BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 1
In o ma ion li e acy in Po ugal: A pe spec i e om Eu opean
Highe Educa ion A ea
Vi iana Fe nández Ma cial
Uni e si y o Co unna
Facul y o Humani ies
Campus de Es ei o
Calle Doc o Vazquez Cab e a s/n
15403 Fe ol (A Co uña)
Spain
+34 981337400
[email p o ec ed]
Ma ia Manuela Aze edo Pin o
Uni e si y o Po o
Facul y o A s
Via Pano âmica, s/n
4150-564 Po o
Po ugal
+351 933633867
[email p o ec ed]
Le icia Sil a
Uni e si y o Po o
Facul y o Enginee ing
Rua D . Robe o F ias, s/n
4200-465 Po o
Po ugal
+351 916525889
le iciasm[email p o ec ed]
BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 2
ABSTRACT
This pape akes as i s gene al e e ence he Eu opean
Highe Educa ion A ea (EHEA), whose c ea ion
endea ou ed an educa ional app oach ac oss all he
Eu opean Union coun ies. A new educa ional model
mus o esee he de elopmen o new skills and
in o ma ion skills cons i u e one o he mos impo an
equi emen s ha uni e si y s uden s need in he
In o ma ion E a. These skills we e e ec i ely p io i ized
in he concep ion o he Eu opean educa ional model and,
consequen ly, hey should ha e an impac on he
eaching-lea ning p ocess.
So, i is impo an o know and unde s and how hese
s uden s a e p epa ed in e ms o compe ences and skills,
ega ding he access o, use, ( e)p oduc ion, and di usion
o in o ma ion ga he ed and applied in di e en con ex s.
I is also necessa y o es ablish a connec ion be ween
aining and he acquisi ion o in o ma ion skills p io o
uni e si y, du ing he uni e si y a endance pe iod and a
he end o he uni e si y deg ee.
This con igu es a comp ehensi e app oach ha will
conside he educa ional con ex , he s uden s’
in o ma ional beha iou and hei pe sonal and social
con ex s and demands.
An ongoing esea ch p ojec , ha suppo s he p esen
pape , has inco po a ed hese elemen s and hey a e
posi ioned a he co e o he wo k. I con igu es an
in o ma ion beha iou s udy ocused on he issue o
in o ma ion li e acy in he cu en Po uguese and
Eu opean lea ning models, he de e mina ion o he
con ex ually acqui ed compe ences, and he in insic
abili ies o sea ch o and use in o ma ion.
The heo e ical-p ac ical model in de elopmen will
con ibu e o se ing a s a egy ha will suppo he e o
o Po uguese uni e si ies in his ield.
KEYWORDS: In o ma ion li e acy, in o ma ion
beha iou , Eu opean Highe Educa ion A ea, Po ugal,
Su ey.
1. INTRODUCTION
This pape p esen s he i s s esul s o he esea ch
p ojec In o ma ion Li e acy in he Eu opean Highe
Educa ion A ea: S udy o he Si ua ion o In o ma ion
Skills in Po ugal (eLi .p ) ha is being de eloped in
Po ugal since June 2007 and will be concluded in
Decembe 2009. Focusing on he ield o in o ma ion
li e acy (IL), he eLi .p p ojec is unded by he Science
and Technology Founda ion (Minis y o Science,
Technology and Highe Educa ion) and coo dina ed by
P o esso A mando Malhei o da Sil a om he
Uni e si y o Po o, In o ma ion Science a ea. The
mul idisciplina y p ojec eam includes i e esea che s
(In o ma ion Science, Cogni i e Psychology, Sociology
and Linguis ics), a esea ch consul an and wo schola s.
This p ojec connec s wo key ac o s ha de e mine he
cu en Eu opean educa ional sys em: he Eu opean
Highe Educa ion A ea (EHEA) and in o ma ion li e acy.
The second key ac o is pa o he EHEA, which we can
e i y in he Tuning p ojec , bu no only as a
consequence o he needs o he In o ma ion E a
ega ding in o ma ion li e acy. In ac , i e lec s a e o m
p ocess ha includes educa ional s uc u es, con en o
s udies, playe s, oles, p o iles and compe ences, in a
dynamic con ex ha combines knowledge,
unde s anding, skills and abili ies. An in eg a ed
educa ion o he s uden , emb acing he acquisi ion o
gene ic, ans e sal and speci ic compe ences
(knowledge, capaci ies and skills), gi es p io i y o he
“access o” and “use o ” in o ma ion, which is conside ed
undamen al o his/he u u e ole in socie y: as a
p o essional, as a ci izen, as a pe son.
