Information literacy skills as correlates of academic performance of science undergraduate students in federal university Oye Ekiti

Abstract

Undergraduate students are frequently observed to struggle with the use of information and with its critical evaluation, even as a growing assumption holds that students arrive at higher education already equipped with the skills they require, an assumption that would render formal information literacy education superfluous. This study examined information literacy skills as correlates of the academic performance of science undergraduate students at Federal University Oye Ekiti. A descriptive survey research design of a correlational character was adopted. From a population of 100 undergraduate science students, 85 returned valid questionnaires, which were analysed through a total enumeration approach. Data were collected by means of a structured and validated questionnaire that returned a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.81. Responses were measured on a four point Likert scale, and a criterion mean of 2.50 served as the midpoint for the interpretation of agreement. Academic achievement was measured through the official Cumulative Grade Point Average recorded in the academic records of the university. Descriptive statistics, comprising frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, together with inferential statistics in the form of the Pearson product moment correlation, were used to answer the research questions. The study found that a substantial proportion of respondents displayed competent information literacy abilities in identifying information needs, in using data to solve problems, and in searching for and locating the information they required. A Pearson correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between academic achievement and information literacy abilities, with a coefficient of 0.54 at 83 degrees of freedom and a probability below 0.05, a relationship that explained approximately 29 percent of the variance in academic performance. Age was further found to correlate significantly with information literacy abilities, with a coefficient of 0.31, while gender exerted no notable influence on these skills. The study concludes that information literacy abilities are strongly associated with the academic performance of science undergraduate students at the institution, and it recommends that students draw fully on information literacy resources, that lecturers deploy contemporary information technologies in support of learning, and that institutions provide well stocked libraries.