The “Real World” Relevance of Information Literacy

This doctoral study aims to learn undergraduate student perceptions of the relevance of information literacy competencies applied to academic work. The study also intends to learn what students identify as factors that make information literacy relevant. This paper presents preliminary findings providing new insights for improving pedagogical work, supporting academia goals such as retention and completion, and improving how to communicate the value of information literacy competencies as transferable competencies to the “Real World”. Using a pragmatic epistemological and methodological approach, the research design includes a cross-sectional mixed-methods two-stage sequential study.