Utilization of Library Resources and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students

Utilization of Library Resources and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the Study

The issue of librarianship in education is becoming more important than before, particularly at this period when most parents can no longer purchase textbooks and other reading materials for their children. In addition, government textbooks are not only rare but very expensive. Consequently, the library provides alternate resource materials for the intellectual growth of the students in the learning of government.

The academic library has been described as the heart of the learning community, providing a place for students and faculties to do their research and advance their knowledge. The library serves as a building for practical collection, through the use of the classification scheme and the proper consultation of Atlases, Bibliographies, Dictionaries, Yearbooks, Concordance, Almanacs, Directories, etc.

It is often argued that every hour of lecture received by a student should be complemented by at least two hours of study time using the library. Oyinloye (2001).

Lance, Rodney and Hamilton-Pennell (2000) undertook a study on the impact of school library programme and information literacy on students’ achievement. They found out that students in school with library resources and full time librarians performed at high levels than students in school with minimal or no library resources. Azubuike (2006) reported that a good library that is adequately staffed resourced and funded could lead to higher student’s achievement regardless of the socio-economic or educational levels of the parents.

It is no longer news at this digital age that many libraries are connected to the internet or have plans to get connected soon. This makes things easier for teaching and learning to take place. The rapid growths of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are said to be changing the way academic libraries operate today. It has been pointed out that academic libraries collections are not longer collections comprised almost entirely of print materials, but collections of materials in multiple formats and media. Budd (2004)

Information technologies such as computers, multi-media, and CD-Rom are bringing unprecedented abilities to academic libraries in providing services and resources to the academic community. Ogunrombi (2005).

The library can serve educational role by the provision of learning resources, providing both immediate access to knowledge and practice in the use of knowledge and practice in the use of knowledge resources, for instance, reading.

This chapter therefore focuses its attention on understanding how imperative it is to control the flow of information in order to enhance an efficient and reliable system for knowledge circulation among the students in learning government.

Utilization of Library Resources and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students

1.2    Statement of the Problem

The importance of utilization of library resources in the learning of government cannot be over-emphasized. The main aim of providing quality services in libraries is to stimulate and sustain user’s satisfaction in the utilization of library resources.

The library offers abundant resource of evidence books and articles, giving facts, historical accounts, statistics, anecdotes, observations and expert judgment. But the library information sources one needs are hidden and escape detection because they are among other information. As such, there is need to acquire the relevant skills needed to explore and exploit the library and its information sources to the fullest. It has been observed that students meet frustration information search as a result of inadequate knowledge on how to use the library’s own catalogue, indexes, reference works and other skills and techniques required for effective utilization of library resources.

It is also observed that students who are not given library assignments do not make use of the library resources but depends solely on reading the teacher’s notebooks or the very few recommended class texts. As such students fail to monitor and follow the trend of knowledge generation in their subject area.

This study therefore examines the effective utilization of library resources and students academic performance in Government in Mkpat Enin secondary schools.

1.3    Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate how the utilization of library resources influences student’s academic performance in Government. The sub-objectives are:

(i)  To determine the impact that school libraries have on student’s academic performance in Government in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area.

(ii)    To examine school library resources and their use on the academic performance of students in Government.

(iii)    To find out how students in Mkpat Enin secondary schools make use of library resources in their institution’s libraries and materials available to them.

1.4    Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be of immense benefit to many groups of people as possible.

(i)     It will help students to develop positive attitude towards the proper use of library resources.

(ii)    It will inform the various ministries of education and their parastatals about the library resources available for use in Mkpat Enin secondary schools.

(iii)    It will help library workers to equip the students with adequate knowledge on how to fully utilize library resources.

(iv)   It will also increase the available research materials and assist the work of future researchers in this field of study.

1.5    Research Hypothesis

The following research hypothesis would be considered in the course of this study.

(i) There is no significant difference in academic performance between students who make use of the school libraries and those who do not make use of the school libraries.

(ii)  There is no significant difference in academic performance between students who utilize the library resources and those who do not make use of the library resources.

(iii) There is no significant difference between academic performance of students on the interest of learning Government due to the availability of library resources and those students who lack interest in learning Government because of unavailability of library resources.

1.6    Basic Assumptions

This study assumes the following statements that will serve as a pointer to this work.

(i)     Students can be self-reliant if they make effective use of library resources.

(ii)    Students who make use of library resources perform better than those who do not make use of the library.

(iii)    Apart from utilization of library resources, there is virtually no other factor that affects students academic performance in Government.

(iv)   Students who make use of library resources are well updated with modern information both in Government and general studies as a whole.

1.7    Delimitation of the Study

This study is delimited in scope to all the Government students in Mkpat Enin secondary schools. It is specifically delimited to the following sub-variables of the study: school libraries and academic performance of students, library resources and academic performance of students, library resources and students interest in learning Government.

1.8    Limitation of the Study

In carryout this research, certain problems were encountered. These were financial constraint, inadequate related literature and shortage of time. This led to my limiting this study to Mkpat Enin secondary schools.

1.9    Definition of Terms

Utilization: Making use of something. Example is making use of library resources such as books, computer and other learning resources.

Library: Library in this study is defined as the collection of books and non books materials organized for the purpose of learning and research.

Library Resources: It represents various materials available in the library, such as textbooks, computers, references source and other learning resources.

Computer: Computer is an electronic device which accepts data in the form of inputs, process it, store it in its memory and display the result in the way acceptable.