This is an example o a change de ined by he Ame ican
Lib a y Associa ion (ALA) as ollows:
“In o ma ion li e acy has p og essed om he
simple de ini ion o using e e ence esou ces o
ind in o ma ion. Mul iple li e acies, including
digi al, isual, ex ual, and echnological, ha e
now joined in o ma ion li e acy as c ucial skills
o his cen u y".
E en hough he e m in o ma ion li e acy o igina ed in
he 1970s, i s e ec i e de elopmen is ela ed wi h IT
expansion and he e olu ion o he In o ma ion E a. In
he 1990s, di e en coun ies ini ia ed a eo ganiza ion o
hei educa ional sys ems. In 1994, he USA de ined i s
educa ion goals - Na ional Educa ion Goals - whe e i
was demons a ed ha in o ma ion li e acy is a key ac o
in he In o ma ion E a. In his pe iod, Eu opean coun ies
such as Finland o he Uni ed Kingdom also de eloped
simila ac ions.
In o ma ion Li e acy is a co e issue o go e nmen s and
p o essional, cul u al, o ganiza ional and educa ional
ins i u ions. O ganiza ions such as UNESCO, OECD and
he Eu opean Union ha e exp essed a keen in e es in his
ma e . In he Eu opean con ex , se e al p ojec s ha e
been de eloped, such as DEDICATE (Dis ance
BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 3
Educa ion In o ma ion Cou se Th ough nE wo ks),
EDUCATE (EnD Use Cou ses in in o ma ion Access
h ough communica ion Technology), VERITY (Vi ual
and Elec onic Resou ces o In o ma ion Skills T aining
o Young People), among o he s.
Wi h he eLi .p p ojec we in end o s udy he issue o
in o ma ion li e acy in Po ugal aking as a s a ing poin
he educa ional con ex modelled by he ecen impac o
he Bologna P ocess and assuming he in e p e a ion and
concep ualiza ion o his phenomenon in he scope o he
heo e ical co pus o In o ma ion Science, as de eloped
a he Uni e si y o Po o by au ho s like A mando
Malhei o da Sil a o Fe nanda Ribei o, among o he s,
and which is, since 2001, a he basis o a new educa ion
model in In o ma ion Science (IS) a he Uni e si y o
Po o (RIBEIRO, 2007).
2. THEORETICAL BASIS
In o ma ion Li e acy is an issue o which s udies s a ed
o dedica e g ea e a en ion in he 1990s. Howe e , he
e m was i s used in 1974. P. Zu kowski, p esiden o
he US In o ma ion Indus y Associa ion a he ime, used
he ph ase "in o ma ion li e a es" o desc ibe people
" ained in he applica ion o in o ma ion esou ces o
hei wo k". In his sense Bu chinall, in 1976, exp essed
ha “ o be in o ma ion li e a e equi es a new se o
skills. These include how o loca e and use in o ma ion
needed o p oblem-sol ing and decision-making
e icien ly and e ec i ely”.
In he nex decade, in o ma ion li e acy came o he o e
in he con ex o educa ion. In 1989, ALA p o ided his
de ini ion:
"To be in o ma ion li e a e, a pe son mus be
able o ecognize when in o ma ion is needed
and ha e he abili y o loca e, e alua e, and use
e ec i ely he needed in o ma ion." …
"Ul ima ely, in o ma ion li e a e people a e hose
who ha e lea ned how o lea n. They know how
o lea n because hey know how knowledge is
o ganized, how o ind in o ma ion and how o
use in o ma ion in such a way ha o he s can
lea n om hem. They a e people p epa ed o
li elong lea ning, because hey can always ind
he in o ma ion needed o any ask o decision
a hand”.
B uce (1996) de ined in a concise exp ession he essence
o IL: “In o ma ion li e acy is usually desc ibed as he
abili y o loca e, manage and use in o ma ion e ec i ely
o a ange o pu poses”. F om hen un il now, he issue
o in o ma ion li e acy has always been connec ed wi h
he educa ional sys em, in pa icula wi h he uni e si y
le el, and also wi h in o ma ion seeking and e ie al in
he con ex o lib a ies. Di e se ins i u ions in he Uni ed
S a es (ALA), he Uni ed Kingdom (SCONUL) and
Aus alia (CAUL) ha e iden i ied se e al s anda ds in
in o ma ion li e acy. All o hem ha e a common spi i .
The i s was de ined by he Ame ican Lib a y
Associa ion in 2000, as ollows:
"…
S anda d 1: [The pe son] who is in o ma ion li e a e
accesses in o ma ion e icien ly and e ec i ely
S anda d 2: […] who is in o ma ion li e a e e alua es
in o ma ion c i ically and compe en ly
S anda d 3: who is in o ma ion li e a e uses
in o ma ion accu a ely and c ea i ely
S anda d 4: who is an independen lea ne is
in o ma ion li e a e and pu sues in o ma ion ela ed
o pe sonal in e es s.
