Information Literacy and Local Knowledge Transfer: A Pilot Study among the Minangkabau Community in the Agam District, Indonesia ^†

Abstract

This article aims to examine sample data on the level of information literacy and local knowledge. Based on the literature review, a 40-item questionnaire was constructed. To ensure the validity, reliability, and normality of the data, a data collection instrument was devised and then reviewed by experts. A pilot study was also conducted and participated in by 50 respondents. The data were processed using SPSS. The findings reveal the instrument was reliable, and there were no abnormalities in the data with the highest value of 0.848 and the lowest value of 0.760. It means that the questionnaire can be used for data collection.

1. Introduction

Literacy is a mirror of society, and a fundamental consideration is its literary. Hence, literacy programs can be used as a means of transmitting culture. Cultural literacy is a type of literacy that can be found in addition to reading and writing. The younger generation must recognize and retain their own regional culture in order to reinforce and conserve Indonesian culture. Traditional values are upheld by maintaining national standards. Cultural preservation strives to support global cultural values. The lifelong learning process of information literacy (IL) allows people from all walks of life to efficiently access, analyze, and produce information in order to fulfil their personal, social, occupational, and educational goals [1].

Local knowledge (LK) is a body of knowledge that exists within or is acquired by local people over time through the accumulation of experiences, relationships between society and nature, community practices, and institutions [2,3]. Thus, LK appears as a portrait of identity and the worth of life in a culture. Personal experience and traditional cultural rules and norms are two subcategories of LK [4]. The knowledge of local society is characterized by unstructured tacit knowledge and is stored in the memory of the knowledge owner offering four models of knowledge transfer formation, or what is also known as the SECI model by Nonaka (1994) and Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995), which explain how knowledge is transferred into an organization or in daily life activities that can be derived either from tacit or explicit knowledge. More so, explicit and tacit knowledge interact with each other in a continuous process. Four methods of information conversion are provided, such as social socialization (tacit to tacit), externalization (tacit to explicit), mixing (explicit to explicit), and internalization (explicit to tacit) [5]. Conceptual and technological socialization enables a model of implicit awareness. Through observation, imitation, and practice, tacit information can be acquired. Externalization is the form of explicit concepts in the form of metaphors, analogies, theories, or models and is the process of articulating implicit information. In merging various knowledge experiences, the combination is the process of structural principles into a knowledge structure. Via media such as records, explicit information is transmitted. This knowledge categorization gives rise to new knowledge. The process of translating explicit knowledge into implicit knowledge is internalization and is similar to the notion of experience since it can be called learning by doing. The four processes illustrate that the transfer of information relies on an agreement between the knowledge owner and the knowledge user. The process takes a long time to identify how local knowledge transfer (LKT) occurs in personalization mechanisms, hybrid approaches, and codification mechanisms.

LK takes distinct forms in different places and across time, and it may conflict with scientific and technological notions of universal knowledge and development. The use of LK implies a transition that comes from local communities and represents the confidence of the local community in LK as a socio-economic advancement tool. LK is more in the form of hidden knowledge (tacit knowledge), namely, knowledge inherent in the attitudes of certain individuals or communities, opinions, practices, or experiences, making it difficult to codify and organize. However, in this context, there should be an effort to transform LK as tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge so that it can be accessed, studied, and utilized. Another challenge faced in the effort to revitalize LK is that we have to compete with time because LK tends to disappear or become extinct along with the swift currents of modernization or globalization. Meanwhile, the generations of people who are supposed to inherit this knowledge are often careless about conservation efforts, let alone patenting it. LK is very important in planning for community development. With the approval of the Sustainable Development Agenda, the international community has committed to resolving a slew of issues, many of which directly harm the lives of indigenous people.

