Perceptions of Information Literacy Skills among Undergraduate Students in the Social Media Environment

This study assessed information literacy perceptions of undergraduate students at Sultan Qaboos University in their use of social media. A quantitative approach was used to collect data from undergraduate students. The study consisted of 1,142 completed questionnaires by randomly selected participants. The results demonstrated overall moderate levels of perceptions toward the evaluation of information, information ethics, legal issues, and privacy issues. In evaluation of information, credibility of information was considered as an important factor to decide whether to use information for academic purposes. This study signifies the importance of understanding perceptions of information literacy among undergraduate students in a specific socio-cultural context. The results can also be generalized to similar academic institutions worldwide. It is also hoped that the study's findings will assist in developing contextual training programs or information literacy quizzes to promote information literacy in the social media environment.     

The Free Schools “Riddle”: Between traditional social democratic,neo‐liberal and multicultural tenets

The question of what role free schools should perform in the Swedish educational system has been a contested subject between three ideological, theoretical, political and policy tenets. The first, “contribution to pedagogical diversity in a controlled school market” reflects a traditional social democratic view. The second, “contribution to a better education on a competitive school market” reflects a neo‐liberal approach. The third tenet, “contribution to the maintenance of groups' and individuals' cultural and religious identity” reflects a multicultural view insisting on the thesis that a family's cultural and religious identity should be a steering motive for the school choice. The aim of this article is to take a closer look at what the three tenets that constitute the “riddle” contain—including their claims, responses to critics, arguments and empirical evidence—and to discuss some of their practical impacts on the shaping of educational policy.