literacy and research assignment design (Hammons, 2020; Jumonville, 2014; Wishkoski et al., 2019). However, more evidence is needed to establish the effectiveness of this approach. Adopting the “teach the teachers” model as a more primary means of teaching information literacy would require a major shift in thinking and practice for many librarians, so it is vital to better understand the effectiveness of these types of interventions and their impact on faculty teaching practices.

Purpose

In this paper, we examine instructors’ perceptions of a five-module teaching professional development workshop that promotes the transparent and equitable integration of information literacy into courses. The workshop situates information literacy within a common academic practice – the research assignment – and provides a framework for thinking about what equity means within the context of higher education and outlines teaching strategies instructors can use to make their research assignments more inclusive, equitable, and transparent. Upon completion of the workshop, participants should be able to (1) describe the potential relationship between students’ social identity characteristics, research assignments, and overall academic success, (2) describe the information literacy threshold concepts as outlined in the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, (3) apply Decoding the Disciplines and Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT Higher Ed) to their teaching, and (4) identify practical ways in which they can design assignments to increase students’ motivation.

For our examination, we analyze data collected through pre- and post-workshop surveys administered to nine cohorts of participants between August 2019 and August 2022 (n=61, 75% response rate). This study provides insight into how instructors perceive information literacy and how librarians can strengthen their understanding of information literacy through faculty-focused professional development programming.

References

Hammons, J. (2020). Teaching the teachers to teach information literacy: A literature review. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(5), 102196.

Jumonville, A. (2014). The role of faculty autonomy in a course-integrated information literacy program. Reference Services Review, 42(4), 536–551.

Wishkoski, R., Lundstrom, K., & Davis, E. (2019). Faculty teaching and librarian-facilitated assignment design. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 19(1), 95–126.

A few years after the publication of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2016), its impact has been studied at different levels and in several regions (Guth et al., 2018; H. Julien et al., 2020; H. E. Julien et al., 2020). However, it was only very recently that this main document was Portuguese-translated (ACRL et al., 2022), which poses a challenge for information professionals in Portugal. Regardless, this shift has brought renewed energy and a new level of discussion around the training provided by academic information professionals, who pay increasing attention to teaching and learning methodologies. The pedagogical role of librarians becomes more pressing as teaching becomes more researched, with pedagogical methods, constructivist learning, multiplying research techniques, and information literacy as fundamental learning elements (Caffrey et al., 2022). How do Portuguese professionals react to the opportunity to know it deeply and objectively and to the possibility of applying the orientations emanating from this document? This study is part of a national project on information literacy applied to academic students and aims to analyze the perceptions of LIS professionals about the knowledge and practical applicability of the six conceptual frames that make up the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. From an extensive literature review and the creation of an online survey of academic librarians’ perceptions of the ACRL Framework, conducted in January 2023, the survey used a 5-point Likert scale on aspects of understanding the frames, knowledge practices, and dispositions that students can develop in an academic context with the support of LIS professionals. The results show librarians’ initial knowledge of the topic but a solid will to proceed with actions regarding it. Therefore, based on the translation of the Framework into Portuguese, a set of activities associated with each of the frames and the creation of pedagogical materials (e.g., open PowerPoints) and training spaces (e.g., webinars, conferences), to support the informal training provided by the LIS professionals, were promoted. As information literacy programs continue to be integrated, implemented, reflected, and reviewed in libraries (informal education) and integrated into academic curricula (formal education), the Framework is a reference document on which information professionals and teachers can find and support inspiration. In this context, and if we want more and better information to pass through higher education, we need to optimize and make valuable access to it. Given the proliferation of (dis)information, librarians must urgently assume the task of training in this area, developing their skills at the pedagogical level.

References

ACRL, Sanches, T., Antunes, M. L., & Lopes, C. (2022). Referencial da literacia da informação para o ensino superior (tradução portuguesa). BAD. Retrieved from https://bad.pt/formacao/projetos/combater_desinformacao/

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/files/issues/infolit/framework.pdf

Caffrey, C., et al. (2022). Library instruction and information literacy 2021. Reference Services Review, 50(3), 271–355. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-09-2022-0035

Guth, L. F., et al. (2018). Faculty voices on the Framework: Implications for instruction and dialogue. Libraries and the Academy, 18(4), 693–718.