2. Problem Statement

This study investigates the status of IL and L KT in the MC in the Agam district, Indonesia. IL is crucial in our daily life which includes the lives of the Minangkabau Community (MC). Studies by Seenu (2016) show that knowing one’s cultural identity and recognizing one’s communities demands a certain set of skills; however, the low literacy rate among local groups is a significant problem to the community [6]. Local people must include IL into the preservation of LK as cultural legacy in order to maintain their socioeconomic development, advance their knowledge, and enhance their quality of life. IL can be investigated through six steps consisting of: defining the problem, information seeking strategies, finding and accessing information, using information, synthesizing, and evaluating. In this context, LK is more in the form of hidden knowledge (tacit knowledge); however, there should be an effort to transform local knowledge as tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge so that it can be accessed, studied, and utilized. Using a four-factor approach, Sommer et al. (2021) analyzed the information literacy self-efficacy scale (ILSES). The first three steps are: developing a search strategy; understanding, interpreting and synthesizing the information; and evaluating the process and product [7]. According to Bharun et al. (2022), curriculum adaptation, literacy monitoring, improvement of human resources, knowledge exchange, and evaluation are used to establish a literacy culture based on local knowledge [8]. Therefore, it is an interest of this research to examine the context of the IL level and the status of LKT. As a result of the initial search and review of the literature to be discussed below, two factors were identified: IL and LKT.

3. Literature Review

We acquired, analyzed and reviewed the literature pertaining to IL and LKT. Particular emphasis was paid to LK in the community.

3.1. Information Literacy

According to Patah (2014), IL skills lead to skill-based literacy, which encompasses the ability to responsibly seek, categorize, use, and present information [9]. Critical information assessment as a component of media and IL must be understood in terms of how it is carried out in the acquisition of knowledge and the development of ignorance and doubt, as well as how it is utilized to evaluate the dependability of information [10]. IL is an integrated set of skills, knowledge, practices, and dispositions that prepare people to responsibly discover, interpret, and generate information while learning how information systems interact to produce and distribute news, information, and knowledge [11].

3.2. Local Knowledge

LK is information produced through time by a group of people or groups who have lived in a particular place for a long time, and it is usually based on observation, experience, and analysis among local populations [12]. LK, which has a long history of interacting with the environment, preserves and produces a complex and cumulative body of information, know-how, practices, and representations that is referred to as LK. It is also dynamic and adaptive, not static, altering in line with social, economic, cultural, etc., developments in society. It is collectively owned by the community and belong to it [13]. LK refers to the indigenous, traditional, and innate knowledge related to the way of life of local rural people [14]. Knowledge, communication processes, process interpretation, and knowledge interpretation are all steps of the phenomenon of LK transfer [15].

3.3. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A road map for peace and prosperity for people and the planet in the present and the future is envisaged by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has the support of all UN member states. The major objective of the agenda is for developed and developing nations to collaborate in order to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) [16]. The principles of sustainable development can be summarized as: development must be environmentally sustainable, socially just, economically efficient, and culturally consistent with society [17]. Global development goals, such as the SDGs, emphasize the importance of local solutions for global sustainable development, particularly those rooted in traditional ecological and local community knowledge [18]. Although the relationships between the SDGs and local values are not always obvious, many of them are linked. The SDGs should benefit from local knowledge that promotes integration, thorough understanding, and practice in terms of clarity, meaning, purpose, and related activities. According to Castellanos et al., knowledge has evolved into consideration when making decisions about social, economic, and environmental issues, as well as means of subsistence for rural families [19].

4. Methodology

A 40-item of questionnaire with a five (5) Likert scale was constructed as a result of a review of the literature to elicit the perspectives of the MC, the level of IL, and the status of LK. Feedback and suggestions from five academic experts in IL, knowledge management and preservation, and language and culture sectors were successfully acquired for pre-testing purposes. A number of points were raised, including the need for more appropriate words and verbs to improve question clarity and the inclusion of examples to aid the understanding of the questions by respondents. Based on their insightful feedback, necessary amendments and additions were implemented. Later, a pilot test was conducted to verify the understanding of the questionnaire items by respondents and that no questions were ambiguous. The data from this study, which comprised 50 respondents, were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Finally, Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the scale reliability of the questionnaire.

