Methodological Proposal for the Observation of Information Literacy

This chapter introduces the conceptual framework and methodological procedures for an observational tool to characterize information literacy (IL). IL is defined in terms of the four underpinning IL modalities of existence: Potentiative, Volitional, Alethic, Deontic. This tool as a cultural instrument was designed from a semiotic standpoint based on the previous theoretical work of our “Information Society and Learning” research group. It includes a scenario of an information search, the self-assessment test, and the semi-structured interview. Some aspects of it are still left open, due to the complexity of implementing this approach in academic contexts, and the subjective nature of any observation.