In this paper, a framework for the teaching of undergraduate information literacy is proposed. This framework has been developed as a major outcome of the author's PhD research into information literacy issues in general, and an aspect of literacy--information retrieval--in particular. Literature from two disciplines was reviewed as background to the research: cognitive psychology; and information retrieval. Arising from this theoretical background were four main "prongs" of research: the development of a two-stage explanatory model of the information retrieval process (based on information processing theory); a series of concept-based teaching modules (grounded in learning theory) testing the efficacy of that model in a large experimental study; an analysis of the role of cognitive maturity in the information retrieval process (based on tenets of developmental theory); and finally, the development of a framework for the teaching of broader aspects of information literacy, which framework drew together all theoretical aspects of the research. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table and 27 notes.)