Information Sharing And Research Activities Of Final Year Student In Library And Information Science Department

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 

1.1 Background to the Study

 

Information sharing is an important avenue of information sharing. Individuals engage themselves in information sharing and research activities in order to share information. In a typical school system, information sharing and research activities is an unofficial way through which students share their ideas and experiences. The information they acquired during such interaction helps them to understand what was taught to them in their formal class better.Sloan and McPhee (2013) andThompson(2016) asserted that information is shared between two individuals or among many individuals as they engage in information sharing and research activities. Nick and Harwood (2014) established that information sharing and research activities leads to sharing of new information between or among individuals.

Information sharing and research activities takes place in school system between two or among many students so as to acquire information from the students who are involved in the interaction (Bahrani and Shu, 2013). Information sharing and research activities takes place in school in the forms of peer tutoring among students; personal discussion between two or among many students; andamong others. Such interactions could take place outside the formal class room setting. The information shared during information sharing and research activities could lead to learning of new concepts, andterminologies among others.

Individuals who engage themselves in information sharing and research activities learn from one another during the interaction.  Jain and Kapoor (2012) argued that information sharing and research activities has a positive effect on the performance of the students.  Legg and McCaslin (2015) showed that the interaction among peers in school system is an essential part of the learning process that influences the lifelong learning habits of the students. Usually, Information sharing and research activities in school system tend to take place between students who understood what was taught to them in a formal class, and the students who did not understand what was taught to them in the formal class room setting. During information sharing and research activities, students who understand what was taught to them betterthan the other students help the ones who did not understand what was taught to them in the formal class room setting through sharing of information with those students (Nick and Harwood, 2014). As a result of information shared during information sharing and research activities, students who tend not to understand what was taught to them in the formal class room setting are better off due to the information obtained from their peers.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Information sharing and research activities is an important avenue of information sharing between two or among more students in the school system. It is a situation in which students engage in sharing of information with their peers. It takes place in the forms of peer tutoring among students, personal discussion between two or more students, small group discussion among students,peer debate among others.Green et al. (2015) maintainedthat peer informal socialinteraction in school system has to do with engagement carried out by the students outside the formal classroom setting in order to share information.  Some students may understand their areas of studies better than others and perform in a good way as they engage themselves in information sharing and research activities where information is shared between or among them (Kalpana, 2014). This shows that information sharing and research activities as information sharing avenue is an important way through which students acquire information from their colleagues.

It has been observed that students carry out information sharing and research activities for a number of reasons which include; to understand their fields of studies; to develop social integration; to increase the students’ confidence and reduces their anxiety; and to acquire new knowledge from colleagues among others (Ayuba, 2011;Jibrin and Zayum, 2012; Yusuf, 2012; Okoye, 2013;

Duff, 2015; Levy, 2015).It has also been noticed that several researchesAyuba(2011), Jibrin and Zayum(2012) and Yusuf(2012) to mention but few, have been conducted on information sharing and research activities among students in secondary schools focusing on peer tutoring alone as one of the components of information sharing and research activities leaving other components such as small group discussion, students group assignment and peer mentoring and their influence on information sharing untouched. More importantly, based on the existing literature, there is no research focused on postgraduate students, specifically Final year students of Library and Information Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria despite the fact that these students sometimes miss the formal classes as a result of travels, sickness among others and sometimes they attend the formal classes without having a good grasp about what has been taught in such classes. Thus, it is important to conduct a research on informal peer interaction among the Final year students of Library and information science in the Department so as to determine the extent to which it has influenced information sharing among them.

 1.3 Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. Why do Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library andInformation Science, ABU, Zaria engage in information sharing and research activities?
2. What types of information sharing and research activities do Final year students of Library and Information Science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria engage in?
3. How do Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria engage in information sharing and research activities?
4. How does information sharing and research activities influence information sharing among Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria?
5. What level of satisfaction do the Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria derive from information sharing and research activities?
6. What challenges do the Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zariaencounter during information sharing and research activities? 

1.4 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested in this study:

HO₁: There is no significant difference among Mastersstudents of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU Zaria in their reasons for engaging in information sharing and research activities.

HO₂: There is no significant difference among Final year studentsof Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU Zaria in the type of information sharing and research activities they engage in.

HO₃: There is no significant difference among Final year studentsof Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU Zaria in the methods they adopt for information sharing and research activities.

HO₄: Information sharing and research activities among Final year studentsof Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU Zaria has no significant influence on the information they shareamong themselves.

HO₅: Information sharing and research activities among the Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU Zaria has no significant influence on the satisfaction they derive from their learning process.

HO₆: There is no significant difference among Final year studentsof Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU Zaria in the challenges they encounter during information sharing and research activities.

1.5 Objectives of the Study

The following objectives guided the study:

1. To find out the reasons that make Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria to engage in information sharing and research activities.
2. To determine the types of information sharing and research activities engage in by Final year students of

Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria.

3. To find out the ways through whichFinal year students ofLibrary and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria engage in information sharing and research activities.
4. To identify whether information sharing and research activities influencesinformation sharing among

Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria.

5. To determine the level of satisfaction derive from information sharing and research activities by Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria.
6. To find out the challenges encountered by Final year students of Library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU, Zaria during information sharing and research activities.

1.6       Significance of the Study

This study would beof importance to Final year students of Library and Information Science ,AhmaduBelloUniversity, Zaria. This is because it is hoped that the recommendations of the study would be used by the students to improve on the way they engage in information sharing and research activities with their colleagues.

The study would also be of importance to lecturers in the Department. This is because they are expected to use the recommendations of the study to encourage the students on how to share information among themselves through information sharing and research activities. Also, this would make the lecturers to improve on the way they share information with their students through social interaction.

The study would also be a contribution to the existing literature on information sharing and research activities among students. Individuals looking for literature on information sharing and research activities among students would find this study useful. These individuals include researchers, teachers, students among others.

  1.7       Scope of the Study

The study focused on Final year students of Library and Information Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from 2010/2011 to 2014/2015 sessions.

 

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined within the context of this study:  

Library and information science Students: These are individuals who receive training in the field of Library and information science at Master’s level.

Information Sharing: The process through which information is acquired and disseminated among peers.

Information sharing and research activities: A process through which students unofficially engage themselves in discussion, peer tutoring etc. together with their colleagues in order to enhance their learning process.

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