S anda d 5: who is an independen lea ne is
in o ma ion li e a e and app ecia es li e a u e and
o he c ea i e exp essions o in o ma ion
S anda d 6: who is an independen lea ne is
in o ma ion li e a e and s i es o excellence in
in o ma ion seeking and knowledge gene a ion
S anda d 7: who con ibu es posi i ely o he
lea ning communi y and o socie y is in o ma ion
li e a e and ecognizes he impo ance o in o ma ion
o a democ a ic socie y.
S anda d 8: who con ibu es posi i ely o he
lea ning communi y and o socie y is in o ma ion
li e a e and p ac ices e hical beha iou in ega d o
in o ma ion and in o ma ion echnology
S anda d 9: who con ibu es posi i ely o he
lea ning communi y and o socie y is in o ma ion
li e a e and pa icipa es e ec i ely in g oups o
pu sue and gene a e in o ma ion”.
The in o ma ion li e acy p oblem is no an isola ed aspec
in In o ma ion Science (IS/LIS). We in e p e ed his as a
pa o in o ma ion beha iou s udies, led by au ho s like
De in & Nilan (1986), Nicholas J. Belkin (1993), Ross
J. Todd (1999) and Tom Wilson. Wi h hese e e ences
we belie e ha he de elopmen o in o ma ion skills is
connec ed o o he s ac o s. In pa icula , we explo e he
idea ha he e a e mo i a ional ac o s ha de e mine
in o ma ion beha iou , bu wi hou o ge ing ha we
should always unde s and hei mul i ac o ial a icula ion,
ha is, hei in e dependency wi h he cogni i e,
emo ional, social-mime ic and economic ac o s, among
o he s.
To unde s and his posi ioning, i is impo an o b ie ly
highligh he e some aspec s o ou heo e ical co pus,
namely he ope a i e de ini ion o in o ma ion, wi h all
i s heo e ical and p ac ical implica ions: in o ma ion is a
scien i ic objec which en ails he s uc u ed se o men al
and emo ional codi ied ep esen a ions (signs and
symbols) and modelled wi h/ h ough he social
in e ac ion, able o be eco ded on any medium (pape ,
BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 4
ilm, magne ic ape, compac disc, e c.) and, he e o e,
communica ed in an asynch onous and mul idi ec ional
way (SILVA, 2006, p. 150). In o ma ion is he objec o
In o ma ion Science, which bene i s om he adop ion o
a me hod, also employed by o he Social and Human
Sciences, and i is concei ed as a social science ha
in es iga es he p oblems, opics and s udy cases ela ed
wi h he in o ma ion/communica ion phenomenon
pe cei able and cognoscible h ough he con i ma ion, o
no , o he in insic p op ie ies o he in o ma ion low
o igin, o ganiza ion and in o ma ion beha iou (o igin,
collec ion, o ganiza ion, s o age, e ie al,
in e p e a ion, ansmission, ans o ma ion and use o
he in o ma ion) (SILVA, 2006, p. 140-141). This
concep ion assumes he exis ence o an eme gen
pa adigm – pos -cus odial, in o ma ional and scien i ic –
which ends o subs i u e o domina e he s ill dominan
pa adigm – he cus odial, his o ical, pa imonial and
echnical pa adigm (SILVA, 2006).
Acco ding o hese concep ual p emises he e a e some
ine i able in e ences implied in he heo e ical co pus on
which his p ojec is based and om which he esul s o
he esea ch will de in e p e ed:
(a) in o ma ion and explici knowledge a e synonyms,
bo h di e ing om cogni ion (in which he concep o
implici o aci knowledge becomes dilu e);
(b) in o ma ion and communica ion a e no symme ic
concep s bu a he complemen a y and indissociable;
(c) in o ma ion (o explici knowledge) comes om a
binomial, which we can cha ac e ize e e ing o
Reu en Feue s ein, a Piage ian psychologis
(VARELA, 2006), o whom biological on ogeny
(which conside s he human being as a se o cells,
connec ed wi h he en i onmen ) con inuously in e ac s
wi h he socio-cul u al on ogeny ( esponsible o he
social, mo al and communica ional s uc u e o he
human being);
(d) in o ma ion subs an ially di e s om documen ,
al hough a documen canno exis wi hou i ;
(e) om he pe spec i e o In o ma ion Science,
in o ma ion li e acy is ela ed o he p ocess o lea ning
and acqui ing compe ences and skills di ec ly
connec ed wi h he c ea ion, sea ch, o ganiza ion,
s o age, di usion, ansmission and ans o ma ion o
in o ma ion o knowledge;
( ) in o ma ion li e acy is a undamen al opic wi hin
in o ma ion beha iou , ha ing de eloped signi ican ly
in he USA and dissemina ed om he e; and
(g) he In o ma ion Science app oach o in o ma ion
li e acy p esumes a na u al and e ile in e disciplina y
in e sec ion wi h Educa ion Sciences, Cogni i e
Psychology and he Neu osciences.
