Abstract:
Information is increasing at a great speed where users, especially the university
students get confused whether the information they get is the right one or not. New
developments in education and technology are affecting user learning and leading to
the emergence of information literacy. That is why the value of information literacy
has become a burning question in every sector even more specifically in academic
settings.
Purpose: The main aim of this study was to provide the value of information literacy
instructions in educational systems in developing country perspective. The objectives
were to: derive the perceptions of university students regarding IL skills; identify their
IL skill levels; and test the derived value of information literacy through IL training.
Methods: This study method basically involves two data collection techniques. One is
a comprehensive questionnaire and the other one is experimental research design. A
comprehensive survey of questionnaires was conducted to examine the concepts and
perceptions of IL by university students. An experimental study was conducted to
identify the value of information literacy instructions through pre- and post-training
sessions.
Results: The results showed that students had positive perceptions of information
literacy. In experimental study, it was found that students’ performed poorly in the
pre-training session. But their success score in the post-training session improved
significantly. All participating students agreed to the fact that IL instructions should
be incorporated into academic curricula.
