Capturing the contours of the field of media and information literacy (MIL) Research: A systematic literature review of Studies Conducted at Swedish Universities in 2021.

Abstract

This chapter attempts to answer a commonplace question posed by authorities and practitioners seeking information on media and information literacy (MIL): What is MIL research, and, consequently, where can it be found? After the Swedish government formed a national network of MIL stakeholders in the public sector in the country with a common vision to strengthen policy work, it has become a crucial question how to identify and access the field of MIL research. The current study presents the results from a systematic literature review of scientific studies published in 2021 to identify the disciplinary structures of the research most relevant to MIL. The findings indicated that most of the relevant extant research was qualitative, conducted by women, written in English to an international audience, and focused on educational sciences, library and information science, and media and communication sciences. Student theses tended to adopt the policy-initiated concept of MIL more likely than original research papers. While the article probes whether the term MIL translates appropriately into scholarly literature, it also highlights the significance of establishing structures to further monitor related research projects and identify changes in research.