Effective strategies for information literacy education: Combatting ‘fake news’ and empowering critical thinking

2021 ◽  
pp. 39-53
Author(s):  
Andy Phippen ◽  
Emma Bond ◽  
Ellen Buck
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Education ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Effective Strategies

‘Fake News' in the Context of Information Literacy

2020 ◽  
pp. 89-115
Author(s):  
Nicole S. Delellis ◽  
Victoria L. Rubin
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Department Chairs ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Media Regulation ◽  
Automation Technology ◽  
Study Participants

This chapter describes a study that interviewed 18 participants (8 professors, 6 librarians, and 4 department chairs) about their perceptions of ‘fake news' in the context of their educational roles in information literacy (IL) within a large Canadian university. Qualitative analysis of the interviews reveals a substantial overlap in these educators' perceptions of skills associated with IL and ‘fake news' detection. Librarians' IL role seems to be undervalued. Better communication among integral IL educator groups is recommended. Most study participants emphasized the need for incorporating segments dedicated to detecting ‘fake news' in IL curricula. Pro-active IL campaigns to prevent, detect, and deter the spread of various ‘fakes' in digital media and specialized mis-/disinformation awareness courses are among best practices that support critical thinking and information evaluation within the societal context. Two other interventions, complementary to IL as per Rubin's Disinformation and Misinformation Triangle, are suggested – detection automation technology and media regulation.

scholarly journals Moving up the ladder of source assessment: Expanding the CRAAP test with critical thinking and metacognition

2021 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Grace Liu
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Misleading Information ◽  
Lifelong Learner ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
The World ◽  
Source Assessment ◽  
Sound Judgment

Information literacy is one of the fundamental skills to acquire to be able to navigate today’s complex information ecosystem, succeed as a lifelong learner, and make critical decisions as an active and informed citizen. Today’s information environment—saturated with misinformation, fake news, misleading information, propaganda, etc.—poses a great challenge to form unbiased views of the world and make sound judgment and decisions.

THE USE OF CRITICAL THINKING AGAINST FAKE NEWS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra-Niculina Babii
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Informal Logic ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
The Social ◽  
Legal Sanctions ◽  
The One

The digital era has determined a very easy creation and propagation of fake news. As a consequence, it has become harder for people to fight this malicious phenomenon. However, the only weapon that can have results in this informational war is critical thinking. But who should use it? The creators of fake news that do this for different reasons? The social platforms that allow the circulation of fake news with ease? Mass media which does not always verify with much attention and rigour the information they spread? The Governments that should apply legal sanctions? Or the consumer that receives all the fake news, him being the final target? Even if critical thinking would be useful for every actor on fake news’ stage, the one who needs it the most is the consumer. This comes together with the big responsibility placed on his shoulders. Even if others are creating and spreading disinformation, the consumer must be aware and be careful with the information he encounters on a daily basis. He should use his reasoning and he should not believe everything just because it is on the Internet. How can he do that? Critical thinking seems to be a quite difficult tool to use, especially for non-specialized individuals. This paper’s aim is to propose a simplified model of critical thinking that can contribute to detecting fake news with the help of people’s self judgement. The model is based on theories from Informal Logic considering the structure of arguments and on Critical Discourse Analysis theories concerning the patterns found in the content of the information.

Student Experiences with Digital Citizenship: A Comparative Cultural Study

Libri ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Kammer ◽  
Kodjo Atiso ◽  
Edward Mensah Borteye
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cultural Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Digital Citizenship ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Ethical Aspects

Abstract This comparative cultural study examines differences in digital citizenship between undergraduate information literacy students at two different, but similar, universities across the globe from each other. Under the notion that the internet and prevalence of mobile devices allow students to participate online as digital citizens in ways that were impossible before, we use mixed methods to compare the attitudes and experiences of undergraduate students at a university in the midwestern United States (U.S.), with a university on the southwestern coast of Ghana. We also examine the policies related to technology use at these schools. The findings indicate that Ghanaian students had higher levels of digital citizenship. Other findings suggest that network issues are a problem for students in both schools, especially for Ghana, and ethical aspects of internet use, like cyberbullying, hacking, and fake news, deter students from participating online as much as they would like.

scholarly journals Young Spanish Adults and Disinformation: Do They Identify and Spread Fake News and Are They Literate in It?

Publications ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Aida María de Vicente de Vicente Domínguez ◽  
Ana Beriain Beriain Bañares ◽  
Javier Sierra Sierra Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Quantitative Method ◽  
Spanish Population ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Know How ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
Structured Questionnaire ◽  
Do So

The infodiet of young Spanish adults aged 18 to 25 was analysed to determine their attitude towards fake news. The objectives were: to establish whether they have received any training in fake news; to determine whether they know how to identify fake information; and to investigate whether they spread it. The study employed a descriptive quantitative method consisting of a survey of 500 representative interviews of the Spanish population aged between 18 and 25 through a structured questionnaire. The results indicate that they are aware of the importance of training, although generally they do not know of any course and when they do, they do not tend to enroll on one either due to lack of interest or time. These young adults feel that they know how to identify fake content and, moreover, that they know how to do so very well. However, they do not use the best tools. While they do not always verify information, they mainly suspect the credibility of information when it is meaningless. However, they do not tend to spread fake information. We conclude that media information literacy training (MILT) is necessary in educational centres that focuses on the main issues identified.

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