Fostering Lifelong Learning through
Information Literacy education: Exploring
conceptions in different disciplines and framing
pedagogies for lifelong learning
Sheila Webber
University of Sheffield
Department of Information Studies
Bill Johnston,
Centre for Academic Practice and Learning
Enhancement, University of Strathclyde
June 2008
Presented at the Lifelong Conference, Yeppoon, Australia, 18Sheila Webber and
June 2008
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Outline
• Lifelong Learning: OECD & UNESCO
• Lifelong Learning & the UG curricuum:
the Candy model
• Conceptions pedagogy for IL: related
to Candy and OECD/ UNESCO
• Discussion
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Lifelong Learning:
Tensions & Issues
Two differing approaches: Extent of alignment
between Undergraduate
Liberation, culture and curriculum and these
personal growth - UNESCO positions?
1970‟s Disciplinary differences?
Varying perceptions by
Global economy, academics?
competitiveness and Institutional strategy?
individual skills - OECD
1990s
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Attributes of the lifelong learner
An inquiring mind
\"Helicopter vision\"
Information literacy
A sense of personal agency
A repertoire of learning skills
Interpersonal skills & group membership
(Candy, 2000; Candy et al 1994)
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

(Candy et al 1994: 66)
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Our project
Bill Johnston
Stuart Boon
Sheila Webber
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

• Three-year Arts & Humanities Research Council
(AHRC) - funded project (Nov 2002- Nov 2005)
To explore UK academics’ conceptions of,
and pedagogy for, information literacy
• Sheila Webber; Bill Johnston; Stuart Boon
• Phenomenographic study: interviewing 20
academics in each of 4 disciplines to identify
variation in conceptions (visited 26 universities to
collect 80 interviews)
• Marketing, English, Civil Engineering, Chemistry
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Information literacy? Mastering a
chemist's
information skill set
Accessing information
Creating, and
incorporating
quickly and easily to be Using
aware of what’s going
information into a information
professional on
knowledge base literacy to
solve real-
Accessing and retrieving textual
world
information
Becoming problems
confident, An essential part of
Some of the autonomous the constitution/
conceptions in English, learners and construction/
Marketing, Engineering
& Chemistry that our critical creation of
research discovered thinkers knowledge
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Key research questions
1. What conceptions of information literacy are
held by UK academics?
2. What are academics’ conceptions and
reported practice in educating students
for information literacy?
3. Do differences in conception correspond to
differences in discipline?
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

In the next slides we present the categories of pedagogy for information
literacy that we identified in our research. In the actual presentation we
identified how these related to Candy et al.‟s model for the
undergraduate curriculum and the OECD/UNESCO definitions of lifelong
learning.
For example, in Marketing, the “somebody else‟s job” category was
really to the left of Candy‟s models – just the discipline with no skills etc.
The next two conceptions also clearly have the discipline at the centre
of the curriculum, with IL seen in relation to that. With conception 4
(where the academic is explicitly encouraging students to think of skills
being relevant beyond the curriculum) we are moving more towards the
right hand diagram. The final conception is putting IL more centrally,
though probably more interwoven with the subject etc, rather than quite
so compartmentalised. In terms of Lifelong Learning – the focus is on IL
being useful professionally – so more of an OECD interpretation. See
Webber et al (2006) for more on the Marketing & English conceptions
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Marketing: Pedagogy for Information
Literacy as…
1. Someone else‟s job
2. Upgrading students‟ information toolbox at an appropriate point
3. Facilitating access to a variety of resources
4. Showing students how and when to use information skills
5. Helping students understand how information literacy is critical
to them, for marketing & life
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

