Information literacy capabilities of upper secondary students: the case of Vietnam
| Date | 02 September 2019 |
| Pages | 453-470 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-03-2019-0037 |
| Published date | 02 September 2019 |
| Author | Huyen Thi Ngo,Alison Jane Pickard,Geoff Walton |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Information literacy capabilities
of upper secondary students:
the case of Vietnam
Huyen Thi Ngo
Faculty of Library and Information Science,
University of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vietnam National University –Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Alison Jane Pickard
CEIS, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and
Geoff Walton
Department of Languages, Information and Communications,
Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to focus on investigating information literacy (IL) capabilities and IL self-
assessmentof Vietnam’s upper secondary students.
Design/methodology/approach –The investigation was conductedin two upper secondary schools in
the country using a multiple-choice questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on the IL competency-level
assessment toolkitof high schools in the USA, the tool for real-time assessment of IL, to measure students’IL
in terms of developing search strategies, evaluating information sources, using information ethically and
using Englishto engage with information effectively.
Findings –The findings reveal that students’IL has not been well equipped.There is a real need to work
toward improving the IL capability of Vietnam’supper secondary students. The findings also reveal gender
differencesin IL capabilities.
Research limitations/implications –The research used a closed-response questionnaire, which is
considered appropriate to engage withVietnamese high-school students, to explore students’lower-level IL
skills and theirself-assessment rather than higher-level thinkingcompetencies.
Practical implications –This research may help Vietnam’seducators understand high-school students’
IL competency and raise their awareness of the importance of IL to encourage the implementation of an IL
programme.
Originality/value –This study contributes to the existingknowledge by adding substantially to current
understandingof IL level of Vietnamese upper secondary students –a context which has not been exploredto
date. It alsoindicates gender inequality in IL capabilities.
Keywords Information literacy, Vietnam, Self-assessment, High school, Assessment,
Information literacy assessment
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The idea of developing information literateindividuals is widely accepted. However, how to
deliver information literacy (IL) programmes is the most difficult part and requires much
more effort from educators. Context isan important part that needs to be considered in the
implementation of IL programmes. Within a specific context, how an IL programme is
Information
literacy
capabilities
453
Received17 March 2019
Revised23 April 2019
Accepted30 May 2019
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.68 No. 6/7, 2019
pp. 453-470
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-03-2019-0037
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
valued, supported and delivered is considerably influenced by that context. The context
could facilitate or restrain the development of IL (Lloyd, 2011). This study provides an
understanding of the IL capabilities of Vietnam’s upper secondary students in a context in
which the education system is still in transition, from the transmission approach to the
constructivistapproach in teaching and learning.
Evaluating the effectivenessof existing IL training and users’IL capabilityhas attracted
great attention from educators, practitioners and researchers. This is demonstrated by a
considerable amountof literature that has been published on IL assessment, especiallyin the
UK, the USA and Australia (Rosman et al., 2015). However, little attention has been paid to
the Vietnamese educational context. The study was conducted to address the following
questions:
RQ1. What are the IL capabilitiesof Vietnamese upper secondary students?
RQ2. How do Vietnamese uppersecondary students self-rate their IL capabilities?
This paper presents the full findingsof the assessment and suggestsways forward based on
the analysis and discussion.
2. Literature review
2.1 The scope of information literacy
IL is regarded as a vital requirement in promoting independent learning which equips
people with essential capabilities which enable them to become lifelong learners. Although
IL has received a great deal of attention from researchers and practitioners since its
inception to date, thereis no general agreementabout the definition of IL (Foo et al.,2014).
The term IL can be understood in different ways. Many authors acknowledge IL as a
wide range of skills or abilities.Arguably the most influential definition to date is from the
American Library Association (ALA), which defines IL as a set of abilities allowing
individuals to “recognizewhen information is needed and have the ability to locate,evaluate,
and use effectively the needed information”(ALA,1989,p.1).Chu (2012) asserts that ALA’s
IL definition can be seen as the groundworkfor the later IL definitions.
Despite the considerable attentionpaid to IL as a set of skills, Bruce et al. (2006) debated
that IL is a compound of diverse mannersof interacting with information instead of being a
set of skills, competenciesand features.
In recent years, the definition of IL has shifted to respond to the ever-changing
information environment and variations in information technology; the Association of
College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is considered a typical example. In 2007, the
Standards for the 21st-CenturyLearner (American Association of School Librarians(AASL),
2007), based on the Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning (AASL and
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), 1998), was
developed to suit the changing information environment. The Information Literacy
Competency Standards for Higher Education (ACRL, 2000) was then revised to meet the
AASL standards (AASL, 2007). Thisprovides an updated understanding of IL, becauseone
of the preliminary purposes of the original ACRL standards was to offer a range of
expectations forstudents moving from K-12 to higher education (HE). The ACRL introduced
their new IL definition and a new model, which is now known as the “Framework for
Information Literacy for Higher Education”in 2015. The new definition emphasises self-
reflection and regards the development of IL as part of a learning community instead of
following the skills-basedapproach introduced in the old model (ACRL, 2015).
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