Cultivating critical information evaluation through motivational confidence

From checklists, to processes, to models, information literacy (IL) instructors have sought to better teach students how to evaluate the information they encounter, increasingly through critical information literacy (CIL) pedagogies. CIL engages high-impact pedagogical practices as students direct their learning through dialogue and problem-posing, but there are persistent barriers to implementing CIL pedagogies at scale. Drawing from motivational design can empower librarians to advance CIL and empower students to critically evaluate information. Although many evaluation pedagogies employ general motivational strategies, there is a gap in the literature exploring the application of one specific component of motivation: confidence. This conceptual and exploratory study aims to: 1) determine the connections between motivational design and IL pedagogy, specifically related to confidence-building strategies and critical approaches to evaluating information; and 2) map the integration of confidence-building design and CIL practices to provide suggestions for practical application. The researchers employ a crosswalk analysis to demonstrate how IL instructors can overcome barriers to implement CIL instructional practices through confidence-building design that illuminates students’ abilities to learn and make a meaningful impact. In taking a confidence-building, critical focus to designing evaluation instruction, IL instructors reframe information evaluation as a participatory place for critical questioning, exploration, creative expression, and dialogue.