Factors in Information Literacy Education

Abstract

Information literacy has long been discussed in the field of library science but is only recently becoming applied in specific academic disciplines. This article assesses student learning of information literacy skills analyzing data collected from three semesters of the Introduction to Comparative Politics course. Variables such as major discipline, gender, class year, and grades on several performance indicators are used to identify key patterns in successful information literacy learning among students. Questions that drive this research include: How do major disciplines approach information literacy differently. Is information literacy discipline specific? Does gender affect information literacy aptitude? Do upper-division students still need information literacy education? Which students are most deficient in their pretest knowledge of information literacy? What types of exercises are effective in teaching information literacy? Through analysis of our data, we address these questions and isolate the most significant factors in student learning of information literacy skills. Our data suggest that information literacy knowledge is content sensitive. Not only is information literacy significantly associated with several performance indicators, information literacy appears to be discipline specific.