CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Information literacy is the ability to recognize when information is

needed, and how to locate, access, use and evaluate it (Callison, 2006). This

ability is very essential nowadays due to “information explosion” where vast

amount of information is becoming increasingly available across all formats

for free. In addition to this, information literacy is also very important for it

entails not only knowing how to use the computer but more importantly,

knowing how to access information and analyze it.

Since it is not possible for the educators to teach their students all they

need to know, for them to survive and to succeed in life, it is vital to guide

them how to learn. Integrating information literacy in the curriculum is seen as

one of the effective ways to develop information literate people. As Thompson

and Henley (2000) stated, information literacy skills can and should be taught

throughout all curriculum areas because they reiterate some of the same skills

incorporated in national, state or local curriculum standards.

In the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, the Revitalized

General Education Program (RGEP) subsumes and adapts the objectives and

framework of the General Education Program (GEP). The RGEP specifically

opened more avenues for learning and contributed in molding the students to

be globally competitive. (UP Diliman website). It is in this light that this study

1
tried to find out if these General Education (GE) courses, such as English 10

and Komunikasyon 2, were enough to mold the students to be independent

information seekers. The study also aimed to know, through the perceptions

of the students who took English 10 and Komunikasyon 2 classes, if there

was a need for an information literacy course. (Sampson, 2010).

Developing lifelong learners is central to the mission of higher

education institutions. By ensuring that individuals have the intellectual

abilities of reasoning and critical thinking, and by helping them construct a

framework for learning how to learn, colleges and universities provide the

foundation for continued growth throughout their careers, as well as in their

roles as informed citizens and members of communities. Information literacy

is a key component of, and contributor to, lifelong learning. Information

literacy competency extends learning beyond formal classroom settings and

provides practice with self-directed investigations as individuals move into

internships, first professional positions, and increasing responsibilities in all

arenas of life. Because information literacy augments students’ competency

with evaluating, managing, and using information, it is now considered by

several regional and discipline-based accreditation associations as a key

outcome for college students.

This study tried to assess the information literacy competencies of the

college students in North Central Mindanao College, Maranding, Lala, Lanao

del Norte, so that the teachers can focus on areas or aspects of information

literacy that need more priority.

2
Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

Shapiro and Hughes (in Malliari and Nitsos, 2008: n.p) believe that in

today’s society, the effective and efficient utilisation and handling of the

massive volumes of print and electronic material and the various audio-visual

features presupposes the existence of trained and competent users. Shapiro

and Hughes (in Malliari and Nitsos, 2008: n.p) note that by definition, a

competent user is one who has developed a set of skills that go beyond the

basics of how to use a computer and how to access sources of information, to

skills that help him/her decode the nature of information and assess its

scientific, social, cultural and philosophical value. Thus, the American Library

Association (ALA, 2007: 1) defines information literacy as: “A set of abilities

which enable individuals to recognise when information is needed, and

possessing the ability to locate, evaluate, and utilise the needed information.”

Living in the information era, these abilities have become imperative in

virtually all life situations, and especially in the learning/educational

environment. Tertiary institutions are centres of learning and knowledge

generation, meaning that students, academic staff, administrative staff,

researchers and librarians work with information. Therefore, the ability to

search, identify, locate, retrieve and use information independently is

absolutely essential in the case of students who attend tertiary institutions to

gain as much knowledge and information as possible in order to be able to

function optimally in their chosen occupations.

According to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information

Professionals (CILIP) (2006: n.p), IL is a part of knowledge or learning that is

about acquiring a set of skills or competencies. An information literate

3
individual cares about the quality of the answer to what he/she is investigating

and is prepared to work to guarantee that quality. Barton (n.d: 1- 2) would

agree, saying that information literate students access, evaluate and use

information from a variety of sources, communicate effectively, and reflect on

the process as well as the product. Information Literacy is especially relevant

in primary and secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, and in

business and leisure (CILIP, 2006: n.p). The general lack of access to

information sources experienced on the African continent, both for educational

and leisure purposes, often results in information illiterate students who are ill-

prepared for the rigours of information retrieval at tertiary level. For this

reason, a deliberate programme designed to teach IL should be incorporated

in all universities’ curricula to help students interrogate and utilize information.

The figure below shows the conceptual framework of the study.

