Developing information literacy through domain knowledge learning in digital classrooms

This study aimed at supporting students to develop information literacy (IL) competency through domain knowledge learning in digital classrooms. Four Secondary 1 classes with a total of 144 students were invited from a secondary school in Hong Kong for participation in the study. In the six-month trial teaching, every three students shared a Tablet PC for learning two topics in the Integrated Humanities subject. Two identical IL tests were conducted at the beginning and ending stages of the trial teaching to track students’ development of IL competency in the cognitive and emotional perspectives. The study found that the students had a statistically significant growth in IL competency in the cognitive perspective, especially in tasks on searching target information and applying the information for supporting critical thinking, relationship interpretation and conclusion making. Three implications are drawn for enhancing students’ development of IL competency through day-to-day learning in class. Copyright © 2013 MIT Departmental Seminar.