Information Literacy Awareness and Practices during School Research Projects: A Qualitative Case Study of MRSM Students

This qualitative case study explores information-literacy (IL) awareness and practices among five Form 4 students undertaking Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) research projects at one selected MARA Junior Science College (MRSM) in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. Data were generated through a focus-group interview, direct observation, and researcher field notes. The findings indicate that four participants were unfamiliar with the formal term “information literacy,” although their accounts and observed behaviours demonstrated some IL practices. Participants were able to identify and access information using familiar digital tools and showed some awareness of information reliability, plagiarism, and citation. However, limitations were evident in systematic task definition, diversification of information sources, advanced search strategies, explicit procedures for evaluating information, and citation practices. Some weaknesses observed in this case resemble deficiencies reported in previous Malaysian school-based IL research; however, the study does not make a direct comparison with mainstream-school students. The findings highlight the potential value of more explicit and systematic IL guidance within SEM research activities. As a bounded qualitative case involving five participants from one MRSM, the findings are context-specific and are intended to provide analytical insight rather than statistical generalisation.

Information literacy, Internet literacy, MRSM, SEM, Library science

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