Developing a theoretical evaluative framework for information literacy interventions: a South African initiative

Abstract

The importance of information literacy as a fundamental element in the process of social and economic development and lifelong learning in the 21st century has been widely acknowledged. Most information literacy programmes, however, lack a robust theoretical framework on which the intervention is based. The reported study was aimed at the development and validation of a model of information literacy that could form the basis for an evaluative framework that could be applied to information literacy interventions. The framework that was adopted used a holistic behavioural taxonomic approach incorporating affective, cognitive, and physical domains. Within each domain there are three levels that may be attained B orientation, interaction, and internalization. The application of existing taxonomies to two information literacy interventions demonstrated that each had distinct limitations. A new taxonomy was therefore proposed which sought to overcome these limitations and address the specific needs of learners in a South African context.


South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.16(3) 2002: 21-30