Information Literacy Skills of Students at University of Kelaniya: Faculty of Social Sciences

Abstract

In today's information society, “a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (ALA, 1989). These skills are also necessary for university students in order to carry out their academic work. But it seems that students do not have sufficient information literacy skills in order to carry out their studies successfully. This research attempts to address the aforementioned problem. The main objective of this study is to understand how undergraduate students deal with information. The population of the study was undergraduates. Hundred students attached to nine departments in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya were chosen as the sample. The methodology used was the survey method and questionnaires were utilized to gather data. Theresearch questions were designed to explore factors that might have an impact on information literacy skills. The goal of this study was to answer the following questions: Are the University students well prepared to face the challenges of our information society? Do the age and gender of the students have an impact on their way of dealing with information? The evaluation of the results helps to understand the students’ information behavior.Research indicates that most students do not have an ability to find information in the right way and they don’t have a clear idea about information. Students seem to be used to find information only from the library and the majority of the students don’t appear to find information through electronic means. Solutions recommended for this problem are the exposure of students to Information Literacy skills through workshops and practical sessions.