TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page……………………………………………………………………… i
Approval Page………………………………………………………………… ii
Certification Page……………………………………………………………… iii
Dedication……………………………………………………………………… iv
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………… v
Table of Contents..……………………………………………………………… vi
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………. ix
Chapter One: Introduction…………………………………………………… 1
Background of the Study………………………………………………………… 1
Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………… 8
Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………………… 9
Research Questions ………………………………………………………………. 9
Significance of the Study ………………………………………………………….. 10
Scope of the Study………………………………………………………………… 11
Chapter Two: Literature Review………………………………………………. 12
Conceptual Framework ………………………………………………………… 12
Students and Final Year Undergraduates………………………………. 13
Types of Information Use by Undergraduate Students…………………. 15
Pattern of information use by undergraduate student…………………… 19
Purpose(s) for the pattern of Information use by undergraduate Student21
Factors affecting Information use pattern of Undergraduate students…….. 24
Strategies for improving the pattern of Information use of……………… 26
Undergraduate Student
Review of Related Empirical Studies……………………………………………… 30
Summary of the Literature Review………………………………………………… 36
Chapter Three: Research Method…………………………………………… 38
Design of the study ………………………………………………………………. 38
Area of the Study…………………………………………………………………. 38
Population of the study…………………………………………………………… 39
Sample and Sampling Technique…………………………………………………. 40
Instrument for Data Collection……………………………………………………. 41
Validation of the Instrument ……………………………………………………… 42
Method of Data Collection ……………………………………………………….. 42
Method of Data Analysis………………………………………………………….. 42
Chapter Four: Presentation of Results …………………………………… 44
Summary of Major Findings ……………………………………………………… 53
Chapter Five: Discussion, Recommendation and Conclusion … 55
Discussion of Findings …………………………………………………………… 55
Implications of the Study ………………………………………………………… 60
Recommendations ……………………………………………………………….. 61
Suggestion for Further Studies ………………………………………………….. 62
Limitation of the Study …………………………………………………………. 62
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………… 63
References ……………………………………………………………………… 65
Appendix A: Population of the study …………………………………………… 69
Appendix B: Sample size of the study..………………………………………… 70
Appendix C: Instrument for Data Collection …………………………………… 71
Appendix D: Spss Analysis Result……………………………………………… 76
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the information use pattern of final year undergraduate students of federal universities in North-Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Specifically, five specific objectives and research questions guided the study. It adopted a descriptive survey design and had a population of 3365 registered undergraduate final year student library users from three selected federal universities. The study used multi-stage sampling procedure to draw a sample size of 200 undergraduate library users; where it purposively selected three federal universities from five and finally used proportionate stratified random sampling technique to sample them in strata of universities and stratum of faculties. From the above population two hundred (200) questionnaire were distributed with one hundred and eighty five (185) returned; representing a return rate of 93%. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency tables and mean scores. The decision rule for research questions one through five was based on the value of the criterion mean of 2.50. If their item’s mean score value was lower than the criterion mean it will be rejected, otherwise it will be accepted. The findings of the study revealed that: final year undergraduate student uses graphical, research, bibliographical, product, patent information among others in their university libraries; that they adopt their pattern of information used in relation to frequency and format of use and mode of obtaining the information respectively; and that they adopt their information use pattern so as to: obtain first hand information, properly understand the information that they are looking for, prepare themselves for examination and note taking and instill critical and analytical reasoning, among others. Other findings of the study were that both personal, environmental, professional, social and technological factors affects the patterns upon which they use their information; and provision of adequate information, systematic planning time schedule for use of information as well as the provision of periodic training in technicality for the use of information resources are adequate strategies for improving the information use pattern of students. Finally, this study recommended the provision of adequate information resources, periodic training of students on the technicalities of library and information use as well as the systematic and periodic updating of library systems to accommodate the needs of the students.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
University libraries as example and/or type of an academic libraries play a central role in academic activities of the universities. They are saddled with the responsibility of providing information resources and services for teaching, learning and research; in relation to the objectives of the parent institutions. Based on this background, Ogunsola (2004) describes these libraries as the heart of the university, because it houses and maintains standard books, journals and audiovisual collections and services that are needed for all the teaching and learning processes of the university community. It is indeed the only centralized location where new and emerging information technologies can be combined with knowledge resources (information) in a user-focused and service-rich environment that support today’s social and educational pattern of teaching, learning and research. Hence from the foregoing it follows that the university libraries conserve the existing knowledge, transmit knowledge through teaching, and create new knowledge through research. Consequently, university libraries are established by the universities to meet the information needs of the students, staff and faculty/school members (parent institution). Thus, the establishment of such libraries in the university systems becomes imperative as it goes beyond the support for its conventional generic functions of: teaching, learning, research and public services; to the performance of the following added functions as:
Pursuit, promotion and dissemination of knowledge; manpower development; provision of social economic modernization; provision of intra and inter-continental international understanding as well as provision of intellectual leadership (Ifidon and Okoli, 2002:34).
