Bridging the gap between theory and practice: critical information literacy teaching in Canadian higher education
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Date
28/03/2019Author
Schachter, Deborah
Metadata
Abstract
The 2016 publication of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy led to
extensive discussions in the academic library community on the theories and
practices related to information literacy teaching in higher education. In
particular, discussions regarding librarians’ understanding of new critical
perspectives on information literacy have come to the forefront. Following a
review of the literature on the concept of critical information literacy and
library pedagogy, a gap was identified regarding the understanding of
information literacy teaching theory and practices in higher education in
Canada and, in particular, in the province of British Columbia (BC).
In the autumn of 2017, research was conducted to address the question:
How are librarians in B.C. higher education applying critical information
literacy in their practice? The mixed methods study involved participant
librarians drawn from the 25 public higher education institutions in the
province who provide leadership for their institution’s information literacy
programmes. The first phase of the research involved a survey which sought
information on existing practices and librarian understanding of theory
underpinning those practices, with a focus on the concept of critical
information literacy. Of the total population of 25 public institutions, 24 survey
responses were received from 22 institutions. For the second phase, 13
individuals, representing 13 different institutions (from the total population of
25 institutions), agreed to follow-up, semi-structured interviews. The in-depth
interviews were conducted across institution types, sizes, and geographic
regions in the province. Information related to awareness and application of
theory in practice was gathered. An inductive approach was taken to
analysing the qualitative data in both the surveys and the interviews, with the
survey data forming the basis for the further exploration of themes emerging
from the interviews. Quantitative data related to the particular institutions
provided an opportunity to compare and contrast institutions, and to
determine whether institution type and location has an impact on the
application of critical information literacy in higher education teaching.
Themes arising from the research provide an understanding of how and why
practices occur as they do, and recommendations for further research and
information sharing are identified by the researcher and the participants.
Creating a common definition for critical information literacy within the
province, and professional development mechanisms that focus on librarian
understanding of the theories underpinning critical information literacy, will
improve the ability of librarians to work more closely with faculty to teach
information literacy across the curriculum.