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Author
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Michal Černý
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Year
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2021
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Publisher
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Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies
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Abstract
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Information literacy is a critical topic in contemporary pedagogy and information science. It is ranked among the essential competencies for the 21st century, and in recent years, it has received increasing research interest. The problem, however, is that research has focused mainly on primary and university (college) contexts and only rarely analyzed secondary school settings. This paper, therefore, focuses on a group of high school students and examines whether the literature’s idea of their needs corresponds to their actual needs. Based on the analysis of 32 documents indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the paper identifies seven significant discursive areas addressed in the literature, both theoretically and empirically. These are: the relationship of libraries and librarians to the development of information literacy, information evaluation, the relationship of information literacy and learning competencies, connection with other competencies, emphasis on the constructivist approach, the social dimension of information literacy, and its possible use for self-actualization. These topics form a specific research discourse. In the second phase of the research, focus groups (8 groups in 4 schools, 41 students) on information literacy were studied through the seven essential discourses mentioned. Although our sample lacked reflections on the relationship between the library and high school students, the remaining six fundamental discourses appeared in the testimonies of high school students (libraries and librarians, evaluation of information, learning competencies, connection with other literacy, constructivist approach, the social dimension of information literacy, and information literacy as a means of self-actualization). The findings show that the main difference between literary discourse and student responses lies in the perception of libraries as centers of information literacy development, with students preferring the school or their teachers instead.