Abstracts Category : Other

Information literacy and lifelong learning in the National Open University of Nigeria

by Edeama Oyidiya-Onyike Onwuchekwa

This study was conducted at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and it considered the information literacy and lifelong learning skills of the students in the University. The National Open University is an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system that encompasses education for all, education for life, lifelong learning, life-wide education, adult education, mass education, media-based education, self-learning and part-time studies. The ability to recognise the need for the available information, retrieve, evaluate and use this information is a hallmark towards the direction of information literacy in any society. Developing lifelong learners is central to the mission of higher education institutions like universities, especially for distance learners.The purpose of the study was to investigate information literacy skills amongst the students in the National Open University. This study utilized the case study method of quantitative research mixed with a qualitative strand in its data collection process. The dominant quantitative approach (questionnaire) was used to investigate the information literacy and lifelong learning skills of the students in the National Open University whilst the qualitative approach (interview and document analysis) was used to collect qualitative data needed to clarify areas that were not adequately covered in the quantitative data collection phase. This study used the questionnaire, interview and document analysis as its data collection methods.The study was conducted in five selected study centres out of the seventy-two centres of the National Open University. This study utilized the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula, where the sample size of 384 was chosen because the total number of the sampled students population was 170 830. From the quantitative perspective of the study, data analysis involved the use of simple frequency and percentage distribution, mean, median and standard deviation. The descriptive statistics were generated on all the variables in the instrument and this was accomplished with the aid of a computer software programme known as the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. A thematic method of data analysis was used for this qualitative strand of the study.The results of the study revealed that the information literacy library facilities available at NOUN were course materials and University websites. The study confirmed that there were no facilities in relation to information literacy development in all the schools and there was no form of information literacy integration curriculum in the University. The study established that there were no information literacy programmes put in place to support, promote and create awareness of information literacy for lifelong learning and no methods were put in place to assess or measure the information literacy competency levels of the students in the National Open University of Nigeria. The study revealed that the link of collaboration between the academics in the school and the professionalAdvisors/Committee Members: Ngulube, Patrick (advisor), Jiyane, Glenrose Velile (advisor).