COMPUTER SELF-EFFICACY, BEHAVIOURAL SKILLS AND USE OF ONLINE INFORMATION RESOURCES BY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE STUDENTS IN KWARA STATE

In the contemporary landscape of information dissemination, the use of online resources has become increasingly integral to academic and professional pursuits. However, the proliferation of online information resources that should have been a blessing, has posed a serious challenge to students, in terms of retrieval and usage. Therefore, this study examined computer self-efficacy, behavioural skills, and use of online information resources among Library and Information Science (LIS) students in Kwara State. There were 8 universities in Kwara State, out of which 3 were selected for the study. The selected universities are: University of Ilorin, Kwara State University and Al-Hikma University, Ilorin. A total of 523 final year LIS students of the three universities constituted the population. Using a Random Number Generator from within the range of 100 to 120 while allowing for duplicate numbers, a sample size of 108 was drawn. Questionnaire was used as data collection instrument. Its internal consistency strength was tested, and it yielded a Cronbach's Alpha value of 0.71, indicating an acceptable level of reliability. One hundred and eight structured and validated copies of the questionnaire were administered, and only 88 were returned, giving the return rate of 81.5%. The returned copies were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 24). Frequency distribution, percentage and arithmetic mean were used to present data. Findings revealed an indication of a low level of computer self-efficacy among the LIS students. Students exhibited behavioural skills for using search engines to find scholarly information. This reliance on search engines seemed to explain why students used online resources provided by their libraries very less often. The study concluded that students’ poor disposition towards the use of OIRs of library is partly attributable to the challenges posed by complex nature of the advanced search features of the online library databases. Therefore, the University management should hold regular training sessions and integrate digital literacy courses into the curriculum to enhance computer self-efficacy of students in order to maximally explore the under used OIRs.

Keywords: Computer self-efficacy, Behavioural skills, Online information resources, LIS students