Assessing Information Literacy in Digital Environments: Cross-Cultural Validation of the Smart Identification of Fake News Assessment (SIFNA)

Abstract

The unprecedented growth of digital information ecosystems has substantially increased public exposure to misinformation, disinformation, and other unreliable online materials, presenting considerable obstacles to the advancement of information literacy on a global scale. Consequently, the capacity to critically assess, authenticate, and respond appropriately to information has emerged as an essential competency for contemporary learners. Although research on fake news and media literacy has expanded considerably, there remains a notable lack of psychometrically robust instruments capable of measuring information evaluation competencies consistently across diverse cultural settings. Accordingly, this study sought to develop and evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Smart Identification of Fake News Assessment (SIFNA) among undergraduate students in China and Thailand. The research sample comprised 1,838 undergraduates, including 911 participants from China and 927 from Thailand. Data were analysed using a sequential validation procedure encompassing item quality evaluation, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and measurement invariance assessment. The findings indicated that 69 of the initial 100 items satisfied the predefined psychometric criteria. Subsequent EFA identified a four-dimensional structure consisting of verification of information before acceptance, being persuaded to follow and comply, response under time and social pressure, and evaluation of information consistency and source credibility. The final instrument retained 18 items, accounting for 51.20% of the total variance. Furthermore, the scale demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .883) together with satisfactory model fit indices (χ² = 98.922, df = 80, p = .074, RMSEA = .023, CFI = .995, TLI = .990, and SRMR = .078). Measurement invariance testing further confirmed both configural and metric invariance between the Chinese and Thai undergraduate cohorts. The study advances research in library and information science by introducing a cross-culturally validated instrument for assessing information evaluation behaviour, source credibility judgement, and resilience against misleading information among university students. Moreover, SIFNA provides a valuable evidence-based resource for researchers, librarians, educators, and policymakers to evaluate information literacy competencies, develop targeted educational interventions, and enhance students’ ability to operate effectively within increasingly complex digital information environments.