INVESTIGATION ON THE USE OF LIBRARY ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITIES
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
A library is a collection of printed or written materials that contain recorded knowledge in the form of books, manuscripts, journals, and other printed or written materials. Nonfiction works include biographies, histories, and other factual reports; creative works include poetry, novels, short stories, music scores, and photographs; reference works include encyclopedias that provide factual information and indexes that help users find information in other sources; and periodical publications include magazines, scholarly journals, and books published in series. These categories commonly include the following types of works: reference works that provide factual information, such as encyclopedias and indexes As the number of people who own records, CD-ROMs, audiotapes, and videotapes has grown, library collections have begun to include these items.
in addition to others, media (Mohammed and Makki, 2022).
According to Onuoah (2020), there is a positive relationship between the presence of school libraries and children’s overall learning outcomes. According to him, students who used the library frequently performed better on tests than students who did not use the library frequently. Those students did not frequent the library. For a variety of reasons, the majority of students in today’s society do not use libraries. Among these reasons are a lack of familiarity with the use of the catalogue, which assists library users in locating or identifying the materials that they require; additionally, there are not enough orientations or seminars geared toward library users.
The vast majority of students in Nigeria do not visit their school libraries on a regular basis. According to Ayo (2017), the advancement of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has resulted in an increase in the number of students who obtain the resources they require from the internet rather than visiting libraries on a regular basis.
Furthermore, the majority of educational resources in Nigerian school libraries are considered out of date. As a result, students prefer to use internet resources, which they believe are more current in terms of information outflow than those found in school libraries. Adeleke (2021) identifies a number of issues that contribute to poor utilization of
A large number of Nigerian students use libraries. The problems include a lack of organization of student orientation courses, an insufficient supply of experienced library professionals, a lack of funds to provide appropriate and up-to-date books, encyclopedias, and other resources in school libraries, and so on (Adeleke, 2021). According to Adeleke, these factors have contributed to Nigeria’s low educational standards as well as students’ poor academic achievement.
Perkins (2021) and Atkins (2022) research findings consistently showed that there is a strong relationship between library use and academic success of students of all ages, from primary school all the way up to university. Regardless, this was the case.
of the subject matter that the students were studying. Students who read extensively, use local libraries, and comprehend the material they read are more likely to succeed academically. Children who are read to before starting school have larger vocabularies, greater general knowledge, and better conceptual development than their peers who do not read. According to Ninio (2020), the connection between reading and learning begins even earlier in the pre-primary school years. Furthermore, when compared to their peers who do not read frequently, children can read and write with much less difficulty and in much less time.
Reading is a habit that can be developed. as early as childhood (Mbise, 2017). As a result, children who do not cultivate the habit of reading will not read in school libraries, even if they are required to do so; this is the root cause of poor academic performance among students who do not frequent the libraries. Smith (2015) conducted a study in which the academic achievement of students who regularly use libraries was compared to the academic achievement of students who did not use libraries. The findings revealed that students who read and did research in libraries on a regular basis outperformed their peers who did none of these things or only visited the libraries occasionally. According
according to Hunter (2019), who believes that students’ high levels of academic performance can be attributed to frequent and appropriate library use: For example, children can gain access to more recent information in school libraries, and they can gain a significant amount of knowledge by reading books that are both current and of high quality that they can find in such libraries.
Anyadike (2020) discovered in a similar study on the relationship between library usage and students’ academic performance that students’ academic performance is better when they use the school libraries on a regular basis than when they do not use the school libraries at all. Based on these findings, Anyadike advised students to use the library on a regular basis.
library resources in order to achieve the highest level of academic achievement or academic excellence in their academic endeavors.
Studies on the library system in the United States conducted by (Allport, 2020), Alban and Lance (2015), and others revealed that professionally trained school library media specialists have a positive effect on students’ academic performance; that library media specialists require the support of teachers and principals to be most effective; and that support staff is essential if library media specialists are to fully affect students’ academic achievement at school. Other findings revealed that library media specialists serve as both educators and learners. It was also discovered that in-service training providers for educators and competent library specialists play an important role.
taking part in expanding access to information technology beyond the library and into the classroom (Lance, 2018).
If students are to see any kind of noticeable improvement in their academic performance at school as a result of using the library, the roles of school counselors will be critical. School counselors, for example, are regarded as experts due to their extensive experience in changing the unfavorable personalities or attitudes of individuals or groups of individuals and leading them to the appropriate ways of behaving in order to achieve positive results through the use of guidance and counseling techniques. In this regard, the school counselor’s responsibility is to provide children with guidance and instruction on the
appropriate and most successful methods for students to begin using library resources in order to achieve high levels of academic success while attending school (Anyanwu, 2022).
Furthermore, counselors must conduct orientation courses, seminars, and workshops in order to effectively use the counseling tactics they have developed to change students’ negative attitudes toward library use in our tertiary educational institutions.
As a result, this study will look into the impact of library use on academic achievement among university students.
1.2 DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM
One of the factors influencing students’ levels of educational achievement is their use of, or lack of use of, school libraries. For example, the library’s mission is to help people. Students are encouraged to reach their full academic potential in order to lead successful lives as contributing members of society. Unfortunately, the majority of students do not believe it is necessary to spend time in the library reading or conducting research that will benefit their academic future. This is because the majority of students are unfamiliar with how to use library materials or how to locate or identify the types of books that they want to read, and many more students dislike having to sit still for hours in order to read or study in the library, while others would rather spend their time “jisting” away their time outside of the library.
maintaining silence and studying in the library (Anyanwu, 2022).
