Rethinking Information
Literacy – A Study of Hong
Kong University students
Msc[ITE] Dissertation
Chan Yuen Chin, Mandy
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“The dawn of the information age is behind us.
But don’t get too excited: it’s still morning and
there’s a long way to go before lunch.”
– Steven
M. Schneider
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Background
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Technology increases the availability of
information to students.
Technology enable distance learning and webbased learning.
New teaching methods emphasize on students’
initiatives and independence in learning.
Need for a new literacy in the 21st century.
“Educated graduates” of this century are not the ones
who have loads of factual information, but ones who
know how to find, evaluate, and apply needed
information” (Breivik, 1998).
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Rationale for choosing IL
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Information Literacy is essential to successful
lifelong learning
Information Literacy is a core competency in
the information age
Information Literacy contributes to
improvements of learning and teaching
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Purpose of the Study
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To explore Hong Kong university students’
experience in acquiring, utilizing and
evaluating information in their academic
studies.
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Perceptions;
Competencies;
Behaviors.
To compare Hong Kong students’ experience
in information literacy with students of other
countries (mainly the US).
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Research Questions
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What are Hong Kong university students’
conceptions of Information Literacy (IL)?
How do Hong Kong university students
acquire and use information in their
academic study?
What are Hong Kong university students’
information skill levels? (How good are the
students in accessing, locating and
evaluating information?)
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Definitions of Information Literacy
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Many various definitions: A new thing or one of the
traditional literacies
Array of literacies: critical, library, digital, technology
and network literacy
Not only skills, but also perceptions and behaviors
American Library Association (1989)
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“To be information literate, an individual must recognize
when information is needed and have the ability to locate,
evaluate and use effectively the information needed”
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Importance of Information Literacy
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Learning: allows people to adapt their education to
their learning style, ability and preferred way of
assimilating knowledge
Work: one of the five essential competencies for job
performance (the US Department of Labor); and
lack of such skills leads to low productivity
Social Life: people’s quality of life depends on their
ability to choose the right thing
The study: 8 out of 10 interviewees considered IL as
an important basic survival skill
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Information Literacy in different
Countries
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US: Nation at Risk (1983) identified the
management of electronic information as a
necessary skill; many universities have IL strategic
blueprints and provide relevant courses
Canada: case report on government’s initiatives was
submitted to United Nations
UK: Position paper of Information Skills Model
Australia: Higher Education Council commissioned a
report on the role of IL at Australian universities
Singapore: Thinking Schools, Learning Nation;
Master Plan 2000; Library 2000
Hong Kong: Five-Year Strategic Plan
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Research on Information Literacy
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Introductory Papers: definitions, historical
development, national policies, summary and
literature reviews
Theoretical Frameworks: behaviorism,
phenomenographic approach
Empirical Studies: large-scale survey of
students’ competencies (UCLA, CSU) and
qualitative study of students’ experience
(Seamans, 2001)
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Theoretical Perspectives of this Study
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A theoretical perspective provides the
philosophical stance and grounds for
research logic and criteria
Users’ perspective: Phenomenographic
approach
Objective & measurable: Behaviorist
approach
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Pheonomenographic Approach - Seven
faces of Information Literacy
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The information technology conception
The information sources conception
The information process conception
The information control conception
The knowledge construction conception
The knowledge extension conception
The wisdom conception
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Christine Bruce (1997)
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Behaviorist Approach – Information Skills
Model
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Basic: library and IT skills
Seven pillars:
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To recognize an information need
To distinguish ways of addressing information gaps
To construct strategies for locating information
To locate and access information
To compare and evaluate information
To organize, apply and communicate information to others
To synthesize and create information
SCONUL, 1999
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Behaviorist Approach – ACRL’s Five
Competence Standards for Higher
Education
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Defines and articulates the need for information.
Selects the most appropriate methods or information
retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.
Evaluates information and its sources critically and
incorporates selected information into his/her knowledge
base.
Uses information effectively to accomplish a specific
purpose.
Understands the economic, legal and social issues
surrounding the use of information.
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Association of College & Research Libraries, & American Library
Association (2000)
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Combined Perspective
Information literacy model for understanding students’
perceptions, skills and behaviors
Perceptions
Bruce’s seven
categories of
information
literacy
Phenomenography
Skills
e.g. UK’s
Information
skill model
Actions
Behaviorism
Keys:
-- Possible links
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Methodology - Complementarity and
Triangulation
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Use of both quantitative and qualitative
research methodologies
Use of different methods and instruments
(e.g. surveys, interviews, observations)
Increase trustworthiness for a small
exploratory study
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Methodology – Research Design
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Participants: 45 university students, including
10 interviewees (age ranged from 19 to 45;
include both part-time & full time;
undergraduates and postgraduates)
Method: self-report questionnaires/checklist;
focus group; in-depth interview (teachers and
students); literature review; observations.
Pilot study: sent questionnaires to two
colleagues and practice interviews with two
students (commented on wordings & layout)
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Methodology - Instrumentation
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Questionnaires: 40 items; self-administered; based
on a survey used in UCLA; including demographic
and background questions, information search and
usage questions, and a test on students’ information
competencies
Interview Questions: structured; 24 questions in six
categories; modified questions used by Seamans
(2001)
Observation Tasks: search information on the topic
of “HK’s education policies” and use a checklist to
record participants’ behaviors
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Data Collection & Analysis
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Five main stages:
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Orientation and overview (consent)
Self-reported questionnaires
Observation
In-depth interviews
Follow-up interviews
SPSS; transcription, translation and coding
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Data Collection & Analysis – Code Book
Codes
Descriptions
Illustrations
Demographic characteristics
Students’ background information
e.g., age, sex, year, major, etc.
Campus environment
Facilities available and atmosphere
in the campus
My campus is networked. My
campus library offers various
digital service
Library use experience
Students’ prior use of library, e.g.,
frequency, usage, courses taken
I have taken library instruction
course but found it useless
Library skills
Students’ self-perceived library
skill levels
I know most of the facilities in my
campus library
Perception of information literacy
Students’ definition of information
literacy
Information literacy is about
finding information
Importance of information literacy
Students’ attitude towards the
importance of information literacy
Of course [important]. It is a
survival skill. It is a basic skill
Information needs
Students’ awareness of having an
information e.g. determine an
assignment topic
I would brainstorm first … depends
on the requirements … time
available
Search in library
Locate information by using the
library as a source
Use the library system …
comprehensive
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Data Collection & Analysis – Code Book
Computer literacy
Students’ self-perceived computer
competency level
I know the basic computer
application
Use of IT
Locate information by using
computer technology
Yes … I search over the Internet …
convenient
Search engines
Students’ use of search engines to
locate information on the Internet
Yahoo … it has categories … type
keywords in the search box
Social networks
Students locate information by
consulting people around them
Lecturer … can give guidance and
advice
Credibility and suitability
The trustworthiness and
appropriateness of information
I am skeptical of information from
the Internet … relevance …
information must be relevant
Amount of information
The right amount of information to
finish a task
Look at the outline first … I would
decide on my own
Privacy and security issues
Students’ opinions on privacy and
security issues
I do not feel secure … I never shop
online
Copyright issues
Students’ opinions on copyright
issues
I think legal copies are too
expensive
Others
Areas not mentioned before
I want someone to teach me
efficient search methods
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Results – Perception on Information
Literacy
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Half of the interviewees defined IL as “using IT to
retrieve information” (category 1)
A few others viewed IL as “ability to find information
through various media” (category 2)
Two interviewees saw IL as “processing information”
(category 3)
Some viewed IL as “controlling information”
(category 4) or “constructing knowledge” (category 5)
Remaining responses could not be explained by
Bruce’s categories: they talked about language
ability
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Results – Information Acquisition &
Utilization Behaviors
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Over half had used campus libraries before and on
average visited library twice per week
Most interviewees attended library instruction
courses but found them useless (too simple)
Most interviewees used the library, the Internet and
social networks (friends, classmates, alumni and
lecturers) to find information
Most made use of popular search engines, online
library catalogue, e-journal databases and
newspaper databases to search for information they
need for academic study
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Results – Information Acquisition &
Utilization Behaviors
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Most interviewees select information with the criteria
of “relevance”
Some would question the credibility of information
they found, especially those from the Internet
Most select information given by lecturers or from
the government (more authoritative)
Some interviewees rely on their instincts in deciding
the amount of information they need
Most interviewees admitted that they had used
pirated software and paid attention to online security
and privacy issues
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Results – Information Skill Levels
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Overall competency: 3.63 out of 10
Not much difference in performance in various subdomains (competencies)
Perform better in completing observation tasks
Older students managed to use IT to search for
information (though slower in speed)
Young IT-competent students were not the best in
evaluating and choosing appropriate information
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Results – Relationships among Perceptions,
Behaviors and Skills
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No significant relationships
Positive correlations found:
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Computer literacy and use of IT
Computer literacy and use of online databases
Computer literacy and use of the Internet
Information literacy and general library usage
Information literacy and use of the Internet
Information literacy and use of library databases
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Results – Comparison with other
Countries
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American students are more inclined to consult their
parents and room-mates
American students are more reliant on alternative
forms of information e.g. pictures, audio and video
tapes
HK students used Boolean operators more often
American students paid less attention to privacy and
security issues
HK students paid less attention to copyright issues
Both HK and US students had similar competency
levels
More HK students equate IL with IT
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Summary - Major Themes Derived
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Using multiple channels to search for
information (Internet, library, social
networks)
The gap between perception and
performance
The importance of analytical abilities
Ethical issues (copyrights)
Language problems (both English and
Chinese)
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Significance, Implications &
Recommendations
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Understand how local students experience information
literacy in higher education;
Give valuable feedback to both students and teachers
for further improvements in student-centered and lifelong
learning;
Provide useful information for librarians, faculty members
and university administrators e.g. improve future design
of curriculum in order to better meet the needs of
students;
Compare Hong Kong’s situation with other countries e.g.
Australia and America.
Further research: large-scale survey and longitudinal
case studies
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References
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Association of College & Research Libraries. Information Literacy
Competency Standards for Higher Education: Standards,
Performance Indicators, and Outcomes. Chicago: the Author.
Behrens, S. J. (1994). A conceptual analysis and historical overview of
information literacy. College & Research Libraries, July, 309-322.
Breivik, P. S. (1998). Student learning in the information age. Phoenix,
Ariz.: American Council on Education/Oryx Press.
Bruce, C. S. (1995). Information literacy: a framework for higher
education. The Australian Library Journal, August, 158-170.
Bruce, C. S. (1997). Seven Faces of Information literacy. Adelaide:
AUSLIB Press.
SCONUL (1999). Information Skills in Higher Education: a SCONUL
Position Paper. Retrieved December, 12, 2002, from:
http://dis.shef.ac.uk/literacy/standards.htm#UK
Seamans, N. H. (2001). Information literacy: A study of freshman
students’ perceptions, with recommendations. Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University. Blacksburg, Virginia.
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