Assessment of information literacy, attitude towards research and research competence of library and information science undergraduates in Nigerian universities

Abstract

The study assessed the information literacy (IL), attitude towards research and research competence of Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduates in South-West Nigeria universities. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A two-stage sampling technique was employed for the study to get a final sample of 401. Questionnaire and focus group discussion (FGD) were the instruments for the study. Out of 401 copies of the questionnaire, 392 were found usable, which constituted a 97% return rate. The data gathered were analysed with the aid of the SPSS by the use of frequency, percentage and correlation. Thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data (FGD). The study found that the LIS undergraduates had poor IL, a mixed display of attitude towards research, and an acceptable level of research competence. Further, there was a significant relationship between IL and research competence of LIS undergraduates. The study recommends training on the acquisition of IL skills at the earlier levels of the LIS degree to help with research motivation and comprehension.