English academics' conceptions of
pedagogy for IL as …
1. Someone else's job
2. An add-on or side-effect of teaching the subject
3. Introducing the students to sources of information
4. Engaging with students to show them the value of
information and information literacy
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Chemistry academics' conceptions of
pedagogy for IL as …
1. Implicit in teaching students to understand
chemistry.
“we teach them to find chemical data and structures for their
assignments” (Chem 2)
2. Designing a path for students through a chemistry
course
“So we do make sure that we‟ve assessed them and we introduce
them to all the different databases throughout the four years, em,
but we will always ask them to do stuff outside of that to widen their
understanding.” (Chem 4)
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Chemistry academics' conceptions of
pedagogy for IL as …
3. Challenging students to respond independently,
critically and creatively with information
“… to be able to question, to disagree, to… really to have fun with
information as well.” (Chem 11)
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Civil Engineering: pedagogy for
Information literacy as…
1. Someone else‟s job e.g. “I don‟t teach it. No, mostly I assume
the students can do it.” (CEng 01)
2. Providing core/fundamental information as part of
an Engineering course. “A basic lecture will have a limited
content. So often I will give a lecture and say, „Have a look at this
website for further information.‟” “If you go for a fairly dynamic, say
developmental style of lecture where students are putting ideas in
and you develop them and talk about them, you run the risk of not
achieving the real objectives of the lecture, which may be
predefined.” (Both CEng 10)
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Civil Engineering: pedagogy for
Information literacy as…
3 Encouraging independent and confident critical
thought & work e.g.
“So I… um, with the internet stuff, I don‟t have to go through all that, I
can just, „Here are some things. Look at them on the internet and
discuss them. Make a judgement about them.‟” (CEng 16)
“those employers will be specifying certain competencies that they
want and undoubtedly once of the competencies that they want is
research and analysis skills, information sourcing and retrieval. And
the expectation of the employer is going to be that the graduate knows
how to do this and that they are self-reliant and don't need to be taken
by the hand…” (CEng 04)
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Discussion points included
• The conceptions mostly (apart from English) chimed in with
OECD views of Lifelong Learning – focused more on the
value of IL in future careers rather than citizenship
• This shows the variation within, as well as between,
disciplines, and anecdotal evidence indicates that
variations may very well exist within Departments. This
points to the value of discussing and agreeing
Departmental frameworks for IL and LLL: different
academics may contribute from different perspectives
• It indicates that the “model 2” of Candy et al. (1994) has not
yet been achieved Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Sheila Webber
s.webber@shef.ac.uk
http://information-
literacy.blogspot.com/
Second Life blog
Sheila Yoshikawa
http://adventuresofyoshikawa.blogspot.com
Bill Johnston
b.johnston@strath.ac.uk
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

Bibliography
• Boon, S., Johnston, B. and Webber, S. (2007) \"A phenomenographic
study of English faculty's conceptions of information literacy.\" Journal
of documentation, 63 (2), 204-228.
• Candy, P. (2000) “Learning and earning: graduate skills for an
uncerain future.” In Appleton, K. et al. (Eds) Lifelong Lerning
Conference: selected papers from the inaugural international LLC.
Rockhampton: CQU. 7-19.
• Candy, P., Crebert, G. and O'Leary, J. (1994) Developing lifelong
learners through undergraduate education. Canberra: Australian
Government Publishing Service. National Board of Employment,
Education and Training Report; 28.
http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/training_skills/publications_resources/profiles/nbeet/
hec/developing_lifelong_learners_through_undergraduate.htm
Sheila Webber and
Bill Johnston, June 2008

• Webber, S., Boon, S. and Johnston, B. (2005) “A comparison of UK
academics‟ conceptions of information literacy in two disciplines:
English and Marketing.” Library and information research, 29 (93), 4-
15. http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/research/
publications/journal/archive/lir93/article93b.htm
• Webber, S., Boon, S. and Johnston, B. (2006) \"Comparaison des
conceptions pédagogiques de la maîtrise de l‟information chez des
universitaires britanniques de différentes disciplines.“ [British
academics from different disciplines: comparing their conceptions of
pedagogy for information literacy] Actes des 5èmes Rencontres
Formist: Lyon: 2005. Lyon: ENSSIB.
http://babel.enssib.fr/document.php?id=315 (English version at:
http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/webber-FORMIST.pdf)
• Webber, S. and Johnston, B. (2005) “Information literacy in the
curriculum: selected findings from a phenomenographic study of UK
conceptions of, and pedagogy for, information literacy” In: Rust, C.
(Ed) Improving Student Learning: Diversity and Inclusivity:
Proceedings of the 11th ISL symposium, Birmingham, 6-8 September
2004. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University. pp212-224.
http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/literacy/webber-johnston-isl.pdf Webber2008
Sheila
Bill Johnston, June
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