Information literacy and digital nativity as determinants of online information search strategies

The purpose of the study was to investigate the hypothesis that information literacy and digital nativity are determinants of online information search competency. The participants of the study were 398 undergraduate students. The data collection instruments were the Online Information Search Strategies Inventory (OISSI), the Information Literacy Scale, and the Digital Nativity Assessment Scale. Structural regression analysis, a branch of structural equation modeling, was employed in the analysis. In addition, the correlations between the model variables were also examined. The results showed that information search competencies had a high-level correlation with information literacy and a low-level correlation with digital nativity. Thus, information literacy had more influence on online information search than digital nativity. The model showed a good fit with the data and the standardized regression weights indicated that information literacy and digital nativity are significant predictors of online information search. In light of the correlation analysis and structural model statistics, it can be said that an increase in either or both of information literacy and digital nativity level would affect OISS competencies; however, the two would exert their effects on the factors of OISS in different ways. The findings’ implications for practice and future research are provided as well.