Guest editorial

Date10 October 2017
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-08-2017-0079
Pages454-455
Published date10 October 2017
AuthorJuan D. Machin-Mastromatteo
Subject MatterLibrary & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services
Guest editorial
Using participatory methodologies for conducting literacy activities:
conceptual issues, methodological alternatives and professional experiences
This special issue of Information and Learning Science is aimed at further establishing the
connection between literacy-related activities (e.g. information literacy, digital literacy and
media literacy) and the use of participatory methodologies to conduct such activities in a
formal way. In this case, what we mean when we state in a formal wayis related to the
need to have a suitable and solid methodological basis for conducting literacy activities.
This is something not always applied by practitioners in their institutions, where literacy
activities are conducted mostly empirically, without much methodology behind them, nor
with the use of datacollection instruments or methods of analysis.
The connection between participatory methodologies and literacy activities is not
usually made explicit in the available specialized literature either. However, some
researchers argue that this relationship should be further explored and participatory
methodologies, such as actionresearch, should be especially established as the methodology
of choice, given that participatory methodologies seek the improvement of participants
situations as a primary goal and all literacy activities are performed to improve a certain
situation (e.g. peoples use of information or technologies). In this context, this special issue
includes a series of articles that explore the useof participatory methodologies, specically
action research and participatoryaction research. In some cases, for advancing the research
areas related to literacies,and in others to report on the application of such methodologiesin
initiatives relatedto various literacies.
The rst paper of this special issue Theuse of participatory methodologiesfor conducting
literacy activities:A perfect but not explicit tby Juan D. Machin-Mastromatteo, a Venezuelan
academic from the Universidad Autónomade Chihuahua (Mexico), provides an introduction
to this very specic area of research and practice, dening it, presenting its pros and cons,
arguing about how adequate is to use participatory methodologies for literacies research
and practice and, by using Scopus citation data, describing some trends of the specialized
literature on this research area while ndingout that this is an emerging research area that
has been advancing from the year 2000.
Alejandro Uribe-Tirado and MaríaPinto, from the Universidad de Antioquia (Colombia)
and the Universidad de Granada (Spain), respectively, present the paper 75 lessons learned
for enhancing information literacy programs:From Ibero-America to universities worldwide.
This contribution extends the ndings of Uribe-Tirados PhD thesis, which is considered a
agship instance of information literacy research by Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-
speaking researchersand practitioners. It seeks to establish how the 75 lessons that emerged
from studying and analyzing information literacy programs from Latin America,Spain and
Portugal are present in the specialized literature published by researchers from other
regions. This framework of 75 lessons, although is not specically framed within
participatory methodologies, is a good example on reective practice and how we can
systematically study practice to further develop the research and theory of a given eld,
something that is largely soughtby participatory methodologies. Moreover, this framework
represents a worthwhile contribution toward the worldwide advancement of information
literacy research and provides a useful roadmap for developing new information literacy
initiatives or enhancing existing ones. Thus, it also promotes participatory approaches to
information literacyeducation and research.
ILS
118,9/10
454
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.118 No. 9/10, 2017
pp. 454-455
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-08-2017-0079

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