U W I Q U A L I T Y E D U C AT I O N F O R U M

The Significance of Information Literacy

Instruction in the Preparation of Jamaican
Students for Tertiary Studies

ROSEMARIE HEATH AND RASHANNA SINCLAIR

Abstract

Information handling skills have become critical to the individual’s survival in the
21st century as these skills facilitate critical thinking and the forming of opinions, as
well as the ability to evaluate sources and make decisions. Many students, upon enter-
ing tertiary institutions, struggle to cope with the information demands of tertiary
level education. A more aggressive approach is needed at the secondary level to aid
in a smooth transition to the tertiary level. In Jamaica there are no standards for
school libraries nor is there a formal curriculum for information literacy instruction
in schools. This paper will act as a guide for policy makers, educators and information
professionals as it explores the nature and importance of information literacy in edu-
cation, examines the current state of information literacy instruction in the Jamaican
school system, and offers recommendations for the development of Information
Literacy Instruction (ILI) in Jamaican schools.

Keywords: Information literacy, Jamaican secondary schools, tertiary education.

Introduction

1974 work of Paul Zurkowski who

INFORMATION LITERACY AS A CONCEPT HAS ITS GENESIS IN THE
stated that “people trained in the application of information resources to do their
work can be called information literates”, cited by Addison and Meyers (2013,
n. p.). Subsequent development of the concept includes the importance of
information handling skills which emerged in an information age where people
needed to be able to locate and use information for effective and efficient problem

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solving and decision-making. According to Porter and Miller (1985, 149–60), the
term is a combination of two concepts, that of ‘information’ or raw data processed
in such a way as to give meaning and ‘literacy’ seen as being able to access, interpret
and make sense of information. An even further expansion is credited to the
Association for Teacher Librarians of Canada (OLA 2019) which defines
information literacy as “. . . the ability to recognize the need for information to
solve problems and develop ideas; pose important questions; use a variety of
information gathering strategies; locate relevant and appropriate information; assess
information for quality, authority, accuracy and authenticity” (para. 3). Dalhousie
University (2019) defines information literacy as the “set of integrated abilities
encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how
information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new
knowledge” (para. 1). Evidently, a key focus of information literacy as we know it
today is the degree to which one is able to locate, evaluate and use information
independently.
In a pedagogical environment, information literacy applies not just to students’
ability to make citations and bibliographies, but also to how students digest
information and news of all types. Students are taught to critically engage with
information. While an educator or librarian may initiate information literacy
efforts, the task should be diffused throughout the curriculum so students can build
up skills over time, according to Najmabadi (2017, 140–153). This, she suggests,
should be done from the preliminary stages of learning which are at the primary
and secondary levels.
Locating and verifying information is just half the battle educators and library
professionals have to worry about with their clients. Teaching individuals how to
analyse information is deemed to be the hardest part. The ability to gather
information, examine multiple perspectives, and then re-evaluate prior beliefs must
be reinforced across the curriculum. After being taught the essential skills of
information literacy, students should be able to learn effective techniques for
evaluating the quality and credibility of sources, think critically about the intentions
of the sources, and apply different search strategies to increase the accuracy and
relevance of sources. Too often, individuals looking for information, particularly
for their schoolwork, conduct an oversimplified search especially when using the
internet. This would then lead to millions of results. With a sea of information at
their fingertips, it is crucial for young people to understand and think about how
they search and what they find online.
Source evaluation, decision-making, the fostering of successful learners,

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confident individuals and responsible citizens who are able to make effective
contributions to society are all clear benefits to be derived from exposure to
information literacy. The first part of the 21st century is also known as the
“Information Age,” because of the explosion of information available to society.
Society has been described by Community Development Foundation (1997, 1–
77) as “. . . a society characterized by a high level of information intensity in the
everyday life of most citizens, by their ability to transmit, receive and exchange
data rapidly . . .” The citizens of this society are confronted with the explosive
growth of knowledge in all spheres of life including the economic, social and
political . . . In order to keep abreast of the changes, the education system will need
to equip all citizens with the needed information management skills. Once
individuals have mastered these skills, they should become competent and
independent lifelong learners. They should therefore become flexible in their
thinking, adaptable to change, and better able to function effectively in an
information-rich environment.
It is critical that students enter tertiary institutions information literate.
Regardless, according to Goodin (1991, 1–11), college librarians have indicated
that many students enter college unprepared to function in the academic library.
The preparation needs to begin in the primary schools and intensify in the
secondary schools so that the transition to tertiary institutions will be seamless.
Sadly, the Jamaican education landscape does not boast a formal structure that
adequately supports information literacy instruction. This paper sets out to guide
policy makers, educators and information professionals as it explores the nature
and importance of information literacy in education, examines the current state of
information literacy instruction in the Jamaican school system and offers
recommendations for the development of Information Literacy Instruction (ILI)
in Jamaican schools.

Information Literacy and Education

Information literacy has become the purview of the library profession as librarians
have always educated their users in how to find and use information. Julien (2005,
210–16) states that librarians have made teaching others how to access and evaluate
information a core responsibility to their professional skill sets. For this reason,
librarians have developed various kinds of programmes for educating their users.
The school library is a catalyst for literacy and reading and for teaching and
scaffolding inquiry learning. School libraries make a difference to students’

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understanding and achievement and provide support for teaching and learning
throughout the school. They also play a key role in the cultural and social life of
the school. The school library is pivotal to developing 21st century learners. There
is a large and growing body of evidence showing the impact of the school library
on student achievement. It is a fundamental resource for supporting students’
learning, and a key support for teaching staff. It therefore reflects and encourages
collaborative learning and sharing of ideas.
According to Schultz-Jones and Oberg (2015), “. . . a school library should be
managed within a clearly structured policy framework that recognizes the library
as a core resource and center for reading and inquiry” (6). It further states that a
school library policy should be formulated bearing in mind the overarching policies
and needs of the school and should reflect the ethos, mission, aims and objectives
as well as the reality of the school.
Information literacy has particular relevance to the education system of any
country since another way of describing it is “learning how to learn”. This means
that information literacy is basic to learning. The various approaches to learning
which stress inquiry, student-centredness and independence in learning demand
that learners be equipped with information handling skills. Kajberg and Lorring
(2007, 1–30) state that in each subject area, extensive attention should be given to
the teaching of information literacy as it is what students need in order to become
lifelong learners.
The mastery of information skills facilitates resource-based learning. Iton and
Iton (2011, 1–15) correctly stated that “teaching information literacy skills is a
learning issue and not just a library issue”. Information literacy requires the input
of both the faculty and the information professionals working collaboratively to
enable students to effectively wade through the flood of information to retrieve
what is needed to accomplish their learning tasks.
Schools are said to have the chief responsibility of educating the nation’s citizens
and preparing them to face the challenges to survive in this information society.
There are several information literacy models in existence that will help with the
understanding of these skills. All the information literacy models have components
that reflect the idea of learning how to learn, thus making them an important part
of the education system.
Recognising the importance of information literacy, educators in developed
countries like the USA, Canada and Australia have made it an integral part of their
education programmes at all levels of the school and college systems. They have
embedded those skills in the curriculum to be taught by librarians working jointly

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with teachers. In the UK, higher education has been the main area in which
information literacy movements have been taking place to reduce the number of
students entering higher educational levels with very limited idea of how to access
information. Information literate individuals are expected to be adaptable, capable,
and valuable employees, with much to contribute. The governments in these
developed countries have put the required policies in place to ensure the full
integration of information literacy in the curriculum and this is accompanied by
quality library service to ensure consistency in the delivery of the instruction.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case in the Caribbean where libraries are in
various stages of development and where in many instances, there is no formal
government policy to govern them, thus information literacy is hardly recognised
or taught consistently in schools or colleges. Guided by the UNESCO-endorsed
School Library Manifesto of 1999, the school library is necessary for sustained
development in literacy, education, information provision and economic, social
and cultural development. The Manifesto further addresses the need for the direct
support of the relevant authorities, through the development of specific legislation
and policies to support school libraries. Further it states, “Governments, through
their ministries responsible for education, are urged to develop strategies, policies
and plans which implement the principles of the manifesto. Plans should include
the dissemination of the manifesto to initial and continuing training programmes
for librarians and teachers” (IFLA 2019, par. 16).
For these reasons, the Government of Jamaica should give serious consideration
to the development of a national policy on information literacy instruction in
schools, including who should teach it, when it should be taught, and how it should
be taught.

Information Literacy in the Jamaican Education System

Education is one of the significant factors instrumental in the development of a

country. Students of all ages must be equipped with the skills that will allow them
to adapt and cope with the changing demands of higher education and according
to Eaton and Treadgold, (1999, 8–10), workplace and the world around them. It
is then the responsibility of the educators to ensure that students are capable of
dealing with the vast amounts of information which they will confront on a daily
basis and that they learn to apply information literacy skills effectively. To achieve
this, there needs to be curriculum reform that is supported by an educational
philosophy.

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Based on the findings of a study by Rodney-Wellington (2014, 73–100),

information literacy should be one of the most important subjects to be taught in
Jamaican schools. In another study, Chambers-Lyn (2012, 1–90) indicated that
the Ministry of Education in Jamaica did not have an official policy for Information
Literacy Instruction in schools, thus leaving teacher/librarians to develop their own
curricula. In the Jamaican education system, the teaching of Information Literacy
is more organised and visible at the tertiary level, although some amount of it is
also done at the primary and secondary levels. At the primary and secondary levels,
the subject is still often being referred to as “library skills” and might be a timetabled
subject offered to students and often confined to such basic topics as ‘The Parts of
a Book,’ ‘The Dewey Decimal Classification System’ and ‘The Catalogue.’ For some
schools that do not offer library skills as a stand-alone subject, these competencies
might be taught through integration with other subjects. The benefits of this were
mentioned by Rodney-Wellington whose findings showed that those who were
exposed to information literacy instruction performed better than those who were
not. In some of the schools where these skills were taught, instruction began at the
primary level and continued until grades seven or eight at the secondary level with
a refresher course often done at grades ten and eleven as students prepared for the
School Based Assessment (SBA)1 component of the CSEC examinations.
Modern approaches to information literacy reject the traditional teacher-centred
approach to learning. Instead, it is based on the active learning model in which the
student is at the centre of the learning environment. Information literacy
programmes provide learners with self-directed, independent and constructive
learning opportunities. Swapna and Biradar (2017, 31–50) further state that
information literacy helps to make individuals lifelong learners as it empowers them
to acquire the knowledge, values, skills and understanding they will need
throughout their lifetime, during which they can apply them with confidence,
creativity, and enjoyment in all roles, circumstances, and environments. These
actual components of these skills can be seen in the various models developed by
library professionals over the years.
In the Jamaican situation, information literacy skills are sometimes taught by a
classroom or subject teacher, a librarian or teacher-librarian. In many instances,
the libraries are staffed by non-professionals who themselves do not understand
what is to be done. Additionally, even when there are librarians in charge, they are
not scheduled to work with the teachers and they are left alone to manage the
programme. Information literacy is therefore rarely taught through collaboration
between the librarian and the classroom or subject teacher. Occasionally, the related

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approach to teaching is adopted as the teacher-librarian tries to connect what is

being taught with the curriculum. This is done with minimal input from the
teachers who might be consulted occasionally or randomly, and then the librarian
tries to align his/her lessons with what is being done in the classroom. When
teachers and teacher-librarians work together, students will achieve higher levels of
literacy, reading, learning, problem-solving skills and information and technology
skills. The skills are integrated by this combined approach to plan, execute and
evaluate information literacy instruction based on the needs of the curriculum. The
integrated approach is rarely practised in Jamaica for many reasons, including the
time required, teachers’ belief that the library is not relevant to their teaching and
sometimes, the lack of knowledge in the educational sphere by the librarian. As
McKenzie (2005, 1-63) noted in her research on Jamaican school libraries, it is
important that information literacy instruction not stand in isolation but be
integrated across the curriculum. Since the literature states that the integrated
approach is the best and the research supports this, the government should
endeavour to make provisions for this to be done when developing a policy for
information literacy instruction in schools and universities. For students to progress
through their general educational courses, information literacy skills should be
taught using the integrated approach at every stage.
Over the years, the Jamaican government has made tremendous improvements
to the education system by improving the Primary Education Improvement Project
and implementing the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE), the Primary
Textbook Project, the National Assessment Programme, and including Information
and Communication Technology (ICT). However, little is still being done at the
national level to consider the important contribution that libraries make to
education, especially through information literacy skills instruction.

Information literacy at the secondary level

At the secondary level in Jamaica, there tend to be more qualified school librarians
and so information literacy instruction is more consistent and based on some kind
of syllabus created by individual librarians. A timetabled library skills session is
usually facilitated at this level but usually only for students of grades seven to nine.
A refresher course is subsequently given when the students reach grades ten and
eleven when they are preparing to complete their School Based Assessments (SBAs).
Information literacy instruction is being introduced through the Reform of
Secondary Education (ROSE) programme. This programme was developed to

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tackle the concerns that were seen as detriemental to the secondary education
system from grades seven to nine, as they relate to equity, quality, and productivity.
The main goal was to provide a common curriculum with the methods proposed
for achieving equity in basic educational opportunities. Some of the skills that may
be learnt here included how to cite information used, avoid plagiarism and practise
ethical behaviour in relation to the use of technology. This represents only a small
portion of what should be actually taught based on the components of the various
information literacy models.

Information literacy at the tertiary level

At the tertiary level, things are much better as most institutions have come to
recognise the importance of information literacy for learning. In the academic year
2011–2012, all teachers’ colleges on the island were asked to incorporate
information literacy instruction into their curriculum. The teachers in training had
to complete a stand-alone course in their first year of studies. This move later found
its way into the University of the West Indies curriculum in 2014 where in the
Faculty of Humanities and Education, final year students had to complete a course
in information literacy instruction in order to graduate. The UWI, Mona Main
Library also has an Information Literacy Unit dedicated to instructing students
and faculty in the details of information management skills. Currently, in most
tertiary institutions, students have either a stand-alone course of information
literacy instruction or an integrated one taught either by the librarian or in
conjunction with faculty members. While some progress has been made in this
direction, much remains to be done for information literacy to become fully
integrated into the education system at all levels as recommended by UNESCO.

Information Literacy and the Curriculum

Information literacy models are seen as roadmaps for the information seeking
process. In other words, they show the ideal path to follow when seeking to find,
analyse and use information. These models serve as guidelines for developing the
information skills curriculum for integration in classroom teaching. Information
literacy models foster the development of research, problem-solving and meta-
cognitive skills through the collaboration of the classroom teacher and the
teacher-librarian. These models inform students of the problem-solving process
and provide a context for the assignment at hand. There are many different

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information literacy models used across the world, however, the most commonly
used are Kuhlthua’s (Initiation, Selection, Exploration, Formulation, Collection,
Presentation) Information Search Process Model; the Big6 (Task Definition,
Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information,
Synthesis, Evaluation) Information Process Model; Stripling and Pitts’ Research
Process; and Marland’s Nine Steps Model. The common feature of all information
literacy skills models is that they cover a process that commences with establishing
the information need and proceeds to the point where the new information is
integrated into the personal sphere of users’ knowledge.
Despite the differences in titles and the number of steps, the information literacy
skills models all cover the same ground, thus providing a solid basis on which a
curriculum can be created. A general idea of the contents of this curriculum can
be seen when the two leading information literacy skills models – the Big6 Research
Process Model and Marland’s Nine Steps Model – are closely examined. According
to Chambers-Lyn (2012, 1–90), the major areas that all the models cover are usually
information retrieval, processing, organising, creating and sharing information.
Task definition is the first stage of the Big6 research process model where students
are required to ‘identify and define’ the exact nature of the information problem
to be solved. Here, students will begin to question what the teacher is expecting
them to do. This step is comparable to Marland’s first question: ‘What do I need
to do?’ This is where students begin to formulate and analyse the need for
information. At this initial stage, both models are intended to question and identify
key words on the topic at hand in order to locate the root of the problem to be
solved.
‘Information seeking strategies’ is the second step to the Big6 process model. At
this stage, students will begin to list and determine the possible information sources
to consult then narrow it down to the best ones that will seek to answer the
information problem identified at step one. This stage is compared to Marland’s
second question: ‘Where could I go?’ At this stage, students need to acquire the
skill of identification and appraisal of likely sources. For both models, it is where
consideration is being put in place as to which source of information is the best to
consult so as to answer the information problem identified.
Once the information sources are identified, students would move on to the
third step of the Big6 process model which is ‘location and access’. This is where
students not only find the sources of information but also find the information
within the sources. This stage is compared to Marland’s third and fourth questions
which are: ‘How do I get the information?’ and ‘Which resources shall I use?’ Here,

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students have learnt the skills of tracing and locating individual resources and
examining, selecting and rejecting individual sources.
The next step to the Big6 process model is ‘use of information’. At this stage,
students would read through the information found and extract relevant
information. Simply put, students would skim and scan through the information
in front of them, then jot down what they think would be of use to them, and
then summarise to make sense of what they have recorded. This stage is being
compared with Marland’s fifth and sixth questions: ‘How shall I use the resources?’
and ‘What should I make a record of?’ At this stage, students have garnered the
skills of interrogating resources and recording and storing information.
Step six of the Big6 process model speaks about synthesis. This is where students
begin to put together and organise their findings as well as present the information
in an acceptable format assigned by the teacher. This step is being compared to
Marland’s seventh and eighth questions which are: ‘Have I got all the information
I need?’ and ‘How should I present it?’ Here, students will acquire the skills of
interpretation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and presentation, and
communication. At the final step of the Big6 process model which speaks of
‘evaluation’, students are required to judge their work for effectiveness and
efficiency. It is where they question themselves if they have done their best. This
can be compared to Marland’s ninth question: ‘What have I achieved?’ This is where
the skill of evaluation is learnt. Since there is no formal curriculum for teaching
information literacy and there is the need for uniformity throughout the school
system, it is recommended that the Marland’s Nine Step models should be officially
adopted, since the nine questions are easy to internalise even at the elementary
level. The Big6 model is suitable for the tertiary level.
Information literacy can help with the expansion of knowledge and creation of
new knowledge, whether it is for educational or personal reasons. Chambers-Lyn
2012, 1-90) states that the American Association of School Librarians developed a
set of standards for information literacy and student learning from as far back as
1998. These standards sought to establish the levels of competence that students
would need in order to become lifelong learners, independent learners and inquiry-
based learners.
“Information literacy and lifelong learning have a strategic, mutually reinforcing
relationship with each other that is critical to the success of every individual,
organization, institution, and nation-state in the global information society.” They
are inextricably intertwined. Information literacy is a ‘set of skills’ that can be
learned depending on the individual’s needs, while lifelong learning is a good habit

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that must be acquired and accompanied by the adoption of a positive frame of

mind. It can be defined as “learning that continues throughout a lifetime.” In
becoming lifelong learners, students will be able to effectively seek information,
choose information sources well, evaluate and select information, be comfortable
in using a range of media to their best advantage, have an awareness of issues to do
with bias and reliability of information and be effective in transmitting information
to others.
According to Hepworth and Walton (2009), “the ability to learn independently
within a rapidly changing world is seen as a valuable asset” (5). Independent
learning and inquiry-based learning are quite similar in that they aim at producing
students who can access and utilise information all by themselves. Inquiry-based
learning has been recognised as a powerful tool for learning how to learn as it helps
individuals to develop their independent learning skills. With this, students will
learn how to find things out, assemble, process, evaluate, manage, and
communicate information. They are encouraged to go beyond the ordinary reading
lists and recommended texts to discover and exploit information on their own.
Greater emphasis has been placed on inquiry-based learning to be brought across
the primary and secondary curricula because the skills being developed have proven
to be an effective method to engage and motivate learners.
Learners have to believe that information literacy is relevant to them and that it
will help to solve their informational problems if they are to engage with it fully.
The goal of teaching these skills is to engage all students at all levels across the
curriculum in information literacy skills and provide experiential opportunities to
explore the multi-layered aspects of information seeking, gathering and creating.
It is to enhance independent learning and contribute to the development of future
knowledge workers. Students would then be forced to see that information literacy
is the link to becoming a successful active, participant of any domain. It must be
realised that information literacy education is not meant to be short-lived, but that
a long-term, continuous teaching approach should be taken. This approach should
be well integrated within the school curriculum thus ensuring that students are
equipped with information literacy competencies.
The acquisition of information literacy skills in society is now becoming a serious
issue. Individuals who are unprepared to participate in this information-rich society
are at an increasing disadvantage. It is therefore crucial for information literacy
skills to be integrated into the curriculum at all levels. According to Interaction
Design Foundation (2019), “we all suffer from information overload. We are
surrounded by information, but we can never seem to find what we want, when

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we want it, and in a form we want it so that we can use it effectively” (para. 2).
People engage in information seeking holistically, with interplay of thoughts,
feelings and actions. Therefore, teaching information literacy skills must go beyond
simply preparing students to assess sources or write bibliographies.
Studies have shown that students are entering colleges and universities without
the fundamental research and information literacy skills. Students may have
garnered the skills of sending an email or downloading an application but not the
skill to effectively locate information, evaluate, synthesise and integrate ideas, use
information in original work or give proper credit for information used. Faculty
wants to see students becoming more confident in their ability to complete
assignments, carry out research projects and become active, independent learners.
According to Dorvlo and Dadzie (2016, 1–66), university students need to be
information literate in order to carry out their learning tasks and to prevent them
from reinventing the wheel. The best way of ensuring that students acquire these
skills at any level is by incorporating information literacy instruction into the
curriculum, programmes, and other administrative services and also by the
collaborative efforts of the faculty, librarians and administrators.

Improving the State of Information Literacy Skills Instructions

in Jamaican Schools

Information literacy is an essential commodity for success at every stage of a person’s

academic, professional and personal life. The goal of teaching these skills is to
engage all students at the different educational levels across the curriculum in
information literacy skills instruction and to provide experiential opportunities to
explore the multilayered aspects of information seeking, gathering and creating.
With information literacy instruction being provided at all levels in the education
system in developed countries, students progress naturally from one phase to the
next as they go through the various levels of the education system. This reduces
the likelihood of them being unprepared for learning tasks at any level. On the
contrary, in Jamaica, research has shown that students arrive at university without
a good grasp of these basic learning skills. This makes it quite a challenge for the
university and college librarians who at the time have to teach them the most basic
skills for managing information.
Several information literacy skills curricula have been developed on a regional
and international scale but not on the national scale. The move of developed
countries to institute national policies for the teaching of information literacy at

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all levels of the educational system, is largely in response to UNESCO’s declaration

of information literacy as a human right and the need for it to be integrated into
the educational system of all countries. In order to produce lifelong learners, the
Jamaican government should not only insist that information literacy skills be
taught as early as at the infant school level but should also seek to develop a
curriculum that caters for students from their earliest years to the tertiary level.
This would ensure that no student is left behind regardless of which level of the
system he/she is, and that a culture of learning how to learn is fostered. In addition,
there would be uniformity and standardisation in what is being taught at all levels.

Transitioning to Tertiary Institutions

Varlejs, Stec and Kwon (2014, 1–23) from Rutgers State University, conducted a
study where they looked at the reasons behind the poor usage of academic library
resources. This, from observation, they assumed was either because information
literacy skills were not developed in high school, or because students were not
successfully transferring these skills to tertiary studies. According to them, as cited
from a similar study done by Purcell et al, very few students (20%) used library
resources when conducting research for assignments. They instead tended towards
the use of Google and other electronic sources.
The study highlighted the importance of collaboration between the school
librarian and teachers if information literacy skills were to be successfully taught
to students. However, school librarians complained that teachers acted in ways that
prevented them from impacting student learning while often they themselves were
information illiterate. Some librarians indicated that they valued information
literacy for tertiary level success while others did not expect very much from the
students. Many felt that students were not committed enough for the deep,
independent learning which information literacy requires. In the conclusion of the
study it is stated that, “while teachers are the ones who most directly influence the
success or failure of the librarians’ information literacy programs, teachers’ behavior
can be attributed to their professional education and to the policies and culture of
their schools, as determined by the administration” (Varlejs, Stec and Kwon 2014,
19). This means that administrators need to become integrally involved if the
Information Literacy Programme is to be a success in schools so that students will
easily transition to tertiary studies.
Generally, there are gaping holes in the Jamaican public school system. These
holes can only be filled by the intervention of the Ministry of Education, Jamaica,

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through a move towards formalising and standardising information literacy

instruction in public schools.

Conclusion

Information literacy forms the basis for students to master lifelong learning,
independent learning, critical thinking, and the process of inquiry. Developed
countries have been making serious efforts to ensure that their citizens are
information literate, but the same cannot be said of developing countries like
Jamaica. While there might be many justifiable reasons for this, it does not remove
the fact that this lack can and will affect national development, as a country’s best
asset is its people. It is hoped that the government of Jamaica will come to realise
the importance and value of information literacy for future development, and so
will move to enact the types of policies and make the provision for it to be
effectively taught at all levels of the education system. This will ensure a seamless
transition from one level of the education system to the next.
Whatever information literacy model is preferred, the teaching and learning
process should reflect the essence of information literacy. In short, when students
receive information literacy skills instruction, they will conduct better research,
improve on their information discovery skills, improve their evaluation of
information, and learn about plagiarism prevention.
There is no denying the importance of information literacy in the education
system worldwide. While developed countries seem to have grasped this idea and
made provisions for it to be fully integrated into their education system at all levels,
this is still not the case in many developing countries for many reasons. In Jamaica,
the government is yet to make the type of policy decisions that will give information
literacy its rightful place in producing the kind of students who can transition from
high school to tertiary institutions, and the kind of citizens who can successfully
function in the information and technological age. Various ad hoc programmes
exist, usually at the initiative of the librarians and with varying degrees of support
from the educational administrators. The situation seems more desperate at the
primary and secondary school levels which affect the preparation of students for
the tertiary level and is bound to put a greater burden on librarians at that level to
bring their students up to the standard needed for advanced studies.

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Recommendations

The key is to so prepare students that their transition into tertiary institutions will
be seamless. As a matter of urgency, all Jamaican primary and secondary schools
need to be outfitted with a well equipped, automated library, at least one trained
teacher-librarian and a library technical assistant. The teacher-librarian should be
recognised as a specialist teacher who will be responsible for administering the
Information Literacy programme throughout the school. Such a programme should
be integrated in the school curriculum, supported by a national primary
school/secondary school curriculum supplied by the Ministry of Education,
Jamaica. This will bring about standardisation to the content and delivery of
information literacy instruction. Further to this is the need for an Information
Literacy policy for schools which will act as a guide to administrators, teacher-
librarians and other key stakeholders. An Education Officer for Information
Literacy also needs to be appointed to see to the optimal delivery of IL instruction
in schools across the island.
Students from grades 10 to grade 13 (4th to 6th forms) should be immersed in
intensive IL sessions geared towards preparing them for tertiary studies. This should
include field trips to libraries in tertiary institutions, hands-on IL training sessions,
the creation of primary sources of information through their own research and
internal examinations in Information Literacy. Also, there is place for a Caribbean
Secondary Examination (CSEC) examination in Information Literacy.

Note

1. Rodney-Wellington (2014): 73–100. SBA is the acronym for School-Based Assessment

which constitutes a number of assignments that students complete according to guidelines
provided by CXC. These are graded by the class teacher using criteria provided by CXC.
The SBA score contributes to the candidate’s overall examination grade.

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