These assump ions allow us o explo e how he app oach
o in o ma ion li e acy is buil in wo complemen a y
momen s o pe iods: (1) a pe iod ha is in e nal o
inhe en o In o ma ion Science; and (2) and a pe iod ha
is ex e nal o In o ma ion Science o in e ac i e wi h
o he app oaches. In he i s pe iod i is impo an o
unde s and ha which can be speci ic o In o ma ion
Science. To his end, i is u gen o highligh he
ollowing s a emen om a ecen ly published no e on
in o ma ion li e acy: based on his wide spec um, in
In o ma ion Science i is con enien o wo k wi h he
concep o in o ma ion li e acy o e e o he
compe ences and selec i e and syn he ic abili y o sea ch
o and use in o ma ion. (…) De e mine he ype o
lea ned compe ences, as well as he spon aneous o
induced needs, du ing he lea ning p ocess, in wha
conce ns he sea ch, ep oduc ion/ e e ence (ci a ion),
in e io iza ion and communica ion o in o ma ion
(SILVA, 2006, p. 153-154). I is also impo an o
emembe , as a key mission o In o ma ion Science, he
s udy and de e mina ion o indi iduals in hei a ious
con ex s, o hei need o in o ma ion, o hei
pe o mance in e ms o use and communica ion o
in o ma ion wi h a speci ic pu pose, gene a ing new
in o ma ion and c ea ing new in o ma ion needs; o hei
e iciency in conside ing he implica ions o hei ac ions
and he knowledge gene a ed, conce ning e hical,
poli ical, social and economical aspec s, pe o ming
in elligen in e en ions (DUDZIAK, 2001); and, las , o
hei abili y o independen ly lea n du ing li e, assu ing a
con inuum o compe ences which in e ac wi h he social,
p o essional and pe sonal demands.
The scien i ic in es iga ion o he abo e-men ioned
aspec s leads, ine i ably, o deg ees o demand and dep h
ha imply a dialogue be ween In o ma ion Science and
o he scien i ic disciplines. Among hese scien i ic
disciplines, Psychology and Pedagogy ha e a mo e
ele an ole, bu we mus also conside he Sociology o
Educa ion and Cul u e.
Thus, we ha e designed a new model ha sus ains and
explains ou esea ch. Two key aspec s ha e been
in eg a ed in he model: in o ma ion li e acy and
in o ma ion beha iou . In all he li e a u e dedica ed o
in o ma ion li e acy we did no ind a model ha explains
his concep as a p ocess. On he o he hand, in he a ea
o in o ma ion beha iou , he con ibu ion o Tom
Wilson (1999, 2000) is e y impo an bu equi es a new
app oach whe e access o, he e alua ion and
communica ion o in o ma ion should be in eg a ed, an
app oach which p ojec s i s ans e sal dimension on o
e e y aspec and si ua ion o social li e and no only on
hose whe e he subjec /pe son in e ac ion occu s, o in
con en ional se ices and/o echnological in o ma ion
sys ems.
In A achmen 1, we p esen ou me hodological
p oposal. I is a consensual model ha depa s om
Sil a’s ideas and posi ioning on his ma e , which he
au ho elabo a ed upon in di e en s udies. This model
assumes ha in o ma ion skills a e co-de e mined, a i s ,
by en i onmen al condi ions and by human ac ion,
BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 5
con ex ually and si ua ionally ocused. This en i onmen
includes poli ical, economic, legal, social and cul u al
ac o s. This si ua ion canno be changed by s uden s bu
does in luence hem. Fo example, he c ea ion o he
EHEA has b ough abou changes in he uni e si y
s uden s’ li e bu hey canno a oid his p ocess. On he
con a y, hey mus adap o i .
I an en i onmen canno be changed by s uden s, he
con ex becomes all he mo e p essing o hem. Thus, we
dis inguish hese wo concep s. En i onmen e e s o a
gene ic amewo k whe e, wi hin he eali y o a coun y,
b oade in e na ional communi y o e en a di use
geog aphical-ci iliza ional sphe e (such as he Wes e n
Wo ld), human and social li e is con ex ually and
s uc u ally being de eloped, including he e en mo e
in ense and ex ensi e ac i i y de eloped in cybe space, o
“space o lows” (using he e y sugges i e exp ession by
Cas ells). The con ex is a mo e pe sonal si ua ion, no
only in e ms o amily, bu also in academic,
psychological, educa ional e ms and, in gene al, all
ma e s di ec ly ela ed wi h s uden s. En i onmen
de e mines he con ex , and con ex is he way o
unde s and he ex ension and cha ac e is ics o he
en i onmen , as well as o i s pa icula i ies.