Julien, H., et al. (2020). Information literacy practices and perceptions of community college librarians in Florida and New York. Communications in Information Literacy, 14(2), 287–324. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2020.14.2.7

Julien, H. E., Gross, M., Latham, D., & Baer, A. (2020). The information literacy framework: Case studies of successful implementation. Rowman & Littlefield.

Not quite 20 years ago, Simmons (2005) positioned academic librarians as information literacy discourse mediators between instructors, who are expert researchers within their disciplines, and students, who are typically scholarly and disciplinary novices. This positioning puts librarians in a potentially powerful role in bridging the gap between instructors’ expectations and students’ performance on information literacy-related assignments, such as research assignments. Indeed, previous research provides evidence of this expectations gap. Even though much of academic librarianship was still subscribing to a skills-based conceptualization of information literacy when Simmons (2005) wrote her seminal article, elements of the second-wave constructivist conceptualization of information literacy (Hicks and Lloyd, 2021) are evident in her argument that librarians could and should help students to identify and understand the ways of thinking and knowing that are valued in disciplines and higher education more generally.

Existing research has provided some insight into how instructors perceive or define information literacy, and this research is foundational for considering how academic librarians can serve as discourse mediators. However, most of these studies predate the second-wave shift to a constructivist perspective of information literacy emphasizing “conceptual ideas rather than teaching practices” (Hicks and Lloyd, 2021, p. 569). Because of this shift, the role of academic librarians as discourse mediators might be more relevant now than ever. For example, the ACRL Framework, a second-wave document, is rooted in threshold concept theory, which is the idea that students must cross particular conceptual thresholds to begin understanding the ways of thinking, knowing, and acting with respect to information use and knowledge creation within academic and disciplinary communities.

In this paper, we describe a qualitative study that employs a novel approach to exploring the information literacy perceptions of 51 instructors across a range of disciplines at a research university in the United States. We used Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, which is a commonly used framework for the development of learning outcomes related to the complexity of cognition required to meet instructors’ expectations, to bridge the second-wave abstract conceptualizations of information literacy, such as those found in the Framework, and the practical needs of the classroom that were addressed in first-wave documents like the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. As a result, we have developed a draft model of an information literacy taxonomy that accounts for both foundational information literacy skills and ways of thinking and knowing. We believe that this model has implications for how we approach the development of students’ information literacy with intentionality, in collaboration with instructors, and as we consider our own classroom teaching practices.

References

Hicks, A., & Lloyd, A. (2021). Deconstructing information literacy discourse: Peeling back the layers in higher education. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 53(4), 559–571.

Simmons, M.H. (2005). Librarians as disciplinary discourse mediators: Using genre theory to move toward critical information literacy. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 5(3), 297–311.

Information literacy is crucial in our digitalised society, where access to information is easier and more abundant than ever before. It empowers us to locate, evaluate, and effectively, as well as ethically, use information in private and professional contexts. Without information literacy, individuals may struggle to make informed decisions or, even worse, fall prey to misinformation.

Science literacy, which we consider a part of information literacy, refers to an individual’s understanding of science and its methods, as well as their ability to critically evaluate scientific information and arguments (Liu, 2009). Science literacy is an important aspect of being an informed citizen in a democratic society, as it allows individuals to understand and engage with scientific issues that have an impact on their lives or even society as a whole (National Research Council et al., 2007, p. 34). This is especially essential during a pandemic, when misinformation can have serious consequences for public health and safety (Loomba et al., 2021).

The COVID-19 pandemic is a prime example of the importance of science literacy for everyone. The ongoing pandemic has highlighted the need for individuals to be able to critically evaluate and understand scientific information, as well as navigate the vast amount of information that is available on the internet and social media. The lack of science literacy skills can result in confusion, misinformation, and a lack of trust in scientific authorities and experts.

The concept of “scientificness” refers to the degree to which something is perceived as scientific or having characteristics of science (Thomm & Bromme, 2012). Scientificness and credibility are closely linked. People who associate a high level of scientificness with, for example, a specific style of documents are likely to rate their credibility higher as well (Zaboski & Therriault, 2020). However, something that appears to be scientific does not necessarily have to be accurate or true. In fact, a scientific appearance might be used to “claim” the categories of scientificness and credibility for something that is not: This is called pseudoscience (O’Brien et al., 2021).