In this study, the researcher envisages university libraries as those libraries that are attached to universities and funded by the universities for the purpose (s) of teaching, learning and research.
Significantly, the critical functions of the university libraries are the provision of information to her clientele made up of students, staff and researchers. Information has a variety of meanings depending on its context of usage. In librarianship, it refers to processed data or facts (Kernerman, 2010). That is, knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction or knowledge of specific events or situations that have been gathered or received by communication, intelligence or news. In general, information relates to facts or data that has been processed to be used for decision making. Therefore, information is an important resource needed by all but most importantly final year students to effectively and efficiently pursue their academic and research endeavour. To satisfy such needs they usually make extensive use of information resources in their university libraries. In view of this, Onuoha and Awoniyi, 2011) stated that for students to use information profitably, there must be a pattern upon which the students’ use of information depends. As a result, they admonished that adoption of proper pattern of information use by the students is an antidote for the acquisition of new knowledge, creative and analytical thinking, and advancement of knowledge horizon among others.
Information comes in different forms and types. Basically, information can be numeric, alphabetical, alpha-numeric and symbolic in forms. Moreover, in the study of librarianship, information is derived from three basic sources. These are primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information. In this context, the term information is synonymous with resources. According to Stancey (2013)
Primary Information are original materials which have not been filtered through interpretation, condensation, or often, even evaluation by a second party; for example: journal article, monographs, reports, patents, these, diaries, letters photographs, poems etc, while Secondary Information are information about primary or original information which usually have been modified, selected or re-arranged for a specific purpose or audience. Its examples includes: biographies, histories, review articles, textbooks, indexes, bibliographies. Tertiary Information consists of facts which are a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources. They includes; encyclopedias, almanacs, guides, handbooks, Atlas p.(78-85)
Similarly, information is classified into scholarly and popular resources. Scholarly resources of information according to Port (2012) are information sources that have been vetted by scholarly experts in the field; information sources with scholarly analysis, description or evaluation of events and ideas; and primary sources about the views of a scholarly community. The author also explained popular resources as primary sources that provide information about culture and society; general information and commentary about political, economic and cultural events; current statistical information of general interest; and popular opinions and beliefs.
From the foregoing, it becomes evident that these variety of information services are provided by university libraries for their clientele especially students, who are the focus of this study. Students, in the context of this study refer to persons who study at universities and /or colleges. Categorically, there are two cadres of students – undergraduates and post graduate students. An undergraduate student is a student who is studying for his first degree at university or colleges. While a post-graduate student is a person who has finished a first degree and is pursuing advanced study or research (Hornby, 2010). Furthermore, a thorough classification of undergraduate students revealed that they range from first to final year, students based on the number of years allotted to a particular course of study (National University Commission (NUC) Curriculum, 2007). Based on this classification, the 4th or 5th year students are popularly referred to as the final year students. As is contained in the curriculum, such crop of students are saddled with course work, writing of exams, seminar report and writing of project report depending on the demand of their respective departments. Thus, undergraduate students especially the final years in universities requires varying types of information for different reasons ranging from background reading, studying, keeping up-to-date, preparation of assignments to preparation for seminar papers (Maheswarappa, 2013).
Invariably, the students’ use of the information in university libraries becomes imperative, especially on the part of the final year students. This is because a report from Rani (2009) revealed that students use information from their libraries extensively; as they use it for: preparation of notes, preparation of project and seminar reports, general knowledge and updating of knowledge. From the above, it follows that final year students make use of information more than their counterpart. As such, as was earlier stated, as they go about their normal quest for information needs; the university libraries become their primary place of call. In general, Rani also emphasized that the proportion of time spent in the utilization of information in university libraries increases with the year of study. This shows that final year students emphatically spent more time in information utilization in the library.
The pattern of use of information by the final year students and indeed every other students in the university is of utmost importance so that they may be guided. The word pattern refers to “a regular and intelligible form or sequence discernible in the way in which something happens” OR “an excellent example or model for others to follow” OR “a model or design for doing something (Hornby, 2010). From this definition, it connotes that the word pattern seeks to show how something is being used, the tools cum methods used and the purpose of use. From a psychological point of view, pattern according to Philip (2002) refers to a model of behaviour that is systematically designed to be used by a person or group of persons who functions in a given setting, environment or units. Collectively, the term pattern can be defined as a reliable sample of trends, arts, tendencies or other observable characteristics of a person, groups or situation.
