Mapping the core dimensions of information literacy in the critical and workplace domain

A thematic analysis

Abstract

Despite its transformative promise, information literacy (IL) remains constrained by its narrow locus and siloed nature. This study confronts this by synthesising insights from critical (CIL) and workplace information literacy (WIL) domains, thereby advancing the conceptualisation of the critical workplace information literacy (CWIL) construct. It asks: how is IL conceptualised within these domains and what are its core elements across them? A reflexive thematic analysis of 54 peer-reviewed articles retrieved from Scopus through a PRISMA-informed process was conducted, employing a hybrid deductive-inductive coding strategy, guided by a critical-theoretical framework. Five main themes—core dimensions of IL across CIL and WIL—were constructed: functional skills and competences, cognitive skills and competences, social skills and practices, critical consciousness, and critical-pedagogical approaches. Findings reveal shared and divergent elements of CIL and WIL, confirming persistent silos. Both domains share a common baseline of generic functional skills, critical thinking, and the conception of IL as a socially situated information practice and a way of knowing. They diverge in teleology, with WIL emphasising functional, utilitarian-economistic conceptions, while CIL foregrounds political, emancipatory and critical-pedagogical dimensions. The study unpacks nuanced layers of IL, such as critical action, allowing for their integration into the emerging CWIL construct. Integrating functional and critical dimensions holds potential for advancing IL theory and conceptual coherence and fosters its teleological reconceptualisation as an action literacy capable of driving real-world impact and workplace transformation.