We belie e ha mo i a ion de ines in o ma ion needs.
Mo i a ion will be de e mined by he way o li e,
aspi a ions, amilial in luence and o he aspec s ha
shape a s uden ’s con ex . In o he wo ds, a s uden ’s
con ex in luences in o ma ion needs. This e e ence is
pa icula ly impo an in ou s udy. An IL p og am will
ne e change he in o ma ion beha iou o s uden s i
hey do no ha e an in e nal mechanism ha acili a es a
change in conduc .
Thus, in o ma ion needs de e mine he way in which
s uden s access in o ma ion. I a s uden has low
aspi a ions he in o ma ion esou ces used o sa is y
his/he in o ma ion needs will also be low. We also
conside ha in he In o ma ion E a s uden s can sa is y
in o ma ion needs in di e en ways. No only in a o mal
way (lib a y, educa ional esou ces), bu also in an
in o mal way, using di e en media, undoub edly he
In e ne , bu also he adio, ele ision, ideogames and
people ( eache s, iends, amily), among o he s.
When s uden s access in o ma ion a p ocess o e alua ion
and selec ion is au oma ically ac i a ed. Ob iously his
p ocess is in luenced by si ua ion, con ex and
en i onmen . I a s uden uses a es ic ed numbe o poo
quali y in o ma ion esou ces, his/he pe cep ion abou
he need o e alua e in o ma ion will be low. We can
pos ula e ha i he isk o he use o in o ma ion is high,
he need o e alua e in o ma ion and he a ie y and
quan i y o indica o s is also high.
The esul o his p ocess is he sa is ac ion o non-
sa is ac ion o he s uden . I he/she is sa is ied, he
in o ma ion will be used and communica ed in any
o ma and o any pu pose. Consequen ly, a ce ain use
o in o ma ion leads o a new eali y and, hus, o new
expec a ions and new ques ions, and inally new
in o ma ion needs appea . In his p ocess, he usual
si ua ion is ha he s uden uses a o mal channel o
in e p e and access in o ma ion. This o mal channel is
ep esen ed by he educa ion sys em, ha is, eache s and
an academic o school lib a y. Bu , wha happens when
he s uden is no sa is ied wi h he in o ma ion esul s?
Fi s , he in o ma ion is no used; second, he in o ma ion
cycle is sub e ed because a us a ed p ocess leads o a
weak o mula ion o an in o ma ion need. In his case,
s uden s ejec o mal channels and s a o use in o mal
me hods, such as Google.
3. AIMS OF ELIT.PT
To de elop an in o ma ion li e acy p ojec in Po ugal,
we had o conside he na ional and in e na ional
en i onmen . In he i s case, we analyzed and s udied
he Po uguese IL bibliog aphy p oduc ion o ind ou i s
le el o implemen a ion. In his p ocess, we we e able o
de e mine wo aspec s: one was ha he opic was s ill in
an incipien s a e and, wo was ha he e we e no o he
simila Po uguese p ojec s o wi h he same aims and
app oach. A he in e na ional le el, we disco e ed a e y
high bibliog aphic p oduc ion, pa icula ly be ween he
mid-1990s and he ea ly 2000s. Bu we did no ind any
ini ia i es whe e a esea ch g oup aimed o make an IL
diagnosis o a coun y. Some esea ch ocused on a g oup
o lib a y use s o a g oup o s uden s bu an in eg a ed
and global pe spec i e was no ound. The eLi .p p ojec
no only aims o co e an en i e coun y – Po ugal -, bu
will also y o connec ou pu and inpu .
The majo pu pose o his esea ch is o in es iga e he
in o ma ion compe ences le els in Po uguese uni e si y
s uden s. Ou ul ima e in en ion is o ind ou how
uni e si y s uden s ace he EHEA equi emen s. Bu so
as o ob ain hese esul s, o he objec i es ha e o be
pu sued. We conside educa ion as a sys em.
Consequen ly, we decided o analyze he p eceding
educa ional le el, high school. I is ou unde s anding ha
he in o ma ion compe ences acqui ed a his le el a e
going o de e mine in o ma ion beha iou in uni e si y
s uden s. A seconda y objec i e in ou p ojec is o
in es iga e how s uden s a i ed a uni e si y le el. To
his end, we also analyzed in o ma ion skills and
in o ma ion beha iou in high school s uden s.
We can di ide ou p ojec in o wo impo an phases:
diagnosis and design o s a egies. The ul ima e aim is o
de ine a s a egic in o ma ion skills plan in o de o adap
he Po uguese uni e si ies o he EHEA and he
In o ma ion E a. Howe e , ou pu pose would no be
comple e i we did no conside a inal objec i e which is

BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 6
o aise awa eness among academic and poli ical
au ho i ies on he issue o in o ma ion li e acy.
