THE ROLE OF INFORMATION LITERACY IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A SURVEY OF TERTIARY INSTITUTION STUDENTS IN BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/0027-2639/243Keywords:
information literacy, socio-economic developmentAbstract
Information literacy (IL) advances the living standards for people and enables informed decision-making which translates to socio-economic development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of IL in socio economic development among students in Zimbabwe. The objectives were to find out how students obtain IL skills; examine the importance of IL to students; examine the relationship between IL and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs); examine the relationship that exists between IL and socio economic development and find out the challenges faced by students in obtaining IL. A survey was conducted in Bulawayo and 191 students were sampled. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. Findings revealed that most students acquire IL through lectures and this enabled them to make informed decisions related to socio-economic development The study recommended that authorities in tertiary institutions should ensure enough ICTs to enable IL acquisition for all students.
Metrics
References
Aina, L.O. and Ajifuruke, S. 2002. Research Methodologies in Information Sciences in Research Information Sciences: An African Perspective. Gaborone: University of Botswana.
Bahramzadeh, H.A. 2003. “Sustainable developmentâ€. Tadbir Journal 134:35-42. (Persian language).
Bawden, D. 2001. “Information and digital literacies: a review of conceptsâ€. Journal of Documentation, Vol. 57, No. 2, p. 218-259. www.gti1.edu.um.es:8080/jgomez/hei/intranet/bawden.pdf. (Accessed on 20 January 2014) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000007083
Bruce, C. 2004. Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change. A Background Paper . In Danaher, Patrick Alan, Eds. Proceedings “Lifelong Learning: Whose responsibility and what is your contribution?â€, the 3rd International Lifelong Learning Conference, pages pp. 8-19, Yeppoon, Queensland.
Correia, A. M. R. 2002. Information Literacy for an Active and Effective Citizenship. White Paper prepared for UNESCO, the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy, for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts, Prague, The Czech Republic. Retrieved January 20, 2014 from: http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/papers/correia-fullpaper.pdf (Accessed on 20 January 2014)
Doyle, C. S. 1994. Outcome measures for information Literacy within the national Educational Goals of 1990. Information Literacy in an Information Society. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology, (ED372756), May 1994. www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed372756.html. (Accessed on 5 May 2014)
Frankel, J.R. and Wallen, N.E. 2000. How to design and evaluate research in education. New YORK: McGraw Hill.
IFAP. 2012. Working Group on Information Literacy. Proposal 5 For the Preparation of the Draft Programme and Budget For 2012-13(36C/5) http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/ifap/meetings/bureau/Proposal%205%20for%20the%20Preparation%20of%20the%20Draft%20Programme%20and%20Budget%202012-2013.pdf. (Accessed on 19 December 2013)
Kasanda, P. 2013. Information literacy: Importance, illiteracy and national development. Retrieved October 29, 2013 from: www.academia.edu.
Kavulya, J. M. 2003. Challenges facing Information Literacy efforts in Kenya: A case study of selected university libraries in Kenya. Library Management 24(4/5). http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm. (Accessed on 24 January 2014) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120310475301
Kumar, R. 2005. Research methodology; a step by step guide for beginners. London: Sage Publications.
Lau, J. 2013. Conceptual relationship of information literacy and media literacy. Mexico. University of Veracruz.
Maughan, P.D. 2001. Assessing Information Literacy among Undergraduates: A Discussion of the Literature and the University of California – Berkeley Assessment Experience. College and Research Libraries. Vol 62, No. 1, 71 – 85. http://crl.acrl.org/content/62/1/71.full.pdf+html (Accessed on 25 March 2015) DOI: https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.62.1.71
Moeller, S., Joseph, J., Lau, J. & Carbo, T. 2011. Towards media and information literacy indicators. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Background Document of the Expert Meeting 4-5 November 2010, Bangkok, Thailand. http://www.ifla.org/files/information-literacy/publications/UNESCO_MIL% . (Accessed on 19 December 2013)
Shapiro, J. J. & Hughes S. K. 1996. Information Literacy as a Liberal Art. Sequence Vol 31 No 2. http://teaching.uncc.edu/sites/teaching.uncc.edu/files/media/files/file/InstructionalTechnologies/InformationLiteracy.pdf (Accessed on 25 March 2015)
Sharif al Nasabi, M. 1996. Development process: Guidelines for rapid growth. Tehran: Rasa Institute. (Persian language).
UNESCO. 2008. International Literacy Statistics: A Review of Concepts, Methodology and Current Data. Paris: UNESCO.
Yamane, T., 1967. Statistics, an Introductory Analysis. 2nd Ed. New York: Harper and Row.
Zahedi, M.J. 2003. Development and inequality. Tehran: Maziar (Persian language).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Accepted 2015-11-19
Published 2016-02-08
