Literacy and Connected Learning Within a Participatory Culture: Linkages to Collective Intelligence Efficacy and Civic Engagement

Researchers have indicated that the widespread adoption of digital technologies has changed the way we interact with each other and distinguishes digital natives from their older counterparts. Since young people are actively engaged in participatory cultures, this study aims to explore the linkages of aspects of literacy and principles of connected learning to their collective intelligence efficacy and civic engagement. With a sample of 304 Taiwanese college students, the findings suggest that there are three aspects of the expanded conception of literacy. While literacy as readers and information users, as well as literacy as authors and information creators are both linked to collective intelligence efficacy, the third aspect of critical literacy, which reflects an epistemological shift to cope with the participatory information environment, is linked to young people's civic engagement, defined by political expression in various forms and by achieving social change in creative ways. Among the four principles of connected learning, however, the principle of fostering a sense of shared purpose mediated by new media and online communities is strongly associated with collected intelligence efficacy, defined by how young people perceive their capability for collaborating with others and making contributions. Overall, the findings provide empirical support for associations among notions/variables with broadened perspectives and re-conceptualizations that are insightful for understanding the Net generation's new social practices.