In connec ion wi h ou aims we depa ed om se e al
ideas as ollows:
a) I is necessa y o de elop a speci ic s udy in
Po ugal in o de o de e mine he exis ence, o
no , o se e al in o ma ion li e acy s anda ds;
b) In o de o de e mine he ap i ude and a i ude o
he uni e si y s uden s, he highe educa ion
in o ma ion li e acy le el mus be assessed;
c) The in o ma ion backg ound is po en ially
di e en in dis inc geog aphic a eas o
Po ugal;
d) In o ma ion beha iou is connec ed o
expec a ions, needs and li es yle;
e) The c ea ion o a s a egic in o ma ion li e acy
p og am would be a wa an o an op imal way
o adap Po ugal o he EHEA and o he
In o ma ion E a.
An essen ial aspec , unc ioning as a s uc u al e e ence
in his p ojec , is he de ini ion o a heo e ical-p ac ical
model ha mus be eached in o de o show he
impo ance o he connec ion be ween in o ma ion
li e acy and in o ma ion beha iou , as we ha e desc ibed
be o e.
4. METHODOLOGY
4.1. Popula ion and Sample
Ou i s idea was o selec a sample in eg a ing 2000
Po uguese s uden s. Bu we mo ed o wa d o a new
app oach and es ablished segmen s and s a i ied he
sample. Ou c i e ia o selec he sample we e:
) o examine he same ype o geog aphical a ea
(mos ly ci ies) o he high school and
uni e si y;
g) he selec ed Po uguese ci ies a e: Po o, Vila
Real, B agança, Co ilhã, Cas elo-B anco,
Coimb a, Lisboa, É o a, and Fa o (see
A achmen 3);
h) he selec ed egions e lec di e en
socioeconomic si ua ions;
i) we y o be ep esen he no h, cen e and sou h
o he coun y and we also combined coas al and
coun yside a eas;
j) he sample includes s uden s om he las yea
o high school educa ion (12 h g ade) as well as
uni e si y s uden s ( om he 2nd yea ). The idea
is, a his poin , o compa e skills in wo
di e en momen s: p io o uni e si y en y and
du ing he uni e si y pe iod;
k) we selec ed 18 high schools acco ding a na ional
anking (published in he “S uden Guide” o he
na ional newspape Exp esso, 3 d No embe
2007). We chose wo schools pe ci y, he bes
and wo s one (when possible);
l) We applied he su ey o all he 12 h-g ade
s uden s in o de o co e all he exis ing a eas
and gua an ee he pa icipa ion o a easonable
numbe o s uden s;
m) in highe educa ion, we di e en ia ed be ween
poly echnic and uni e si y s uden s because we
conside ed ha he e we e going o be di e en
le els o in o ma ion li e acy;
n) he selec ed Uni e si ies a e: Uni e si y o
Po o, Uni e si y o T ás-os-Mon es e Al o
Dou o, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Uni e si y o
Bei a In e io , Uni e si y o É o a, Uni e si y
o Lisboa / Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa /
Uni e sidade Técnica de Lisboa and Uni e si y
o Alga e;
o) in all hese uni e si ies we selec ed he same
deg ees: Psychology, Ci il Enginee ing,
Biochemis y, A chi ec u e, Adminis a ion,
Languages and Li e a u es;
p) in he poly echnic a ea we chose Ins i u o
Poli écnico do Po o, Ins i u o Poli écnico de
B agança, Ins i u o Poli écnico de Cas elo
B anco, Ins i u o Poli écnico de Coimb a and
Ins i u o Poli écnico de Lisboa;
q) in his case, we selec ed he ollowing ca ee s:
Ci il Enginee ing, Adminis a ion and Nu sing;
) in all segmen s we applied he su ey o all he
s uden s in o de o conside , in mos cases, a
minimum numbe o 50 s uden s.
4.2. Resea ch me hod
As men ioned p e iously, and among o he e e ences,
ou esea ch conside ed, as a s a ing poin o he
p ojec ’s heo e ical-p ac ical model, Tom Wilson’s
model (mo e p ecisely i s mac o le el). I was he
inspi ing basis o build a new model adap ed o he scope
and esul s o he eLi .p p ojec .
The esea ch me hodology applied is di ided in wo
app oaches: quali a i e and quan i a i e. The quali a i e
esea ch (in e iewing ocus g oups) allowed us o ob ain
aluable indica ions abou in o ma ion beha iou ,
expec a ions, needs and he use o in o ma ion. The
indica o s ob ained in he quali a i e esea ch we e used
o design he model o he ques ionnai es.
