Debating credibility: the shaping of information literacies in upper secondary school

Abstract

Purpose

The article concerns information literacies in an environment characterised by the two partly competing and contradictory cultures of print and digital. The aim of the paper is to provide a better understanding of the ways in which students assess the credibility of sources they use in school, with a particular interest in how they treat participatory genres.

Design/methodology/approach

An ethnographic study of a school class's project work was conducted through observations, interviews, and log books in blog form. The analysis was influenced by a socio‐cultural perspective.

Findings

The study provides increased empirically based understanding of students' information literacy practices. Four non‐exclusive approaches to credibility stemming from control, balance, commitment, and multiplicity were identified.

Originality/value

The study adds to the understanding of how credibility is assessed in school environments with a particular focus on how digital and participatory genres are treated.

Citation

Francke, H., Sundin, O. and Limberg, L. (2011), "Debating credibility: the shaping of information literacies in upper secondary school", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 67 No. 4, pp. 675-694. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411111145043