The research design was established using the conceptual framework, and the interaction of factors was obtained from the literature. The re-conceptualization provided an original contribution to knowledge and explored LI and LKT. Through the research process on the literature framework using the Big 6 model (which consists of the definition of information needs, information-seeking strategies, location and access to information, information usage, synthesis—information organization, and evaluation), the results and processes of a few of the frameworks were analyzed for the relevant subject of this research. This model was developed by Michael Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz and is known as the 6 steps of IL. The six steps consist of defining the problem, information- seeking strategies, finding and accessing information, using information, synthesizing, and evaluation. Defining problems refers to defining tasks and information problems. Strategies in information seeking involve the listing of all sources and selecting the best source. Seeking and accessing information is performed by determining the location of the source and accessing information from within the information source. Using information is by reading, listening, gathering information from the source, and extracting information from the source. Synthesis is performed by combining information from various sources and creating an information product. Finally, evaluate the product. The concept of tasks is the first stage defined in the Big 6 model and includes being able to define the problem of information and identify the appropriate information. This implies knowing what one is supposed to do [20]. Since this model is more versatile than other data literacy models, the Big 6 model can be extended to virtually all human decision-making problems that use knowledge as a basis for decision-making [21].

LK thus appears as a portrait of identity and the value of life in a culture. LK is characterized as unstructured tacit knowledge and is stored in the memory of the knowledge owner offering four models of knowledge transfer formation or what is known as the SECI model. In the field of knowledge management, the SECI model has been proven to be one of the most stable and continues to be implemented in a variety of settings. One of its main strengths is its simplicity, both in terms of recognizing the basic tenets of models and in terms of being able to easily internalize knowledge management models and implement them. One of its key drawbacks is that it does not seem to be adequate to clarify all the stages involved in the management of information by validity. The model of Nonaka and Takeuchi focuses on the transition of knowledge between implicit and explicit knowledge, but the model does not address substantial questions about how both forms of knowledge are used to make decisions.

The review of literature was conducted and has been helpful in the process of developing the conceptual framework. The questionnaire collected the demographic profile of the participants in Section A. Section B required respondents to determine the source of information. Section C required respondents to rank the usage of IL. Section D required respondents to rank the usage of the status of LK. Section E required respondents to answer challenges and recommendations in LKT among the MC. The instrument developed for this study employed the five Likert scale for all the constructed items.

Pre-Testing and Validity and Reliability of Research Instrument

The questionnaire was distributed to five experts. The panel of expertise was selected based on experiences, academic qualifications, and their involvement in LK. The expert panel comprised (n = 2) academic experts in IL, (n = 1) academic experts in knowledge management and preservation, and (n = 2) academic experts in language and culture in order to review and identify potential issues with the questions. The field experts comprised three lecturers in library and information science from the Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Diponegoro and two lecturers in language and culture from the Universitas Negeri Padang. Four academics were Ph. D holders, and one was a professor. Several concerns were highlighted, including the need for more precise and specific alternatives when giving options to the respondents, the use of more suitable words and verbs to increase the clarity of questions, and the inclusion of examples to help the understanding of the questions by respondents. Their reviews were highly valuable since they allowed for the incorporation of all pertinent comments and suggestions into the current questionnaire, with appropriate modifications and additions.

The evidence that the instrument, approach, or procedure employed to assess a notion actually measures the intended idea is known as validity. The questionnaire was then validated in a pilot study, which allowed for the investigative questions to be answered, and the verification of collected data could be performed accordingly [22]. The pilot study was conducted to ensure that respondents understood the questionnaire items and that there were no ambiguous questions [23]. This initial study included 50 participants, and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.

