The role of digital literacy when teaching information literacy skills to primary and secondary schoolchildren

Abstract

This study explores the role digital literacy has when teaching information literacy skills to primary and secondary schoolchildren. Information literacy skills are a set of skills needed to evaluate information, to use information responsibly and to manage findings (CILIP 2012). Since the current generation of schoolchildren have been brought up in a digital environment, is there a need for a digital literacy within the umbrella term that is information skills? The main aims of the study are to explore the use of digital literacy in libraries, specifically Maltese school libraries in primary and secondary schools, to examine the ways digital literacy is being used to teach information literacy skills in schools, and to assess to what extent school librarians are knowledgeable about the importance of ways and methods to introduce digital literacy and information literacy skills. Therefore I examine the literature pertinent to the subject and focus on: definitions of digital literacy and information literacy skills, different types of digital literacy, the digital native, the role of the school library and digital literacy and information literacy skills in the Maltese educational system. This study will be adopting a qualitative approach as it is considered to be the most suitable one. Qualitative research will enable the researcher to obtain insights in the Maltese library system and to hear participants express their thoughts and feelings about digital literacy’s role when teaching information literacy skills to schoolchildren. The qualitative method will be the use of semi structured interviews with librarians from al three types of schools, namely, state, church and independent schools. The findings which have emerged suggest that although digital literacy’s role is acknowledged and steps are taken in the right direction, the primary and secondary schools library system are lacking in certain areas such as; the training of unqualified school librarians and recognizing and implementing information literacy skills lessons into the curriculum.