Approaches to information literacy conceptualisation in primary, secondary, and higher education contexts

A review of current scholarly literature

Abstract

The information landscape of the 21st century demands that students are prepared to be responsible information users and creators, which requires information literacy (IL) proficiency. Underlying conceptualisations of IL influence instructional practices and students’ learning of these skills within primary, secondary, and higher education contexts. Responsive to the variation in approaches to conceptualisations of IL in the digital age, this article examines contemporary scholarly articles that conceptualise IL in these formal learning environments. Through a qualitative systematic literature review, 38 articles were examined with an inductive analytical method to understand how current conceptualisations of IL are approached within these educational settings. Analysis of results yielded five primary approaches to IL conceptualisation: (1) developing contextual frameworks, (2) comparing recognised models, (3) evaluating stakeholders’ perceptions, (4) considering academic disciplines’ information principles, and (5) advocating for information practice to inform frameworks. Collectively, this study points to an evident but necessary dynamism of IL conceptualisation.