Dr. Brenda van Wyk, a contract senior lecturer in the Department of Information Science, presented at the Third University of South Africa Biennial International Conference on Library and Information Science Research in Africa (UNILISA) on 9 March 2023. It was organised and hosted by the Department of Information Science at the University of South Africa (UNISA), in Pretoria, South Africa.

UNILISA strives to provide a forum for scholars from different countries to reflect on original and innovative ways of enhancing the role of information science and libraries and information services in addressing African and global socio-economic developmental issues. The theme of the conference was Information practice and research for development in times of uncertainties.

Dr. van Wyk’s paper was titled A metacognitive approach towards designing a transboundary development model to optimize meta-literacy and research competency. The abstract reads as follows:

Improving research quality and output in South African higher education institutions has been underpinned by many studies over a long period. Undisputedly, research on and about challenges and phenomena in Africa is vital for economic growth and social well-being. Research competency and an acumen in a range of literacies are critical building blocks of quality research scholarship. Academic literacy modules are incorporated in most undergraduate programmes. In addition, library and information services and departmental writing centres offer further support to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Yet, when researchers and postgraduate students are required to deliver publishable scholarship and articles they are inadvertently confronted with knowledge and skills gaps. This often results in valuable research going unreported to the detriment of the development of the emerging researcher as well as to the university in terms of quality research output. The complexity of requisite literacies underpinning postgraduate student success is an area for multidisciplinary research and transboundary collaboration. Not only academic literacy, but also information, research and publishing literacies are areas begging continuous attention. Research competency refers to the ability to apply a range of statistical, technical, and theoretical knowledge among some very specific skills. Additionally, students are now confronted with the need for e-research competencies, requiring an intensified use of information and communication technology to facilitate research. Here, literature abounds the lack of research competency among emerging researchers and postgraduate students. Reported barriers are the lack of knowledge of the research process and the use of e-research tools.  More than the lack of access to research information sources, is the inability to identify and evaluate suitable sources leading to an under-utilisation of available resources. This paper reports on a case study where two questions are addressed: firstly, which e-research skills and research competencies are required by novice researchers; and secondly, how does the higher education in this case use available knowledge capital to instil these required competencies? The findings and recommendations of this study may add value in addressing the gaps in knowledge and acumen experienced by students becoming new researchers and authors. Informed by recent research and guided by metacognitive frameworks this mixed-method study collected qualitative data, as well as quantitative data from 26 tertiary sites, academic and support staff involved in research capacity building and academic literacy programmes. The findings are that existing efforts and support services fall short of interdisciplinary and departmental collaboration strategies and praxis, thus failing to develop capacity and support towards quality research output and publishing potential. The study offers a transboundary metacognitive model, explaining the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. The model offers guidelines on how metaliteracy programmes could be integrated and expanded. The findings and recommendations of this study may add value in addressing the gaps in knowledge and acumen experienced by students becoming new researchers and authors.