Is there a skills gap? Information literacy and primary school teachers’ attitudes towards research

Rodríguez Alcolea, María (author), Georgiou, Despoina (author)

In recent decades, national and international initiatives have encouraged teachers to integrate research evidence into their teaching practice. In order for teachers to implement evidence-informed practices, they must hold positive attitudes towards research. While much of the existing research focuses on higher education and teacher training, relatively little is known about the factors shaping primary school teachers’ engagement with research. The present study addresses this gap by examining associations between primary school teachers’ attitudes towards research and their individual characteristics and competencies, specifically their age, years of teaching experience, prior education and information literacy skills. Survey data were collected from 120 primary school teachers. Analyses progressed from bivariate correlations and group comparisons to multiple regression modelling. Although bivariate analyses suggested that older and more experienced teachers reported more negative attitudes towards research, these demographic associations were no longer significant once information literacy skills were included in the regression model. Instead, information literacy skills emerged as the only significant predictor of teachers’ attitudes towards research, while prior education showed no effect. By identifying information literacy skills as a malleable competency, the study highlights the opportunity for targeted professional development to facilitate the sustainable integration of research evidence into primary education.

• Language: English
• Keywords: evidence-informed practice, primary school teachers, attitudes, personal characteristics, information literacy skills
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 13-35
• Numbering: Vol. 16, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181446
• UDC: 02:37.011.3-051
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.2191
• COBISS.SI-ID: 274369795
• Publication date in RUL: 08.04.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS Journal: Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Ali obstaja vrzel v spretnostih? Informacijska pismenost in stališča osnovnošolskih učiteljev do raziskav

Abstract

V zadnjih desetletjih so nacionalne in mednarodne pobude spodbujale učitelje, da naj v svojo pedagoško prakso vključijo raziskovalne dokaze. Da bi učitelji lahko izvajali na dokazih utemeljene dejavnosti, morajo imeti pozitivna stališča do raziskav. Medtem ko se večina obstoječih raziskav osredinja na visokošolsko izobraževanje in usposabljanje učiteljev, je o dejavnikih, ki vplivajo na uporabo raziskav pri osnovnošolskih učiteljih, znanega sorazmerno malo. Ta študija obravnava to vrzel s preučevanjem povezav med stališči osnovnošolskih učiteljev do raziskav ter njihovimi individualnimi lastnostmi in kompetencami, zlasti z njihovo starostjo, delovno dobo, s predhodnim izobraževanjem in z veščinami informacijske pismenosti. Podatki ankete so bili zbrani pri 120 osnovno-šolskih učiteljih. Analize so potekale od bivariatnih korelacij in primerjav skupin do modeliranja z večkratno regresijo. Čeprav so bivariatne analize nakazovale, da so starejši in izkušenejši učitelji poročali o bolj negativnih stališčih do raziskav, te demografske povezave niso bile več pomembne, ko so bile v regresijski model vključene veščine informacijske pismenosti. Namesto tega so se veščine informacijske pismenosti izkazale kot edini pomemben napovednik stališč učiteljev do raziskav, medtem ko predhodno izobraževanje ni pokazalo nobenega učinka. S tem, da študija opredeljuje veščine informacijske pismenosti kot prilagodljivo kompetenco, poudarja priložnost za ciljno usmerjeno strokovno izpopolnjevanje, ki bi olajšalo trajnostno vključevanje raziskovalnih dokazov v osnovnošolsko izobraževanje.

• Keywords: na dokazih utemeljena dejavnost, osnovnošolski učitelji, stališča, osebne lastnosti, veščine informacijske pismenosti, informacijska pismenost, osnovnošolsko izobraževanje