These alleged causes are said to be responsible for negative or poor academic performance, overall low educational standards, and widespread and persistent examination malpractices in Nigerian schools today (Anyanwu, 2022). The majority of students use libraries and the services they provide insufficiently, incorrectly, or not at all, contributing to the overall issue of widespread academic failure among students in the country’s internally and externally administered standardized tests.
Many students do not use the library because of the negative treatment they receive from the majority of library staff, who appear to be untrained and, as a result, lack knowledge and experience in library attendance and use.
Libraries are either not used at all or are used insufficiently. This is another significant factor that contributes to students’ low library usage. Due to the deficiencies of library attendants and personnel, students frequently develop a fear of simply visiting the library, let alone sitting down and reading there. This is especially true when compared to the students’ likelihood of reading in the library. As a result, the goal of this study is to look into the effect of student access to school libraries on academic achievement, as well as the implications of such access for counseling.
The vast majority of postsecondary educational institutions lack library counselors who are trained in ways to assist students and library personnel in cultivating a love of reading.
positive attitudes regarding the usage of libraries and the advantages that come along with it. Students who have a negative attitude toward using libraries are not helped out of their academic binds because school library counselors are not employed, and this has had a long-term impact on the academic achievement of many students at Adekunle Ajasin University and other Nigerian universities.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study’s overarching goal is to investigate the impact of library use on academic achievement among university students. The study’s specific objectives were as follows:
i. Determine the relationship between student academic achievement and use of the school library.
ii. To determine whether school counseling has a significant relationship with
Students make use of the school library.
iii. Determine whether there is a difference in academic achievement between students who use libraries and those who do not.
iv. To determine whether there is a gender difference in student academic achievement as a result of library use.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
This study raised the following research questions:
i. Is there a link between student academic achievement and use of the school library?
ii. Does school counseling have a significant relationship with students’ use of the school library?
Is there a difference in academic achievement between students who use libraries and those who do not?
iv. Is there a gender difference in student academic achievement as a result of the use of
of libraries.
1.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
This research would benefit the following people:
Students: One of the study’s major implications is that it highlights the importance of school libraries in improving students’ academic performance and achieving high academic success in their educational careers. This is because if students instill the culture of reading and use the school library, their academic achievement will improve and the seemingly low academic standards in the school system will be remedied. The study’s findings and recommendations will help students become more informed about the importance of using library resources to maximize their academic success in school.
Teachers: No, they do not.
Not only will the recommendations and findings of this study benefit students, but teachers will also find it very informative, as they will be better informed and exposed to the issue of students’ use and or non-use of libraries as determinants of their academic performance in school. This study will greatly benefit teachers because if students learn how to use libraries properly and maximize their educational standards as a result of this study, teachers’ work will be easier and they will receive more credit.
Parents would benefit from the study because they would be able to understand the benefits of using libraries and the consequences of not using them.
It is used in school by their children. This study will be educational and informative to parents because the knowledge they will gain from it will help them measure their children’s performance in relation to library use.
The General Public: This study will also benefit the general public, who will be better informed about students’ attitudes toward using school libraries. This study will also serve as a resource for both new and experienced library researchers and scholars. The findings and recommendations of this study will benefit library staff and school library attendants because they will help them carry out their duties more effectively.
that students will be encouraged to use libraries more frequently.
The Library Attendants: The study and its recommendations would provide library attendants with necessary information to assist them in changing some of their negative attitudes and unfriendly dispositions that do not inspire students to come to the library to read or study. The study’s recommendations will urge library authorities to implement a training and development program to assist library attendants in sitting up and doing their work diligently for the benefit of library users, particularly students.
The School Authorities: The study’s content, findings, and recommendations would be very informative and important to the school.
management, particularly at the University of Lagos. This is because heeding and implementing the recommendations of this study by the institution’s managers, particularly the school authorities at the Faculty of Education, will go a long way toward assisting the authorities in looking into the issue of low use of library facilities by students and its attendant negative effects on the general standards of the University of Education and, more importantly, on students’ academic achievement. Will be able to devise methods for organizing orientation courses, seminars, and workshops on the importance of using libraries and improving students’ academic performance at school.
1.6 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVE
The study seeks to determine the relationship between the use of
Students with high academic achievement and the school library. The study will also look into whether school counseling has a significant impact on students’ use of the school library. The study will also look into whether there is a difference in academic achievement between students who use libraries and those who do not. Finally, the study will look into whether there is a gender difference in student academic achievement as a result of library use. As a result, the study is restricted to Adekunle Ajasin University in Ondo State.
1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS
As with any other research, the researcher encountered constraints in the cause of this study, including a lack of needed accurate materials on the topic under study and an inability to obtain data. Financial constraints were also encountered.
by the researcher, in getting relevant materials and in printing and collation of questionnaires. Furthermore, time is a constraint because the researcher must shuttle between writing the research and engaging in other academic work, which makes the researcher uncomfortable.
1.8 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
School Library:A school library is a room or building that houses a collection of books for reading. It is also writing and reading room in an institution or school.
Academic achievements: This is the overall outcome of students’ learning activities over a period of time in a formal school environment.
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