Empirical Support for the Integration of Dispositions in Action and Multiple Literacies into AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner

AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner are based on a number of common beliefs, including the importance of reading and technology skills, and the acknowledgment that the concept of information literacy has indeed become more complex since the last century. The data provided in this article support the importance of considering the dispositions-in-action component of the new standards when planning instruction. Specifically, this article investigates the contributions of perceived competence in information and digital literacy skills, perceived competence in reading, the disposition to read for enjoyment, and the disposition of curiosity, towards actual performance in an information and digital literacy skills knowledge test. Study participants included more than twelve hundred eighth grade students from twenty states. The study is grounded in historical literature on the construct of curiosity and on self-determination theory. Implications for curriculum design are discussed. The research was supported by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.