This study empirically analyzed the information literacy and educational needs of high school students to propose specific improvement strategies for enhancing information literacy in school settings. A survey was conducted with 139 students from J Hi...
This study empirically analyzed the information literacy and educational needs of high school students to propose specific improvement strategies for enhancing information literacy in school settings. A survey was conducted with 139 students from J High School in Suwon between May 16 and May 30, 2025. The survey covered five domains: information seeking, evaluation, use, ethics, and educational needs. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability testing (Cronbach’s α), group difference analysis (ANOVA), and correlation analysis (Pearson’s r).
The results showed that students demonstrated relatively high proficiency in information seeking, while their performance in information evaluation and ethics was comparatively low. Specifically, students lacked the ability to critically assess the credibility and sources of information, and their ethical awareness in the information use process was also insufficient. However, a majority of students highly recognized the necessity of information literacy education, expressing strong needs for education on “methods for finding reliable information’, ‘citation and copyright awareness’, and ‘identifying misinformation’.
In detail, information seeking ability (M=3.94) was the highest, but students identified ‘advertisements or unnecessary information’ and ‘information overload’ as major difficulties in the search process. Information evaluation ability (M=3.54) was the lowest domain, showing particular weakness in ‘comparing sources’ and ‘judging bias’. Conversely, the item ‘I believe AI-generated information as it is’ scored low (M=2.65), confirming that students maintain a certain level of skepticism toward AI-generated information.
In information use ability (M=3.83), ‘creating materials from multiple sources’ was highest, but ‘use of organizing tools’ was relatively low, indicating the need for improvement in systematic information management skills. In the information ethics domain (M=3.79), ‘awareness of copyright for AI-generated content’ was the lowest, demonstrating the urgent need for ethics education in the new technological environment.
In the analysis of educational needs, students expressed high demands for education on ‘methods for using information in presentations and writing’, ‘methods for summarizing and organizing information’, and ‘criteria for distinguishing reliable information’. In open-ended responses, learning demands were presented in the order of AI utilization methods (12 students), judging information credibility (7 students), and information search strategies (6 students).
Group difference analysis revealed that higher grades showed improved information evaluation ability and ethical awareness. Students with information literacy education experience demonstrated significantly higher performance in modifying search strategies, judging bias, and creating multi-source materials. Regarding gender differences, female students showed more critical attitudes toward AI information. By searching too, generative AI users recorded significantly higher scores in information summarization experience and educational needs.
Correlation analysis confirmed high correlations between ‘distinguishing reliable information’ and ‘judging authenticity’, and between ‘reconstructing without copying’ and ‘synthesizing information use’demonstrating that sub-domains of information literacy interact in a mutually reinforcing manner. In particular, the competency of ‘distinguishing reliable information’ showed high correlations with various domains, including keyword use, information summarization, and information ethics, confirming it as a core factor throughout the information use process.
These results indicate that high school students lack critical thinking and ethical information use abilities compared to their technical proficiency, suggesting the necessity of systematic and integrated information literacy education. In particular, information evaluation ability and digital ethics education responding to the generative AI era must be strengthened, and the development of practice-centered educational programs reflecting students’ actual needs is required.