Assessment on College Students Information

Literacy in North Central Mindanao College

Perception of the Respondents

Information for Making Decisions

Sources of Information
Criteria of Information

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

4
Statement of the Problem

This study focuses on the assessment on the college students’

information literacy in North Central Mindanao College (NCMC) for the year

2015-2016. This study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What personal information needs occur in the daily lives of students?

2. What sources do students consult for finding everyday life information?

3. What evaluation criteria do students use to judge the quality of sources

they have found?

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study focused on the assessment on college students about their

information literacy particularly in North Central Mindanao College for the year

2015-2016. This study investigates the daily information needs of the

students, how they find information and how they evaluate the information.

Questionnaires were used to gather data through survey. One hundred (100)

respondents were used in this study.

Significance of the Study

This study will be beneficial to the following:

Community. They will be aware on how reliable the data they searched

through internet. Furthermore, they will know how to evaluate when finding

information.

5
 Teachers. They will be a great factor to improve the students’

information literacy. Giving assignment for the students to research will

improve the information literacy of the learners.

Librarians. They should integrate the uses of books with the

technology. Through this study, they will realize that librarians should improve

credibility and advanced their resources through databases.

Imminent Researchers. This will be a basis for further study about

information literacy of the students and like.

Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined conceptually and operationally:

 Credibility - a willingness to accept something as true

 Criteria at Fault – criteria in evaluation information resources.

 Information - definite knowledge acquired or supplied about something

or somebody

 Information Literacy - a set of abilities requiring individuals to

"recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate,

evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

 Reliable - able to be trusted to be accurate or to provide a correct result

 Valid - bringing about the results or ends intended

6
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

“The idea of information literacy, emerging with the advent of

information technologies in the early 1970s, has grown, taken shape and

strengthened to become recognized as the critical literacy for the twenty-first

century. Sometimes interpreted as one of a number of literacies, information

literacy is also described as the overarching literacy essential for twenty-first

century living. Today, information literacy is inextricably associated with

information practices and critical thinking in the information and

communication technology environment” (Bruce, 2002).

Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to

"recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate,

evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." Information literacy also

is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid

technological change and proliferating information resources. Because of the

escalating complexity of this environment, individuals are faced with diverse,

abundant information choices--in their academic studies, in the workplace,

and in their personal lives. Information is available through libraries,

community resources, special interest organizations, media, and the Internet--

and increasingly, information comes to individuals in unfiltered formats, raising

questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability. In addition, information

is available through multiple media, including graphical, aural, and textual,

and these pose new challenges for individuals in evaluating and

7
understanding it. The uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information

pose large challenges for society. The sheer abundance of information will not

in itself create a more informed citizenry without a complementary cluster of

abilities necessary to use information effectively (American Library

Association, 2016).

Information literacy is related to information technology skills, but has

broader implications for the individual, the educational system, and for

society. Information technology skills enable an individual to use computers,

software applications, databases, and other technologies to achieve a wide

variety of academic, work-related, and personal goals. Information literate

individuals necessarily develop some technology skills (American Library

Association, 2016).

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) adopted

the definition of the ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy when

it published the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher

Education: Standards, Performance Indicators, and Outcomes. (ACRL, 2000)

As educational theory has matured since Bloom’s time, others have

modified and revised the original taxonomy, most notably Lorin W. Anderson

and David R. Krathwohl’s A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and

Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, and

Robert J. Marzano and John S. Kendall’s The New Taxonomy of Educational

Objectives. The editors and authors of these new versions of Bloom’s

Taxonomy have been influenced by recent discoveries in cognitive science,

education theory, and pedagogical practice. Moreover, the new versions

8
correct a superficial, rigid hierarchy evident in the original version.

Nevertheless, the original and revised taxonomies agree on one point.

Education should enable students to move confidently and skillfully through

various levels of cognition: from recalling basic information to understanding,

analyzing, synthesizing, applying, evaluating, and productively using

information (Indiana University Bloomington Libraries, 2008).

In Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much

Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More, Derek Bok

addresses many of the pedagogical, institutional, and social issues

confronting higher education today (Bok, 2006).

In Bok’s view, one key area of concern is writing. As studies show,

writing—not multiple choice tests that promote regurgitation of “facts”—is the

best way for students to comprehend, judge, apply, and communicate

information in a meaningful way. Bok argues, though, that English teachers,

many of whom are not composition experts, have been primarily charged with

teaching writing. This situation, in his view, neglects the fact that “good writing

. . . will never be a skill that students can achieve or retain through a single

course. However successful the basic [English] program may become,

sustained improvement will require repeated practice. . . . Insufficient practice

is undoubtedly a major reason why undergraduates, especially in the

sciences, often fail to improve their writing during their college years” (Bok,

2006).

In Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind,

Gerald Graff identifies factors in education that make “academic intellectual

9
culture opaque or alienating to many students: seemingly counterintuitive

problems and argumentative practices that are rarely explained; curricular

mixed messages that further muddy those practices; phobias about

adversarial debate and intellectual analysis; obfuscating habits of academic

writing; the tendency to withhold the critical conversations that students are

expected to enter” . In short, colleges and universities, which are supposed to

provide access to information and development to students, unintentionally

and intentionally forbid students from accessing needed information and,

consequently, using that information in building their personal, academic, and

professional lives (Graff, 2007).

In the context of information literacy, Graff provides guidance for

institutions that aim to enhance student learning: Provide students the

information they need to enter into academic discourse. Give students

opportunities to see how the information acquired from one division or

discipline in the institution connects to others. Help students to overcome their

fears about processes of research, inquiry, and evaluation. Provide students

many opportunities to read and write academically so that they can

confidently produce effective and responsible academic papers and projects.

Instead of protecting students from controversial information produced by

academicians, encourage students to explore that information and provide

them guidance in how to process and use such information.

In the context of information literacy, Socrates provides a few helpful

insights. First, just because someone claims something, however small or

great, one should not immediately accept it. Second, to find out the veracity or

validity of information, other information should be acquired. All information

10
should be evaluated—analyzed, tested, confirmed, corroborated, and judged.

After information has been evaluated, it may be used—in Socrates’ case, to

both define something and to create knowledge. Perhaps most importantly,

Socrates’ conclusion about true knowledge implies that the beginning point for

gaining or building knowledge is to first admit that something is unknown. In

other the words, the true learner admits that she or he does not know

something and, consequently, is willing to locate, evaluate, and use the

information required to know that something (River Parishes Community

College’s QEP, 2009).

In the composition textbook Writing Logically, Thinking Critically, Sheila

Cooper and Rosemary Patton stress the importance of critical thinking in

writing. In the opening chapter, “Thinking and Writing—A Critical Connection,”

they offer the etymological definition of “critical” (Greek, kriticos), which means

“discern or separate”. In the very term “critical,” therefore, analysis and

evaluation are implied. The authors hold that to be a critical thinker means to

have an open mind, but they also assert that critical thinking is self-defense

from those who misuse and manipulate information. The remainder of the text

follows that theme (Cooper, et.al., 2007).

In the context of information literacy, Cooper and Patton demonstrate

that finding, evaluating, and using information is an ethical matter. One must

hold oneself and others to a high standard when it comes to responsibility and

effectiveness as information users (Cooper, et.al., 2007).

Jointly, the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of

College and Research Libraries (ACRL) have produced the most

11
comprehensive resource on information literacy. Their pamphlet introduced

above, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, is

an abbreviated version of what they provide through a website, Information

Literacy, which is dedicated to multiple aspects of information literacy.

Through the website and associated links, instructors and administrators may

access a wealth of resources: • Overview—gives a general introduction to

information literacy, an introduction specifically designed for faculty and

administrators, and a glossary • Standards and Guidelines—provides a

standards toolkit, a step-by-step tutorial, suggestion on adapting the

standards, ideas for using the standards, and information related to

accreditation • Resources and Ideas—provides models and tools for

information literacy in action, collaboration, curriculum and pedagogy,

assessment issues, global information literacy; and it makes available a

bibliography and links • Professional Activity—provides information on the

Institute for Information Literacy, ACRL initiatives, peer consultants and

speakers, and grants; provides practical tools, such as an instruction section,

a database, electronic lists, and an information literacy survey (American

Library Association, 2016).

In Information Literacy in an Information Society: A Concept for the

Information Age, Christina S. Doyle provides both a foundational study on and

a persuasive call for information literacy from the educational issue’s earlier

days. Her findings and arguments still apply today. She reviews information

literacy’s development, situates information literacy among other educational

issues and initiatives in the millennial context, provides a general framework

for implementing information literacy in the education system, offers

12
information literacy criteria, offers suggestions on assessment in general and

in relation to specific disciplines, makes suggestions on education reform, and

provides a substantial annotated bibliography (River Parishes Community

College’s QEP, 2009).

