Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Rebecca Morgan
Abstract
Disinformation has existed for as long as humans have been sharing information. The weaponization of information to influence the beliefs of others is nothing new. What has changed is the manner in which information is shared. The cost of disseminating information has decreased to where most Americans can afford to publish their thoughts digitally whenever they see fit.
Information literacy skills allow consumers to understand how to evaluate sources of information to determine accuracy and purpose. Information literacy curriculum is mandated in some US states, but South Carolina does not currently require information literacy to be included in the state’s content standards. This action research study, using a mixed methods design to address cultural disinformation by teaching information literacy skills.
The theoretical framework that undergirded this study was created using a combination of critical media theory and constructivist learning theory. This project was conducted at a small, rural high school in South Carolina. Participants were exposed to the concept of cultural disinformation through a presentation and were later allowed to create their own disinformation about plants. Plants were selected as the topic because discussing cultures can be sensitive and many of the students study horticulture. Concepts such as misinformation and ethical use of information were discussed among the participants.
Results indicated that students’ ability to identify cultural disinformation was positively impacted by the intervention. The pre- and post-assessments showed improvement in students’ ability to define cultural disinformation and the collected data from the class discussions provided a theme of powerlessness in the wake of information overload. An action plan to include information literacy workshops on my campus to educate our teachers is included. Ideally, successful implementation of information literacy content across all curricula would result in South Carolina mandating information literacy in all K-12 curriculum. Recommendations for future research are provided.
Rights
© 2025, Jennifer Anne Brown
Recommended Citation
Brown, J. A.(2025). Teaching Students to Deconstruct Cultural Disinformation Using Information Literacy. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8522