Therefore, in this study the term pattern are viewed from the perspectives of the frequency of use, format of use and mode of searching information resources. Subsequently, it follows that the pattern of information use relates to the series of ways or processes that together show how information are normally utilized in an information centre. In this regard, pattern of information use can as well be seen as a model or design for the use of information. Thus, the kinds of information resources used by students, their pattern of using such information, purpose for such pattern of information use, and strategies for improving on the problems encountered by students in such patterns of information use are as highlighted below.
In a university environment, students make use of varying kinds of information resources depending on their area of study. Specifically, they use such information resources as factual, biographical, graphical, statistical, products, patents, research, professional, online and digital among others (Northern Virginia Resource Centre, 2013). The Centre further stated that these varying information materials ranging from books, journals, reference materials, patents, to non prints material which students extensively use are encapsulated in the varying kinds of information pattern.
In addition, students pattern of information use according to Research Information Network (2009), are series of actions or stages such as identification of information needs (that is what exactly the student needs) in the form of queries; searching for the needed information (via library catalogues, google search, mails, interaction with the resource persons in the library); collection of needed information (ie. Information gathering and collation from the library); organisation of the needed information (through note making, outlining of points and summary); interpretation of the collected information (via tagging of the collected information to the enquiries queries); storage of the collected information (by printing it, archiving, saving in e-mails boxes, etc); and the use of information (for class work, assignments, seminar reports and project reports). From this scenario, it could be observed that the pattern of use of information by students are accomplished in stages and are thus cycled events. This is because as soon as the information is used by the student for the intended purpose (s); the cycles starts again, as the students have unsatisfactory needs for information (Rani, 2009).
Closely related to the information use pattern of students is the purpose (s) for the student pattern of use of information. As there is a need for every action, so also are there purposes(s) for the pattern of information use adopted by students. Sequel to this, Ismail and Zainab (2005) in their study found out that the primary purpose for the student pattern of use of information (eg e-book) include gaining of facts, digestion of abstracted facts, updating of knowledge, diversification of knowledge horizon among others. They buttressed that based on these stated purposes, students will be better placed in tackling their information needs of answering assignment/class- work questions; writing research/project/reports; writing seminar reports; reading for leisure; and others.
However, there exist hindrances and or factors as regards students’ pattern of information use. Akira and Paivi (2010), in that respect argued that many factors militate against student’s pattern of information use. These, according to the authors include lack of technical/special knowledge; insufficient general knowledge base; lack of critical thinking; emergence of new perspectives in information management; and unstable emotional fulfillment among others. Similarly, Akira and Paivi further found out that other factors that hinders the students’ pattern of information use includes, the complexity of the information itself; the form of existence of information; the level of organisation of information in libraries and accessibility status of the information. In view of the above, it is evident that hindrances to the students’ pattern of information use collectively emanated from the student, the information itself and the library.
Irrespective of the extent of hindrances, there are strategies for improving the students’ patterns of information use. In this regard, Akira and Paivi suggested such strategies to include: possession of sound technical/special knowledge by the students; broad general knowledge base; possession of critical and creative thinking on the part of the students as well as the provision of non complex and easy to understand information materials in the libraries; provision of information in form that will be readily accessible by students; and improving the accessibility levels of information to students among others.
The provision of the above strategies becomes imperative as university libraries of third world / developing countries lacks physical and current information resources capable of fostering lasting and uninterruptible teaching and learning in the university. Moreso, with the Nigerian students paying less attention to their university libraries’ instruction programme (though most at times not detailed); they found it very difficult to make effective use of the information resources at their disposal. Similarly, the datedness of the information resources as well as the environmental condition of the libraries (climate, temperature, light, noise and security) limit students from the use of information resources therein least the modeling of the use for it (Doraswamy, 2012). These indeed according to Doraswamy are the situation of things at the university libraries of sub-saharan Africa which militate against the structuralized ways of information utilization by students.
Subsequently, having discussed the concept of university libraries, information, students, types and kinds of information, patterns of information use; purpose (s) for the pattern of information use, factors/hindrances to the pattern of information use, and the strategies for improving the patterns of information use among students of north-central federal university libraries vis-à-vis the location and area of establishment of those university libraries.
Statement of the Problem
