INFORMATION LITERACY AS AN EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY: PATHWAYS TOWARD BRAZIL’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL AUTONOMY

Abstract

This research investigates the relationship between information literacy and technological autonomy among seventh-grade elementary school students, taking into account the structural inequalities that exist across different educational contexts. The research problem stems from the observation that the advancement of digital transformation in school environments does not always translate into the effective development of critical, reflective, and autonomous digital competencies—particularly in settings marked by disparities in access, infrastructure, and training. The primary objective was to analyze the association between the level of information literacy and the perception of technological autonomy among students in public and private schools, testing the hypothesis that higher levels of information literacy are positively associated with higher levels of technological autonomy. A quantitative, descriptive, and comparative approach was adopted, utilizing a structured Likert-scale questionnaire administered to 80 students, divided equally between public and private institutions. Data were collected via an electronic form, then processed, cleaned, and analyzed using automated computational routines developed by the researcher in the Python programming language. Two composite indicators were constructed: the Mean Information Literacy Index (IMI) and the Technological Autonomy Index (IAT). For statistical analysis, the Shapiro-Wilk normality test was initially applied; the results indicated a non-normal distribution, necessitating the use of non-parametric procedures—specifically, the Spearman correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney test. The findings revealed a strong, statistically significant positive correlation between information literacy and technological autonomy (ρ = 0.6469; p < 0.001). Furthermore, statistically significant differences were identified between students in the public and private school systems, with higher mean scores observed for the private sector in both the IMI and the IAT. It is concluded that technological autonomy does not stem exclusively from physical access to technologies; rather, it depends on critical, reflective, and pedagogical training aimed at the qualified use of resources for digital transformation.