English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

This study examines library media teachers’ perception of information literacy, their current levels of information literacy competencies, and the factors affecting information literacy implementation in secondary schools. 36 library media teachers from Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur participated in this self-report questionnaire-based survey. Respondents knew what information literacy is and perceived it as much needed skills. Skills to identify information needed obtained a mean of 3.94 and skills to synthesize information scored the lowest mean of 3.47. They need continuing education opportunities, professional development, information literacy and LIS training. The country needs a national information agenda, policy and guidelines to implement information literacy. Introduction As the information world changes, the development of technology and information resources creates a vast range of information. It is becoming readily available in different forms, which in turn require different techniques to access and utilize this information. This contributes to diverse, complex, and excessive information in the education environment (Bruce, 2002; Pinto, Cordón, & Gómez Díaz, 2010). The learning of information literacy skills becomes necessary in order for someone to be able to differentiate needed information from the vast information sources. Unfortunately, information literacy is still a new concept for developing countries. It tends to be confused with information communication and technology literacy. They know about information literacy concepts but are in need of more exposure and training in information literacy (Diao & Chandrawati, 2005; Educational Technology Division, 2005; Norhayati, 2009). At present, schools, as well as school libraries, are in many cases equipped with modern infrastructure and facilities, such as multimedia teaching courseware, computing facilities and internet connections, to enhance the students’ academic achievement. However, in many places, the education system still emphasizes the traditional content based curriculum to determine students’ achievement. The use of the available technology without clearly understanding and utilizing the information skills does not help students to become information literate, which is very necessary for lifelong learning (Combes, 2005). Information literacy, simply stated, is the ability to find the right information and knowing how to use it. Thus, the need of information literacy is crucial for students to learn and equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to distinguish valuable information from the unwanted. These skills are not innate but are to be learned and best inculcated to students by information literate library media teachers (Boekhorst, 2003; Henri, 2001; Horton, 2006; Ranaweera, 2008). Various research studies have shown that library media teachers have expertise in pedagogy, information skills, knowledge of resources, teaching skills, providing in-service training to teachers, and managing an ‘information portal’ (Combes, 2005; Spence, 2005). They are ideally the key persons who have the overarching curriculum knowledge, the collaborative background, and ability to manage the curriculum resources across the school to provide the benefits of inculcating information literacy in secondary school students (Combes, 2005; Abrizah, 2008;). The criterion for the selection of library media teachers were set in the Education Ministry circular, appendix 2a (2005). Although library media teachers are trained teachers, they still need to fulfill the requirement of having a minimum of three years teaching experience. Once their services are confirmed with at least three years of teaching experience, they are eligible to become library media teachers. The minimum library 2 © 2010 IASL, SLAQ and therein by the authors. Diversity Challenge Resilience: School Libraries in Action Proceedings of the 12 Biennial School Library Association of Queensland, the 39 International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference incorporating the 14 International Forum on Research in School Librarianship, Brisbane QLD Australia, 27 September – 1 October 2010. science qualification required is the Basic Thirty-five Hours School Resource Centre Management Course and the highest qualification is the Masters’ degree in Library and Information Science or Education Technology or Information Science Studies. However, these criterions are flexible. Teachers who do not have any basic library science qualifications would be recommended to attend the Basic Thirty–five Hours School Resource Centre Management Course followed by the Advance Forty-five Hours School Resource Centre Management Course prior to or subsequent to their appointment as library media teachers (Abrizah, 1999). Although there are, continuity courses such as the Fourteen Weeks and One Year In-Service School Resource Centre Management courses but these courses are non-compulsory courses. Moreover, qualified library media teachers who have attended these courses may not be guaranteed appointments as library media teachers in schools. Library media teachers are key stakeholders in the implementation of information literacy. But how well equipped are these library media teachers themselves to implement information literacy? It is assumed that having gone through a library education programme, and perhaps some continuing education programmes, or self-development programmes, these library media teachers would be prepared to teach information literacy. Do they really understand the concept of information literacy? Are they familiar with the pedagogy of it? How well can they deliver it? These are among the questions that beg answers to ensure that these critical stakeholders are able to play their roles effectively. Statement of problem Library media teachers are important stakeholders in the Malaysian school system. They help to achieve the goals of information literacy in schools. However, teaching information literacy seems to be the responsibility of library media teachers but unfortunately, all information literacy activities are isolated from everyday classroom practices. The concept of information literacy has yet to become part of the curriculum unit or pedagogical issues (Chan, 2002). After all, information literacy is necessary in the building of a knowledge society. Information literacy education is a prerequisite for the attainment of information literacy status in all target groups. The recent and growing attention given to information literacy is timely, and policy makers in many countries have to be made aware of the state of information literacy practices in their countries (Educational Technology Division, 2005). However, Malaysia experiences the lukewarm situation without any proper proactive action to move ahead with implementations. Other researchers emphasize the need to build a concept of information literacy in their nations. They aim to verify the presence of information skills in educational policy documents. To achieve this, it is necessary to change the school culture and the conception of learning and to improve the training of library media teachers and the information infrastructure (Campello, 2009). Thus, Norhayati (2009), asserted that the information literacy knowledge and implementation are minimal for them and the training of information literacy and implementation is not put into practice in Malaysia. Added to this, many library media teachers and principals are not aware of its importance and it is not yet used systematically and comprehensively in the schools (Diao & Chandrawati, 2005). Therefore, indeed there is a gap to investigate how much library media teachers know about information literacy. In the early days, the integration of information literacy into library media teacher preparation and development has not occurred. Library media teachers cannot prepare their students to be information literate unless they themselves understand how to find and use information. If they are to use information so that others can learn from them, then library media teachers must be information literate (Carr, 1998). As a result, many library media teachers often lack adequate information literacy skills and are unprepared to teach information literacy concepts and research strategies to their own students. Some library media teachers only have adequate information literacy skills in their own subject area, in one language. Their skills are not interdisciplinary. Therefore, library media teachers must be information literate if they are to effectively prepare students to actively participate in the education process (Boelens, 2006; Duke & Ward, 2009). Further research in local scenario finds that the library media teachers also generally perceive themselves to have ‘average’ to ‘poor’ levels of information literacy including the technology skills and information 3 © 2010 IASL, SLAQ and therein by the authors. Diversity Challenge Resilience: School Libraries in Action Proceedings of the 12 Biennial School Library Association of Queensland, the 39 International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference incorporating the 14 International Forum on Research in School Librarianship, Brisbane QLD Australia, 27 September – 1 October 2010. retrieval skills in the self-report study. This brings to light that there is a need for further training and support, although a detailed study of their actual skills needs to be carried out first. For that reason, this research attempts to unearth the facts and realities of the library media teachers’ information literacy vagueness in Malaysia (Tan & Diljit, 2008). Other reasons due to the progress and innovation of information technologies, traditional physical part of school libraries have developed into virtual online libraries with automation systems, digital systems, online facilities and the integration of these

Preliminary insight of information literacy competencies among school library media teachers