Information literacy in Portugal : A perspective from European Higher Education Area
Abstract
This paper takes as its general reference the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), whose creation endeavoured an educational approach across all the European Union countries. A new educational model must foresee the development of new skills and information skills constitute one of the most important requirements that university students need in the Information Era. These skills were effectively prioritized in the conception of the European educational model and, consequently, they should have an impact on the teaching-learning process. So, it is important to know and understand how these students are prepared in terms of competences and skills, regarding the access to, use, (re)production, and diffusion of information gathered and applied in different contexts. It is also necessary to establish a connection between training and the acquisition of information skills prior to university, during the university attendance period and at the end of the university degree. This configures a comprehensive approach that will consider the educational context, the students' informational behaviour and their personal and social contexts and demands. An ongoing research project, that supports the present paper, has incorporated these elements and they are positioned at the core of the work. It configures an information behaviour study focused on the issue of information literacy in the current Portuguese and European learning models, the determination of the contextually acquired competences, and the intrinsic abilities to search for and use information. The theoretical-practical model in development will contribute to setting a strategy that will support the effort of Portuguese universities in this field.
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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