Modeling an information literacy programme for undergraduates: A soft systems methodology approach / Nor Edzan Che Nasir
In its simplest form, information literacy is defined as the ability to recognise a need for information and from there on, one is able to locate, retrieve, evaluate and use the procured information effectively. The acquisition of information literacy skills is deemed by many as a necessity for t...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Published: |
2007
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| Online Access: | http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/14742/1/Nor_Edzan.pdf http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/14742/ |
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| Summary: | In its simplest form, information literacy is defined as the ability to recognise a need for
information and from there on, one is able to locate, retrieve, evaluate and use the procured
information effectively. The acquisition of information literacy skills is deemed by many as
a necessity for the Information Age and it is termed by many as a life long learning skill.
Set against such a background, this study is centred on the issue of information literacy
competencies of Malaysian final year ICT undergraduates. The focus is on final year
undergraduates at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at the
University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia who are enrolled for the Final Year
Project course. The Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is used as an investigative approach,
which includes both qualitative and quantitative measures. The ALA/ACRL/STS 2005
Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology is used as the
benchmark for information literacy skills of the undergraduates. The seven stages of SSM
are applied accordingly to fit into the research framework resulting in a five-phase research
framework. The findings from Phase 1 indicate that: a) the final year students (n=209) do
comply to Standards 1, 2 and 4 of the ALNACRL/STS; b) supervising lecturers (n=l6) do
have a high level of expectation from their students and they perceived their students as not
conforming to the ALAIACRLISTS Standards; c) academic libraries (n=l6) are committed
to providing information literacy programmes and some do offer these programmes; and d)
the final year students do exhibit, through their final reports (n=73), a number of
performance indicators of the ALAIACRLISTS Standards. An Information Literacy Model
Programme was designed, developed and delivered to a group of students (n=5). Their
project proposals were analysed and compared to a group (n=9) that was not exposed to the
Model Programme. With a significance level at 0.530, the results indicate that there is no difference at the 0.05 level in the total scores of the project proposals of the experimental
and the control groups. However, the first group scored better for skills related to
credibility and engagement of information; conforming to a citation style; made reference
to their citation within the text; demonstrated the ability to synthesise and analyse; and
avoided plagiarism. Therefore, intervention through the Model Programme does produce
students who are more able and adept in the higher level information skills. The study has
demonstrated that SSM can be used as a framework to investigate a problem within the
library and information discipline. The ALA/ACRLISTS Standards is used for the first time
to benchmark the information literacy skills of Malaysian undergraduates. Apart from that,
the findings can contribute significantly to the knowledge and development of information
literacy for undergraduates, academics, librarians, university authorities and library
associations. Even though there is much work to be done, this study is the first of its kind in
Malaysia and is a good "first" move towards the implementation of information literacy
programmes in institutions of higher education in Malaysia.
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