Multi-lingual and multi-cultural information literacy: perspectives, models and good practice
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-05-2018-0050 |
| Pages | 207-222 |
| Date | 01 April 2019 |
| Published date | 01 April 2019 |
| Author | Shohana Nowrin,Lyn Robinson,David Bawden |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Multi-lingual and multi-cultural
information literacy: perspectives,
models and good practice
Shohana Nowrin,Lyn Robinson and David Bawden
City, University of London, London, UK
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to review current approachesto, and good practice in, information literacy(IL)
development in multi-lingual and multi-cultural settings, with particular emphasis on provision for
internationalstudents.
Design/methodology/approach –A selective and criticalreview of published literature is extended by
evaluationof examples of multi-lingual IL tutorials and massive open online courses.
Findings –Multi-lingual literacyand multi-cultural IL are umbrella terms covering a variety of situations
and issues. This provision is of increasing importance in an increasingly mobile and multi-cultural world.
This paper evaluates currentapproaches and good practice, focussing on issues of culture vis-à-vislanguage;
the balance between individual and group needs; specific and generic IL instruction; and models for IL,
pedagogyand culture. Recommendations for good practice and for furtherresearch are given.
Originality/value –This is one of very few papers criticallyreviewing how IL development is affected by
linguisticand cultural factors.
Keywords Information literacy, Models, Cultural factors, International students, Multi-cultural,
Multi-lingual
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
This article considersthe ways in which multi-lingual and multi-cultural issuesimpact upon
the promotion of information literacy (IL); for simplicity, in this paper, we subsume digital
literacy, media literacy, etc. under the IL heading, unless there is some specific reason to
refer to one of the other relatedconcepts.
Multi-lingual and multi-cultural IL are umbrella terms covering a variety of situations
and issues. These include the promotion of IL to linguisticallyand culturally diverse groups
of students, and the adaption of IL training materials to variant groups. Apart from its
obvious significance in meeting the needs of “international students”(a group often, and
regrettably, treated as somehow homogenous), it is of increasing importance in a world
where many societies areincreasingly multi-cultural. In IFLA’s (2008) MulticulturalLibrary
Manifesto, it is stated that everyone has an equal right to access library and information
services and should be served without any discrimination. Underserved groups, who often
belong to different cultural and linguistic communities, are deserving of special attention in
this respect.
IL was initially developed in North America and Western Europe, largely within the
culture of those parts of the worlds, and in a very few languages, particularly English. Its
scope has greatly expanded since, particularly under the influence of bodies such as
UNESCO, and IL has been seen as an instrument for social and economic development
worldwide; see for example, UNESCO (2017) and CILIP (2018). However, there has been
Models and
good practice
207
Received29 May 2018
Revised29 October 2018
Accepted12 November 2018
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.68 No. 3, 2019
pp. 207-222
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-05-2018-0050
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
surprisingly little explicit attention given to the multi-lingual and multi-cultural aspects
of IL.
This article assesses the current situation, and examples of good practice, in this topic,
makes suggestion for future research and practice. After an initial examination of the
background, there is a more detailed evaluation of approaches to multi-lingual and multi-
cultural IL. Some specific issues in developing the IL of individuals and groups are
examined, with specific reference to issues of culture and language: the balance between
individuals and groups; specific and generic IL; the topics to be included in an
understanding of IL; models of IL; pedagogical models for IL instruction; and the use of
games in IL education. This leads to the conclusionsand recommendations.
The findings and recommendations are derived from a selective and critical review of
literature. Sources used were internet search engines; internet sources (specialist blogs,
associations, curricula);bibliographic databases, with citation follow-up of relevant sources;
and contents lists of relevant journals and book series. The literature of IL instruction is
large and diverse, and detailed analysis was restricted to those items with substantive
discussion of multi-lingual and multi-cultural aspects. Massive open online courses
(MOOCs) devoted to the teaching of IL were also examined, as these are typically aimed a
wide audience which maybe multi-cultural in nature, and some MOOCs are multi-lingual, 22
IL MOOCs, with at least some information available online, were identified and analysed.
Online IL tutorials were also examinedfor any provision for multi-cultural and multi-lingual
provision.
2. Background
Although there are many descriptions of IL trainingin particular countries or regions, they
generally do not analyse nationalcultural variations. There have been very few examples of
multi-lingual provision for IL education, nor of how explicit and detailed consideration of
such education might be adapted to studentsfrom different cultural backgrounds. There is,
as Simon (2014, p. 108) puts it, “a dearth of literature exploring how library instruction and
IL instruction is conductedin colleges and universities in non-Englishspeaking countries”.
This is despite the fact the cultural dimensions of IL have been recognised for many
years, arguably being first explicitly stated by Christine Bruce (1997), with the recognition
that IL is always developed as contextually based experience in a specific cultural context.
In an early paper addressingthis topic, Johnson and Webber (2003, p. 112) wrote that:
[...] in terms of local and national culture, the information literature person is a self- and socially-
conscious being, rather than a simple repository of skills and knowledge. This is underlined by
cross-cultural difference, where issues of behaviour and acceptability of kinds of information
become sensitive.
Hicks and Lloyd (2016) make similar points. Badke (2002) similarly drew attention to the
limitations of early IL models, such as the ACRL Standards, in addressing the needs of
students from non-Western cultures;Hicks and Lloyd (2016) suggest that the newer models,
such as the ACRL Framework, mayalso be lacking in their treatment of cultural differences,
because of their emphasis onacademic and library-related concepts, and also because ofthe
relatively limited importance which they attach to collective and social practices. On the
other hand, the aging ACRL Standards have been used quite recently as the basis for new
courses; see, for example,an online (Moodle) course providing basic IL training for a diverse
and multicultural student group (Cruz, 2016). So, while the models used as the basis for IL
instruction and self-learningare always of importance, and will be discussed furtherbelow,
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