Doyle’s work, though dated in some areas, remains extremely

instructive and useful. Moreover, it is a text that provides the essential

reasons and original frameworks underpinning information literacy initiatives

today.

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 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the procedures followed in the course of the

study. The components of methodology being discussed are namely: the

discussion on the research design and research methods covering the

research environment, research subjects, sampling techniques,

instrumentation, data gathering techniques, and statistical treatment.

Research Design

Research design is a logical and systematic plan prepared for directing

research study. It is a specification of method and procedures for acquiring

information needed to structure or solve problems. It is overall operation

pattern or framework of the project that stipulates what information is to be

collected, from which sources and with what procedures (Shajaha, 2004).

The researchers used the descriptive or survey research design. The

researcher attempted to describe and explain the assessment on information

literacy of the college students by using subjects and questionnaires to fully

describe a phenomenon.

Research Environment

The study was conducted at North Central Mindanao College (NCMC)

which is located at Maranding, Lala, Lanao del Norte. This research involves

college students and teachers enrolled for school year 2015-2016.

14
Research Subjects/Respondents

The respondents of this study were totaled fifty (50) respondents that

are selected according to the availability or convenience of the respondents

from the college students coming from different college departments in North

Central Mindanao College, Maranding, Lala, Lanao del Norte for the school

year 2015-2016. This study aims to prove that the respondents have different

assessment, given that the different groups have different preferences and

perceptions. The researcher has gathered the respondents and was given

questionnaires. The result serves as the assessments for information literacy

of the college students. Moreover, responses from the students for the said

test were also gathered by the researchers. Table 1 shows the research

subjects of the study.

Table 1The Research Respondents

No. Respondents N

1 Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education Students 6

2 Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Students 6

3 Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management Students 6

4 Bachelor of Science in Social Work Students 6

5 Bachelor of Science in Criminology Students 6

6 Bachelor of Arts in Political Science 5

7 Bachelor Science in Nutrition 5

8 Bachelor of Science in Radio Technology 5

9 Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy 5

Total No. of Respondents 50

15
Sampling Techniques

The researchers used convenience sampling. It is based on the

availability and/or preference of the researchers.

Instrumentation

Basically, questionnaires were formulated and used by the researchers

in this study. The questionnaires have three (3) questions with options. The

respondents’ checks on the space provided that pertains to their choice. All of

these questionnaires were researcher-made instruments. An informed

consent was given to the respondents before conducting a survey. The

personal data of the respondents were not included in this study to remain

confidentiality for the purpose of research. Moreover, the researcher

translated each questionnaire into vernacular for the respondents to avoid

confusing words and understand what was written and what was the

researcher was trying to study.

Data Gathering Techniques

The researcher defines everyday life information research as the

information seeking conducted for personal reasons and not directly related to

fulfillment of a course assignment. This includes information for solving

problems arising in the course of daily life and to satisfy general

inquisitiveness about a topic. The data appearing in this paper is based on

three survey topics about students’ everyday life information–seeking

behavior. The researcher asked respondents about their needs, approaches,

and evaluation methods.

16
 The initial step that was taken by the researchers was to formulate the

questionnaires as well as the informed consent letter for the respondents.

After the questionnaires had been formulated, the researcher made some

phase validation test with the English and Mathematics teachers of NCMC.

Then, the modification and finalization of the test questionnaires including the

response questionnaire, the researchers had printed the test questionnaires

and other examination tools to be used in the exam. After which they were

given to the one hundred respondents.

The respondents’ personal data was not written to keep the

confidentiality of the respondents. After answering the questionnaires, a

response questionnaire was given to the respondents to know if they have

difficulty or if they eventually find some ambiguous statement/phrase in the

questionnaires. Then the researcher checked the answers of the respondents

and then summarized and arranged into tables. And all these served as the

data of this study. Then the researchers analyzed the data with the help of a

statistician.

Statistical Treatment

For the interpretation of the gathered data, the following statistical tools

were used in this study: percentages and frequency.

 Frequency. This was used to determine the frequency of the

respondents answer on each given item on the questionnaires.

 Percentages. This was used to calculate the percentage of the

respondents responded to each items on the questionnaires options.

