Conceptualizing students’ written assignments in the context of information literacy and Schatzki's practice theory

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the ways to practice the written assignment in a university setting in the context of information literacy and in perspective of Schatzki's practice theory. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on both a qualitative in-depth study involving individual interviews with students from higher education and the practice theoretical perspective. Findings – By analyzing informants’ negotiations of the “acceptable” way to perform the written assignment practice, a configuration of the particular practice has been made. In perspective of Schatzki's practice theory, a study into information literacy involves focussing on the changing character of the activities performing the practice in question. In this paper the changing character is analyzed by comparing the configuration of the written assignment practice with a description of the genre of scientific articles. The paper draws the conclusion that the configuration consists of both regular and irregular occurrences. Job orientation and use of social media seemed to influence the written assignment practice as it was performed by the informants. Originality/value – This paper contributes to research into information literacy in educational settings by proposing an analysis based on Schatzki's theory combined with concepts of routinization, reflexivity, and genre.