Attitude of Undergraduate Students to Information Literacy: Bowen University Experience

Year 2019, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 1 - 11, 30.11.2019

Adesola Paul Adekunle Grace Omolara Olla Afolabi Olajide Chioma Osuji Adeola Adedoyin

Abstract

The study investigated the rationale behind undergraduates’ apathy for information literacy (IL) programme at Bowen University, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study and a multi-stage sampling method was used to select a sample size of five hundred participants spread across disciplines and levels of study. A questionnaire containing close-ended, structured items was used to gather data from the respondents and descriptive analyses, including percentages and frequency count were used to analyse the data collected. Three research questions were developed and answered and three research hypotheses were tested through the instrument. Results show that students’ attitude to information literacy significantly influences their information literacy skill and students’ perception of information literacy significantly influences their information literacy skills. Although perception of IL does not predict influence of IL on students, attitude to IL determines the influence of IL on students’ information literacy skills. The study further revealed that the erroneous equation of technology literacy with information literacy was largely responsible for students' lukewarm disposition to information literacy. The study concludes by recommending a paradigm shift from the traditional teaching delivery to a technology-driven, interactive pedagogy that will ginger the interest of the students and thus effect the desired attitudinal change to IL.

Keywords

Attitude, Information literacy, Digital literacy, Information Communication Technologies, Undergraduate students, Bowen University

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