Our paper focuses on perceived scientificness and credibility of information. We conducted a scoping review of scientific literature to summarise the various factors that can mislead individuals into thinking information is credible or scientific, even when it is not. Furthermore, we discuss different types and ways of emergence of scientific misinformation or pseudoscience. Critically evaluating scientific health information is a challenging task, but with the help of information literacy, it is possible to become more discerning consumers of scientific information and better equipped to make informed decisions. By understanding the various factors that can mislead us, we can then build greater resilience to misinformation and pseudoscience.

References

Liu, X. (2009). Beyond science literacy: Science and the public. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 4(3), 301–311.

Loomba, S., de Figueiredo, A., Piatek, S. J., de Graaf, K., & Larson, H. J. (2021). Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(3), 337–348. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1

National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Board on Science Education, Center for Education, Committee on Science Learning, Duschl, R. A., Schweingruber, H. A., & Shouse, A. W. (2007). Taking science to school. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11625

O’Brien, T. C., Palmer, R., & Albarracin, D. (2021). Misplaced trust: When trust in science fosters belief in pseudoscience and the benefits of critical evaluation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 96, 104184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104184

Thomm, E., & Bromme, R. (2012). “It should at least seem scientific!” Textual features of “scientificness” and their impact on lay assessments of online information. Science Education, 96(2), 187–211. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20480

Zaboski, B. A., & Therriault, D. J. (2020). Faking science: Scientificness, credibility, and belief in pseudoscience. Educational Psychology, 40(7), 820–837. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1694646

Introduction

Information literacy (IL) has been one of the most extensively researched concepts within Library and Information Science (LIS), interrogated as a phenomenon and practice, through a range of methods. Numerous bibliometric studies have been conducted to map the field, and they indicate the overwhelming use of quantitative methods (e.g., Kolle, 2017). However, these mapping studies, especially until more recently, have not focused on the content of IL research, and have restricted analysis to a short time span and a narrow range of databases.

A relatively popular research method, introduced in IL research by Doyle (1992) to develop an IL definition and competence outcomes, is the Delphi method. Delphi is employed for facilitating structured group communication and soliciting expert opinions via rounds of surveys. It applies particularly well to complex issues and exploratory studies in emerging research areas, and can contribute to theory and practice. Therefore, it is well suited to IL research, including potentially to information (literacy) experience since it allows qualitative exploration of subjective judgments and individual experiences. By integrating views from different disciplines – thus bridging the theory-practice gap and silos within IL – Delphi can be beneficial to IL coherence and progress. Several studies have explored Delphi in LIS (e.g., Lund, 2020); however, they have not focused on its application to IL research.

Objectives

This research aims to develop a critical understanding of how IL research is operationalised and executed by means of the Delphi method and its current state of usage in IL research. Specifically, it seeks to determine what IL issues and which research contexts are studied using Delphi. It also explores the key characteristics of IL Delphi studies: the types of Delphi utilised; the profile and ways of recruiting experts; the number of rounds and of experts in each round; and the types of findings.

Methodology

A systematic review of IL research studies that have utilised Delphi was undertaken, using studies retrieved from five databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Library and Information Science Source, ProQuest Library and Information Science Collection, and LISTA). 799 articles were retrieved by querying the databases for peer-reviewed articles in English, with a non-defined temporal span, vetted for relevance to IL research and actual usage of Delphi. 38 articles were identified for analysis, using critical literature review and descriptive statistical analysis.

Outcomes

While Delphi is not a common research method for IL studies (averaging 2 studies per year), it was used to study various issues, including digital literacy, health IL, and IL standards, models and concepts, mainly in the contexts of education, health care and librarianship. Modified Delphi was the most common type, and information experts and information science researchers the most common populations, recruited through employment and publication in scholarly journals. Studies with 2 rounds were most frequent, averaging 17 panelists. The most common finding retrieved is competence and skill framework, followed by opinion and tool development. The paper may serve as a useful base for IL theory and practice, providing guidance for future IL research, both content- and methodology-wise.

References

Doyle, C. S. (1992). Outcome measures for information literacy within the National Education Goals of 1990. Final Report to National Forum on Information Literacy. Summary of Findings. National Forum of Information Literacy, 1–18.

Kolle, S. (2017). The electronic library global research on information literacy: A bibliometric analysis from 2005 to 2014. The Electronic Library, 35(2), 283–298.

Lund, B. D. (2020). Review of the Delphi method in library and information science research. Journal of Documentation, 76(4), 929–960.