Information literacy training effectiveness on Cambodia's province-based undergraduates
International Journal of Comparative Education and Development
ISSN: 2396-7404
Article publication date: 7 September 2020
Issue publication date: 9 November 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This study is aimed at determining the effect of a short-term information literacy training activity on the self-efficacy of undergraduate students at province-based universities in Cambodia.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-week training intervention was administered to 461 undergraduate students at three province-based public universities in Cambodia. The participants answered an information literacy self-efficacy questionnaire before and after the intervention.
Findings
The students' level of information literacy self-efficacy has a low mean score of 2.23 on a five-point scale before the training. After the training, the score dramatically increased to 3.64 and was statistically significant (p-value < 0.001). This indicates that short-term information literacy self-efficacy training is an effective means to promote information literacy among students.
Research limitations/implications
This research scope was limited to examine the effect of a short-term intervention on a particular population. Further improvements include analyzing the training effects over the long term, soliciting qualitative feedback from respondents, and gathering previous relevant training data.
Practical implications
There is a need for a carefully designed curriculum to be implemented that focuses on introducing information and communication technology (ICT) while considering its potential application to research activity. To be able to make meaningful curriculum changes, there must be a systematic way of identifying the ICT needs that are most urgent among undergraduate students in province-based Cambodian universities.
Originality/value
This research focuses on implementing ICT training and measuring its effectiveness on Cambodian undergraduate students in province-based universities, a growing population that has immense potential in influencing the country's growth but whose information literacy self-efficacy remains largely understudied until now.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The first author received a scholarship from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the AUN/SEED-Net program, which provided financial support for living expenses and doctoral degree program tuition payments. The laboratory provided financial support for the fieldwork conducted in Cambodia.
Citation
Seng, C., Carlon, M.K.J.J. and Cross, J.S. (2020), "Information literacy training effectiveness on Cambodia's province-based undergraduates", International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 263-280. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-11-2019-0057
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited