| dc.description.abstract | Information literacy has transformed significantly over the years, encompassing
digital, media, cyber, transliteracy, metaliteracy, etc., reflecting the evolving
landscape of information and technology. This study attempts to assess the
metaliteracy among students of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in South
India, providing valuable insights into the state of the art of metaliteracy among the
students and strategies to improve the current status. This topic has been relatively
underexplored, particularly within the Indian context. Metaliteracy involves the
ability to evaluate information for its bias, reliability, and credibility, and to apply
this evaluation in the context of knowledge production and sharing.
The study employed a mixed-method research design, combining quantitative and
qualitative approaches with three objectives. The primary objective is to develop and
validate a comprehensive Metaliteracy Scale (MS) based on Boateng et al.'s scale
construction model, which involves three phases: item development, scale
development, and scale evaluation, comprising nine steps. Initially, a pool of 62
items is generated based on a framework of metaliteracy goals and learning
objectives across four domains (metacognitive, cognitive, behavioral, and affective),
later refined to 56 items through expert validation at the national and international
levels, including input from the developers of the metaliteracy framework, such as
Trudi E. Jacobson and Thomas P. Mackey. The scale is administered to 824 students
across five IITs in South India after pretesting it with four students at IIT
Hyderabad. Finally, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor
Analysis (CFA) were conducted to determine the latent structure by using a split-
data strategy into two datasets. The final MS demonstrated high reliability and
validity, with a Cronbach‘s alpha of 0.945 and a Spearman-Brown Coefficient of
0.914. Secondly, the study assessed the metaliteracy levels among students of five IITs in
South India. For that, fourteen metaliteracy factors were extracted using EFA
(Lifelong Learner, Informed Prosumer, Metalearner, Collaborator, Value-oriented,Active & Critical Evaluator, Digitally Literate, Affective, Ethical & Responsible
Engagement, Metacognition, and Inquisitiveness) and six independent variables
(Institution, Department, Course, Age, Gender, and Socioeconomic status) were
analyzed statistically using SPSS (version 28) and R (version 4.2.1). The findings
reveal a high level of metaliteracy skills among the students among the five IITs,
regardless of the independent variables. However, significant differences in students'
metaliteracy levels were observed across various independent variables such as
department, course, age, and socioeconomic status, as their p value s were less than
the significance threshold. However, other variables like institution and gender did
not show significant differences in students' metaliteracy levels.
Finally, qualitative insights were gathered through WhatsApp interviews and
analyzed using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework.
Four main themes emerged: Digital Citizenship, Critical Thinking and Reflective
Practices, Collaborative Learning and Participation, and Ethical Information Use.
Overall, the findings highlight the importance of enhancing educational strategies to
foster metaliteracy skills for critical evaluation and ethical information practices
among students, preparing them effectively for todays and future complex
information environments. These insights contribute to the broader discourse on
educational approaches that promote comprehensive metaliteracy across diverse
academic settings. | en_US |
