Effect of Internet Use on Development of Information Literacy: A Panel Study with Japanese Elementary School Children

ABSTRACT

This study focused on whether Internet use improves skills for practical use of information, which is termed information literacy in Japan. Data from Japanese elementary school children (n = 702) were analyzed in a two-wave panel study in order to estimate the causal relationship between Internet use and information literacy. Structural equation modeling was the specific technique applied in a cross-lagged effect model. Results of the analysis indicated that greater use of the Internet led to higher information literacy in the whole-scale measure of practical use of information, as well as in the subskill areas of collecting, judging, and expressing information.

KEYWORDS:

• Internet use
• information literacy
• skills for practical use of information
• skill in collecting information
• skill in judging information
• skill in expressing information
• elementary school children
• panel study
• information education