Developing information literacy

Abstract

Currently, due to changes in Slovak Education we increasingly often meet with the concept of competences, key competences. We tend to speak about key competences as a new phenomenon in education. The term originates from the 1970s in economics where it represented a set of specific requirements for the job seeker. It was transferred to the field of education in the late 90s where it serves as a bridge between the requirements imposed by employers in the labour market and the graduate’s profile. The term competence is used both in professional and common language; and ability, skill, capability, effectiveness, capacity, desired quality and others are used as synonyms for the group of terms. A person who has the abilities and skills, motivation, knowledge, etc., to carry out tasks well in a particular field is considered competent. Competence is usually applied to individuals, social groups and institutions in case they successfully fulfil requirements and achieve goals set by their environment. The theory of key competences has not yet been completely formulated and neither does a comprehensive and widely accepted definition exist. This paper will focus on information literacy and developing competencies in the information society as one of the necessary key competencies.