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Higher education nursing students’ literacy skills: a scoping review

  • Mira Palonen , Minna Elomaa-Krapu und Pia Keiski EMAIL logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 15. September 2025
International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship
Aus der Zeitschrift International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship Band 22 Heft 1

Abstract

Objectives

The study aims to identify and summarize existing knowledge on how information literacy (IL) is demonstrated among health students in higher education.

Methods

A scoping review approach with a systematic search of scholarly databases.

Results

Of the 3,770 results obtained, 14 studies were included in this review. Two main approaches to IL were identified: (1) perceived, and (2) applied IL among health education students. IL was commonly measured using eight previously validated instruments and three purpose-designed instruments. Perceived IL skills ranged from moderate to high levels, while applied skills appeared to be moderate. Perceived IL was significantly associated with students’ self-perception of importance; whereas, applied IL was significantly associated with age and academic seniority in nursing.

Conclusions

The IL of higher education health students seems to range from moderate to high levels. However, the vast number of IL instruments used indicates the need for further scale standardization and validation.

Implications for international audience

In education, greater emphasis should be placed on integrating (IL) aspects into the curriculum across all levels, rather than treating it as a separate, conceptual entity.

Keywords: nursing education; information literacy; evidence-based practice; critical thinking; scoping review
Corresponding author: Pia Keiski, PhD, Principal Lecturer, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Applied Research Center, Tampere, Finland; and Doctoral Research Fellow, Tampere University, School of Social Sciences, Tampere, Finland, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: None declared.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-11-10
Accepted: 2025-08-29
Published Online: 2025-09-15

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Artikel in diesem Heft

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  3. Higher education nursing students’ literacy skills: a scoping review
  4. Predictors of classroom exams, standardized exams, and nursing licensure exams in U.S. and international undergraduate RN and PN nursing programs: a scoping review
  5. Transfer of learning in baccalaureate nursing education: a systematic scoping review
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  21. Nurse educators’ experience in implementing concept-based curriculum: a phenomenology study
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  24. Educational Process, Issue, Trend
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  27. Effects of cooperative learning on undergraduate nursing students: a quasi- experimental study
https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2024-0096
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
nursing education; information literacy; evidence-based practice; critical thinking; scoping review

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Association between admission criteria to nurse practitioner program in Israel and academic success: a retrospective study analysis
  2. Literature Reviews
  3. Higher education nursing students’ literacy skills: a scoping review
  4. Predictors of classroom exams, standardized exams, and nursing licensure exams in U.S. and international undergraduate RN and PN nursing programs: a scoping review
  5. Transfer of learning in baccalaureate nursing education: a systematic scoping review
  6. Research Articles
  7. A computer-based educational program for promoting student cultural competence
  8. 10.1515/ijnes-2025-0037
  9. Immersive virtual reality simulation: engagement and clinical judgment
  10. Exploring nurse faculty perceptions of notetaking
  11. Exploring the link of educational environment and self-esteem with critical thinking in undergraduate nursing university students: a cross-sectional study
  12. Navigating global mobility: a comparative study of nursing education in Nepal and Australia
  13. The impact of simulation-based ethical education on nursing students’ moral distress levels
  14. Affective learning assessment of beginning nursing students
  15. Examining perspectives of instructors and students on the instruction of care plans within the nursing process – a qualitative inquiry
  16. The Doctoral Seminar in nursing: an exploration of the literature and trends found in Canadian syllabi
  17. Deliberate practice of medication administration among nursing students: a pilot study
  18. Canadian nursing students and education in medical and recreational cannabis: a preliminary evidence
  19. Flourishing in nursing: positive factors that contributed to mental wellbeing of nursing students in Thailand
  20. Exploring the perceptions of practical nursing students on caring for the older person
  21. Nurse educators’ experience in implementing concept-based curriculum: a phenomenology study
  22. Perception of nursing students on nursing teamwork in hospitals in Slovakia: a cross-sectional study
  23. Lived experiences of international nursing students regarding the studying challenges: a phenomenology study
  24. Educational Process, Issue, Trend
  25. Nursing student needs assessment and preferences for faculty-led mentoring
  26. Pedagogical matters: a dialogue of diverse persons, perspectives, and programs
  27. Effects of cooperative learning on undergraduate nursing students: a quasi- experimental study
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