2007 Volume 30 Issue 4 Pages 387-395
The purpose of this study was to develop an evaluation scale to measure the information literacy of young people and to examine the variables that contribute to increasing their level of information literacy. Participants were 1144 junior high school students in Japan and and Northern Europe. Results of item analysis and factor analysis suggested eight sub-scales: interest and motivation, fundamantal operation ability, mathematical thinking ability, information control ability, applied operation ability, attitude and knowledge, and understanding. An international version of the information literacy scale consisting of 32 items was also developed. It was confirmed that these scales have sufficient reliability and validity. The information literacy level of the participants was evaluated using these scales. Result indicated that the information literacy level of young Japanese people, the applied operation ability of personal computers, such as programming, presentation, and making web sites was especially low. Moreover, it was suggested that the length of time using personal computers and reading books was closely related to the information literacy level of young people.