17
 CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter shows the assessment on the college students’

information literacy in North Central Mindanao College for the year 2015-

2016. Table 1 shows the Personal Information Needs in the Daily Lives of the

Students. Table 2 shows the Sources Students Consult for Finding Everyday

Life Information. Table 3 shows the Criteria Students Use to Judge the Quality

of Sources.

Information for Making Decisions

Table 1. Personal Information Needs in the Daily Lives of the Students

What personal information needs occur in the daily lives of students?

Health/wellness

Travel (e.g., trip-planning)

Work/career (e.g. job openings,…

Spiritual Information

Search for experts (e.g. medical doctor)

News/current events

Purchasing something (e.g, service,…

All-work research/research for…

Social contacts (e.g. finding others)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

18
 No of
Information for Making Decision %
Respondents

Social contacts (e.g. finding others) 45 90%

All-work research/research for assignments (e.g.

40 80%
work questions)

Purchasing something (e.g, service, product) 39 78%

News/current events 37 74%

Search for experts (e.g. medical doctor) 12 24%

Spiritual Information 11 22%

Work/career (e.g. job openings, salary ranges) 10 20%

Travel (e.g., trip-planning) 8 16%

Health/wellness 5 10%

The table above shows the personal information need in the daily lives

of the college students. Majority of the students’ information needs are the

‘social contacts’ (90%) that they are looking through the internet. Seventy-four

percent of the students are looking for news/current events. However, more

than three-quarters of the students had searched for an answer to a work–

related question (80%) and/ or information about purchasing something

(78%).

Further, less than one quarter of the students searched for spiritual

information (22%) about a group and/or beliefs or to find an expert, such as a

physician, therapist, or attorney (24%). Still, fewer students in the sample

19
(20%) of the students searched for work career, travel information (16%) and/

or health and wellness (10%).

Overall, the results reveal students’ in the sample have searched for

information that might lead to community involvement or civic engagement.

These findings suggest students’ more frequent information needs may be

more motivated by personal needs than community engagement.

Finding Information

Table 2. Sources Students Consult for Finding Everyday Life Information

What sources do students consult for finding everyday life information?

Librarians
Personal Collection
Library Shelves
Blogs
Research Databases
Encyclopedias
Government Sites
Instructors
Social Networks
Classmates
Wikipedia
Friends/Family
Search engine including Google

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

Finding Information No. of Respondents %

Search engine including Google 49 98%

Friends/Family 38 76%

Wikipedia 31 62%

Classmates 30 60%

20
Social Networks 29 58%

Instructors 28 56%

Government Sites 20 40%

Encyclopedias 20 40%

Research Databases 17 34%

Blogs 15 30%

Library Shelves 15 30%

Personal Collection 11 22%

Librarians 8 16%

Almost all the respondents relied on the same few information sources

for finding everyday life information. A large majority of respondents used the

Web for everyday life information needs. Nearly all of the respondents (98%)

used Web search engines for gathering everyday life information.

Similarly, focus group participants also mentioned using search

engines. Unsurprisingly, most participants mentioned Google by name. Users

have sound and valid reasons for relying on the Internet for their information

needs. Internet search engines offer information that is self-service, free, and

available 24/7 in one’s own home (Anderson, 2005). The Google web

browser has been a driving force in this perception. Anderson states that

“Google has succeeded wildly at finding its users the information they want in

return for a minimum investment of time and energy” (p. 32) and Timpson

(2011) observes that for searchers Google offers a one-stop shopping

experience and a very usable interface.

21
 Another frequently used source was Wikipedia (62%) for everyday life

research. Yet, we also found students surveyed did not solely rely on the Web

when asked how often they consulted a list of computer–mediated and

human–mediated sources. A large majority of respondents also reported

turning to friends/family, and classmates (76%).

Further, two-thirds of the respondents (60%) turned to Classmates for

everyday life information. To a far lesser extent, the sample turned to

instructors (56%), and librarians (16%).

A large percentage of respondents also relied on social networks

(58%) such as Facebook, to meet information needs in daily life. A majority of

the sample used other Web sites to find information. More students (40%)

reported turning to government Web sites. Over one quarter of the samples

(30%) used blogs for everyday life information.

The finding suggests respondents used social networks for solving

information problems as well as for social communication.