The quality of reliability is concerned with the question of whether the researcher is receiving reliable data. They are considered to be reliable if they can be reused. Reliability is the extent to which a measure is devoid of random error and hence yields consistent results [24]. Reliability and validity of measurement play important roles in generalizing. Cronbach’s alpha is one of the most popular measures of scale reliability [25]. Finally, Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the scale reliability of the questionnaire and how closely related a group of questions was. Four parts were included in the questionnaire. The first section had ten items pertaining to demographic data. The second section had 24 items that covered six topics: the definition of information needs, information-seeking strategies, location and access to information, information usage, synthesis—information organization, and evaluation. Following that, three sections emphasized the status of LK and sixteen more items. As a result, 4 items were eventually included in the instrument prior to the actual execution of the study. Additionally, two open-ended questions were added to the fourth section of the questionnaire to allow respondents to subjectively respond.

5. Results of the Reliability Test

The reliability and internal consistency of the scales used in the study were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, as shown in

Table 1. Reliability analysis result.

Variables		Number of Items	Cronbach’s Alpha
Information Literacy (The Big 6 Model)	Definition of information needs	4	0.780
	Information-seeking strategies	4	0.848
	Location and access to information	4	0.807
	Information usage	4	0.760
	Synthesis: information organization	4	0.788
	Evaluation	4	0.821
Status Local Knowledge (SECI Model)	Tacit knowledge: socialization	4	0.808
	Tacit knowledge: externalization	4	0.838
	Explicit knowledge: combination	4	0.829
	Explicit knowledge: internalization	4	0.825
Overall		40	0.810

. Cronbach’s alpha values for each factor were greater than 0.6, indicating that the dependability level was suitable and acceptable. According to the SPSS analysis results, the overall consistency, or Cronbach’s Alpha values, of all 40 items for each dimension contained in the instrument was between 0.760 and 0.848. This result implies that, particularly at this point of the investigation, the overall index of the internal consistency of the scale within the instrument was reliable with no unexpected abnormalities found in the data. Information-seeking strategies showed the highest value of 0.848, while information usage showed the lowest with 0.760. This questionnaire went through a validation process with four experts and a pilot study with 50 MC in the Agam Regency. The results from the pilot study showed all instruments are reliable and valid to investigate the level of IL and status of LKT.

6. Discussion and Conclusions

The results suggest that information-seeking strategies showed the highest value of 0.848, while information usage showed the lowest with 0.760 which indicates that the MC in the Agam Regency has a significant level of information literacy and is related to LK. The aim of this article is to provide the outline of an ongoing research project in the MC on the level of IL and the status of LKT. Prior to the actual investigation, the instrument was initially pre-tested to identify any possible issues as well as to determine the degree of understandability of its items. Five subject-matter experts have reviewed the instrument and provided meaningful feedback. Additionally, 50 responders from the MC participated in a pilot survey. The analysis result of the collected data suggests that the overall index of the internal consistency of the scale within the instrument is reliable, with no unexpected abnormalities discovered in the data. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire are extensively discussed in this work. This is because the validity and reliability of the measuring questionnaire have a significant impact on the credibility of the research findings. In order to be valid, a questionnaire must be trustworthy. Validity is predicated on reliability. A valid questionnaire, on the other hand, may not be reliable. A valid questionnaire, on the other hand, must be trustworthy. As a result, it is critical that the questionnaire is both valid and reliable.

According to Mannan (2019), the results of study show that people in Jombang, Indonesia, have a high level of literacy, particularly when it comes to: defining and articulating information needs; knowing where to find and how to access the information they need; and evaluating, organizing and using the information they find: they have discovered, saved, communicated, and used it ethically [26]. Ong Choon et al. (2019) investigated the connection between the lifelong learning outcomes and goal orientation of adult learners, and IL self-efficacy. According to the conclusions of the study, mastery goal orientation and lifelong learning are significantly correlated [27]. Irwan (2019) discusses the challenges of transferring LK to empowering communities as not all teaching initiatives for transferring local knowledge for the development of basic literacy are successful [28].

Finally, this research makes significant theoretical, methodological, and practical contributions to the study of IL and other fields of study that are related to the value of LK to the larger community. Outcomes from this research provide valuable insights for the Government and policymakers into the protection of LK in the policies of Indonesia relating to LK.