We ga he ed and consul ed he mos impo an li e a u e
on in o ma ion li e acy. Wi h his in o ma ion we
designed a g id wi h he main concep s, models and
indica o s. Based on he main models we p epa ed a mix
o i ems ha we e o in eg a e he sc ip o he in e iew.
The in e iew was applied o a educed numbe o
s uden s in high schools and uni e si ies in Po o, in
BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 7
Janua y 2008.
This in e iew, in a o al o 41 ques ions, was di ided
in o ou main g oups: Needs; Resea ch (and e alua ion
o he esea ch); Use (and e alua ion o he esul s and o
hei applica ion); E hics. I was applied o h ee ocus
g oups: wo in he 12 h g ade o seconda y school; and
one in he 2nd yea o highe educa ion. One o he high
school g oups was composed by 9 s uden s in he 12 h
g ade o he Escola Secundá ia Rod igues de F ei as,
om he a eas o Language and Li e a u es and Sciences
and Technologies. The o he g oup was composed by 8
s uden s in he 12 h g ade o he Escola Au élia o Sousa,
om he A s a ea. The uni e si y ocus g oup was
composed o 8 s uden s in he 2nd yea o he deg ee
cou se in Sociology a he Facul y o A s o he
Uni e si y o Po o.
Wi h he analysis o he in o ma ion esul s om he
quali a i e phase, we designed a d a o a ques ionnai e.
This d a was discussed by he eLi .p esea ch eam. The
quan i a i e phase was hen ini ia ed, in Ap il 2008. This
pe iod s a ed wi h a pilo s age. The su ey was ca ied
ou on a g oup o 28 s uden s in he 12 h g ade o he
Escola Secundá ia Rod igues de F ei as. A uni e si y
le el, he ques ionnai e was es ed on 19 s uden s in he
In o ma ion Science deg ee a he Facul y o A s o
Uni e si y o Po o. The answe s ob ained we e
p ocessed in he SPSS s a is ical so wa e e sion 15.0,
and we e subjec o a desc ip i e analysis.
Wi h he esul s o he pilo s age analysis, he eLi .p
g oup discussed changes and a new p oposal o he
ques ionnai e eme ged. In May 2008, he su ey was
ini ia ed wi h he inal e sion including 54 ques ions.
4.3. Ques ionnai e
The ques ionnai e was s uc u ed in o ou main g oups
o ques ions (see A achmen 2). They we e:
 Basic g oup: Includes amily and school con ex . We
de ine con ex as a space whe e he s uden s de elop
hei in o ma ion beha iou s uc u e. Mo e
p ecisely, con ex means a space composed by
ma e ial, echnological and symbolic elemen s ( he
ins i u ional dimension o an en i y, oles and s a us
o ac o s) and, in he speci ic si ua ion o s uden s, i
includes he school building (conside ing he e he
building i sel , he echnological s uc u e, and he
ins i u ion/school) wi h he oles and social s a us o
he espec i e ac o s. He e s uden s con igu e a way
o deal wi h in o ma ion li e acy.
 Func ional g oup: Includes he media ion ole o
ins i u ions such as he lib a y and school.
 T ans e sal g oup: Includes all he ques ions ela ed
wi h he way in which s uden s mix and use di e se
in o ma ion. Fo example: in o ma ion access,
in o ma ion e alua ion and use.
 In ospec i e g oup: In e nal mechanism
(mo i a ion) linked wi h in o ma ion needs.
5. PRELIMINARY RESULTS
We p esen he e he p elimina y esul s ob ained om he
su ey applied in May, June, Sep embe and Oc obe
2008. The sample includes 1624 s uden s om
ins i u ions in Po o, Vila Real, B agança, Coimb a,
Co ilhã and Lisbon. The e a e 1242 s uden s om highe
educa ion, while he emaining 346 a e om high
schools. As was he case in he p e ious analysis, we
used he SPSS s a is ical so wa e o da a p ocessing.
In he analysis o he i s esul s om he su eys, we
can see ha he in o ma ion li e acy le el in high school
and uni e si y s uden s is almos he same, al hough in
some indica o s, uni e si y s uden s clea ly ob ained he
bes esul s. A his ime, ou esea ch poin ed o he
con i ma ion o some ideas o hypo heses, such as:
a) The younge gene a ion has a e y high access
o in o ma ion echnology in as uc u e. 64% o
high school s uden s and 72.6% o uni e si y
s uden s ha e 2 o 3 compu e s a home. In bo h
cases, 90% ha e an in e ne connec ion a home.
Almos 100% o bo h segmen s con i m he
exis ence o condi ions o access he in e ne a
school/uni e si y.
Cha 1: Numbe o compu e s in he household
0,0%
5,0%
10,0%
15,0%
20,0%
25,0%
30,0%
35,0%
40,0%
45,0%
12345678910
College
Highschool
BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 8
Cha 2: Places om which s uden s access In e ne
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
Home
College/School
Public Lib a y
College/School
Lib a y
F iends'
homes
Wo king place
Cybe Ca é
College
Highschool
b) Young people use he in e ne equen ly and
hey p e e o access i om home. This
in o ma ion connec s wi h he esul s ob ained
when hey we e ques ioned abou he place
whe e hey do hei school wo k, also a home.
Cha 3: Places whe e s uden s do hei school wo k
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
Home
School/College
School/College
Lib a y
Public Lib a y
O he
College
Highschool
c) Google is he p e e ed web sea ch engine.
Almos 100% o he sample use i equen ly o
e y equen ly. O he op ions such as Yahoo o
inclusi e Po uguese po als, such as AEIOU,
ha e e y low pe cen ages; howe e , a he
na ional le el he Po uguese sea ch engine Sapo
is he p e e ed one.
Cha 4: Sea ch engines use: equen
0,0%
5,0%
10,0%
15,0%
20,0%
25,0%
College High school
Google
Yahoo
Sapo
AEIOU
d) Thus, we con i m ha s uden s a e using gene al
esou ces, bu his does no mean ha hey a e
quali ied esou ces, such as a digi al lib a y. I
we can explain his si ua ion wi h he absence o
p esence o ICT aining we can e i y ha his
a iable has no ela ionship. The alues in he
wo segmen s a e di e en , while 97.1% o high
school s uden s decla ed ge ing aining in ICT
a school, only 52.3% o uni e si y s uden s
ha e his kind o ins uc ion. Bu hei
in o ma ion beha iou is he same.
Cha 5: S uden s wi h o mal IT aining
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
100,0%
College High school
e) Leisu e is he majo mo i a ion o using
in o ma ion esou ces. We can con i m ha
You ube and Messenge ha e a e y high use in
ou sample.
) Ou s udy shows ha s uden s ha e a high
numbe o school assignmen s pe yea . Thus,
76.8% o high school s uden s ha e 2-4/yea
while 73.2% o uni e si y s uden s ha e 2-6
/yea . Howe e only 58% o uni e si y s uden s
BOBCATSSS 2009 “Challenges o he New In o ma ion P o essional” 9
and 65% o high school s uden s ha e he ad ice
om he eache ega ding he in o ma ion
sea ch, bu , ega ding he assignmen s uc u e
we ind, espec i ely, 73.8% and 87.2%.
Cha 6: Numbe o classes wi h school assignmen s
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
none 1 o 2 3 o 4 5 o 6 6 o 7 8 o 9 10 o
mo e
College
High school
Cha 7: Ad ice om he eache : YES
The eache gi es
ad ice ega ding he
in o ma ion sea ch
The eache gi es
ad ice ega ding he
school wo k
s uc u e
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
College
Highschool
g) Bu he ques ion is: wha kind o esou ces a e
hey using o p epa e hemsel es? We can
answe ha Wikipedia is a e y sough -a e
esou ce, used equen ly o e y equen ly by
56% o high school s uden s and by 54.5% o
uni e si y s uden s. Also he eache ’s no es a e
e y equen ly used, 68.9% and 79.7%
espec i ely. Bu he digi al lib a y is almos
ne e used. Only 14.2% o uni e si y s uden s
and 3.6% o high school s uden s decla ed using
i . Simila alues appea o lib a y web si e use.
Cha 8: In e ne esou ces use: e y equen
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
College High school
In e ne esou ces use: e y equen
YouTube
Wikipedia
Lib a y web si e
Blog
On line games
Radio / Music
Hi5 and similla s
Messenge and
similla s
Digi al lib a y
Uploads
Downloads
h) In connec ion wi h his idea, we con i m ha
lib a y use is low. A leas , lowe han we
expec ed. This is pa icula ly wo ying o
public lib a ies. To con i m his we p esen he
ollow da a: 85.7% o high school s uden s and
82.3% o uni e si ies s uden s decla ed ha hey
ne e o a ely use hem.
Cha 9: Use o public lib a y
Seldom Once in a
while F equen ly
College
High school
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0% College
High school
i) In ela ion o he school and academic lib a y we
de ec ed di e en beha iou s be ween ou wo
segmen s. The i s di e ence is ha while
59.1% o high school s uden s indica ed ha
hey ne e o a ely use he school lib a y, his
pe cen age in uni e si y s uden dec eases o
23.8%, and almos 50% decla ed going o he
uni e si y lib a y equen ly. Second, uni e si y
s uden s made a be e use o he lib a y
esou ces han he o he segmen . Thus, while
88.6 % o he high school s uden s indica ed no
using he OPAC, nea ly 30% o he uni e si y
s uden s indica ed using his esou ce wi h a