Yet, well over a third of the respondents also reported using research

databases (34%) for finding everyday life information. Other campus materials

used for personal searching by students in the sample included online and

print encyclopedias, such as Britannica (40%) and the campus library’s

shelves (30%).Overall, findings confirm the conventional wisdom — the Web,

and especially search engines, is the go–to sources for finding information

everyday life. At the same time, respondents report, also relied heavily on

friends, family, and classmates almost as much as they relied on the Web for

everyday life information.

22
 These findings suggest respondents are driven by familiarity and habit.

The use of convenient nearby sources drives usage. Yet, to a lesser extent,

respondents consulted materials in the campus library, including scholarly

research databases. This finding suggests students may have also a need for

authoritative fact–finding sources found through the library when conducting

everyday life research.

Criteria at Fault

Table 3. Criteria Students Use to Judge the Quality of Sources

What evaluation criteria do students use to judge the quality of sources they

have found?

Mentioned by librarian
Bibliography included
Author credits others for ideas
Chart quality (if they exist)
Different viewpoints acknowledged
Linkage (if links exist)
Heard about site before
Author’s Credentials
URL (e.g., Web domain)
Currency (e.g, publication date)
Familiarity from previous use
Interface Design

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Criteria at Fault No. of Respondents %

Interface Design 31 62%

Familiarity from previous use 30 60%

Currency (e.g, publication date) 29 58%

23
URL (e.g., Web domain) 27 54%

Author’s Credentials 26 52%

Heard about site before 23 46%

Linkage (if links exist) 22 44%

Different viewpoints acknowledged 20 40%

Chart quality (if they exist) 17 34%

Author credits others for ideas 12 24%

Bibliography included 10 20%

Mentioned by librarian 8 16%

Most searches for information involve sizing up the information quality

of a source once it is found. Is the source credible? Is the source up–to–date?

Is the information accurate? Is the source useful for the solving the

information problem at hand?

Overall, we found most respondents were frequent evaluators of

information for personal use. More than any other criteria, respondents relied

on self–taught criteria for assessing the quality of everyday information they

culled from the Web. More often than not, a site’s design received the most

scrutiny (62%).

Another deciding factor for respondents was a site’s familiarity. Third-

quarters of the students surveyed (60%) reported that whether they had used

the site before was a frequent criteria used for assessing the quality of Web

content.

24
 Yet, familiarity was clearly different than referrals, according to

students sampled. Fewer students (46%) relied on whether they had heard

about a site before and even fewer (16%) considered whether a librarian

referred a site to them to use.

At the same time, students relied on traditional and formal standards —

timeliness and authority — from the scholarly print world and librarianship.

More than half of the respondents (58%) considered the currency of Web

content (e.g., checking the data in footer details). They also relied on the

authority of posted content, too, by judging the origin of a site’s URL (54%)

and/or an author’s credentials (52% percent).

The least applied standards were domain–specific standards. That is,

criteria specific to the Internet and often used for judging reliability, authority,

and credibility of Web content (e.g., linkage, origins of a URL, footer details).

Specifically, we found less than one-quarter of the respondents whether an

author had credited sources used (24%), and/or whether there was a

bibliography of some kind (20%).

Discussion

The Internet contains a wealth of information. It not only provides

educational information but also is an indispensable tool to stimulate and

enrich learning. As the Internet expands and advances, the demand for the

use of the Internet from the general public also increases. Today, not only do

government agencies, academic researchers and college students,

businesses, school teachers and students, and librarians use the Internet,

25
those whose day-to-day work may not be involved with the use of computers,

also need information from the Internet.

Search engines, even the best and fastest, are but one way that we

can seek information quickly and effectively judge the quality of it. Google

today is the most successful search engine and has used this success to

expand into multifaceted media company. The survey result shows that most

students search through Google (98%), Wikipedia (62%) and encyclopedias

(40%).

The question of authority—a trusted source—on the Internet is

compounded by the problem of so much information, so many choices.

College students searching for information sources do some criteria in

evaluating the reliability and credibility of the sources. Lankes (2008) has

made some very engaging observations about how users navigate the

Internet information space, how they choose information sources, and how

they make judgments on the credibility of the information they find. In contrast

to the old model of going to the library to consult librarians and trusted

resources for credible and authoritative information, Internet users must

operate on a self-sufficiency model. Because Internet users cannot engage

physically with the items they encounter, they are dependent on information

they can glean about the items. (For example, one can pick up and examine

a book in the bookstore or the library, while one must depend on the

information provided about the book on Amazon.com).

