FROM PRE-SERVICE TO PROFESSIONAL: ASSESSING FUTURE EDUCATORS’ INFORMATION LITERACY PROFICIENCY TO EVALUATE ONLINE TEACHING RESOURCES
Keywords:
Information literacy, pre-service teachers, teacher education, ICT integration, source, evaluationAbstract
In the era of digital transformation, pre-service teachers must master information literacy to evaluate online teaching resources effectively amid rampant misinformation. Therefore, this study assessed the proficiency of third-year pre-service teachers at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria, following their completion of the “ICT in Education” course, examining their perceived skills in authority, credibility, bias, currency, relevance, and media evaluation, while exploring gender and field-of-study differences. Employing a descriptive design, data were collected via the validated Online Resource Validation Questionnaire (ORVQ; Cronbach’s α = 0.77) and analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA. There was high overall proficiency (grand mean = 3.42). The pre-service teacher’s strongest skills were in information searching/research (M = 14.18) and weakest in media/content evaluation (M = 13.17). No significant differences emerged by gender (t(1006) = 0.251, p = 0.802 > 0.05) or field of study (F(4,1003) = 1.018, p = 0.397 > 0.05), indicating equitable competencies across demographics. The study concluded that pre-service teachers are digitally adept but require more in-depth evaluative training. To empower educators to navigate the digital landscape and ensure the integration of credible resources for enhanced teaching outcomes, the study recommends integrating advanced critical modules into teacher education curricula to combat information pollution and foster lifelong learning.
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