Lankes (2008) posits that credibility is derived from trust and expertise.

On the Internet, that means that users are dependent on information provided

26
by others. According to Lankes, that explains the power and popularity of

social web applications of Web 2.0. The desire to participate and engage the

feedback of others is at the heart of credibility on the Internet—and reliability,

Lankes claims, is the currency of credibility. On the Internet, it is reliability

that is more powerful than authority. It is through the consensus of the

participatory Web environment that one can determine the reliability of

information sources on the Internet. Establishing authority on the Internet in

yet another form comes, very famously, from Google’s PageRank algorithm

that is based on consumer input from links generated between web pages

(Regalado, 2007).

With this information, the researcher could conclude that students

realized that web resources were potentially unreliable. Students evaluated

the resources they have found on the web, looking primarily at standards of

currency, author’s credentials, URL’s and interface design. According to

Lankes (2008), as information service providers, libraries need to get on

board with social Web applications and the kinds of linked data schemes that

allow them to add value and context to the information they already

disseminate. Lankes observes that librarians (and users) must “be fluent in

the tools that facilitate the conversation” (p. 682).

Libraries must recognize that they are increasingly not at the center of

information seeking behaviors of Internet users. Several strategies, however,

can be employed to counter this. Inside of the physical library and community

environments libraries can find innovative ways to push reference services to

users. They can be proactive in educating searchers in more sophisticated

search techniques and demonstrate the utility of their database products.

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Librarians should be engaged in lobbying electronic resources publishers to

create databases with more appealing user interfaces and superior

functionality. Libraries must also take seriously the need to have a presence

online and create points of access that make their resources discoverable by

Internet browsers.

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 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings

This study had dealt with the assessment on college students’

information literacy in North Central Mindanao College for the year 2015-

2016. This study seeks to answer the following questions: What personal

information needs occur in the daily lives of students, What sources do

students consult for finding everyday life information?; What evaluation criteria

do students use to judge the quality of sources they have found?

In order to answer these questions, the researchers used survey

questionnaires with fifty (50) respondents as sample subjects. An informed

consent was given to the respondents before conducting the survey. The

personal profiles of the respondents were not included to remain the

confidentiality of the respondents’ data. Statistical tools were used to interpret

the data namely the frequency and percentage.

Data shows that majority of the students’ information needs are the

‘social contacts’ (90%) that they are looking through the internet. Seventy-four

percent of the students are looking for news/current events. However, more

than three-quarters of the students had searched for an answer to a work–

related question (80%) and/ or information about purchasing something

(78%). Further, less than one quarter of the students searched for spiritual

information (22%) about a group and/or beliefs or to find an expert, such as a

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physician, therapist, or attorney (24%). Still, fewer students in the sample

(20%) of the students searched for work career, travel information (16%) and/

or health and wellness (10%). Another frequently used source was Wikipedia

(62%) for everyday life research. Yet, we also found students surveyed did

not solely rely on the Web when asked how often they consulted a list of

computer–mediated and human–mediated sources. A large majority of

respondents also reported turning to friends/family, and classmates (76%).

Further, two-thirds of the respondents (60%) turned to Classmates for

everyday life information. To a far lesser extent, the sample turned to

instructors (56%), and librarians (16%). Yet, well over a third of the

respondents also reported using research databases (34%) for finding

everyday life information. Other campus materials used for personal

searching by students in the sample included online and print encyclopedias,

such as Britannica (40%) and the campus library’s shelves (30%). More

students (40%) reported turning to government Web sites. Over one quarter

of the samples (30%) used blogs for everyday life information. A large

percentage of respondents also relied on social networks (58%) such as

Facebook, to meet information needs in daily life. A majority of the sample

used other Web sites to find information. More often than not, a site’s design

received the most scrutiny (62%). Another deciding factor for respondents

was a site’s familiarity. Third-quarters of the students surveyed (60%)

reported that whether they had used the site before was a frequent criteria

used for assessing the quality of Web content. Yet, familiarity was clearly

different than referrals, according to students sampled. Fewer students (46%)

relied on whether they had heard about a site before and even fewer (16%)

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considered whether a librarian referred a site to them to use. More than half of

the respondents (58%) considered the currency of Web content (e.g.,

checking the data in footer details). They also relied on the authority of posted

content, too, by judging the origin of a site’s URL (54%) and/or an author’s

credentials (52% percent). Specifically, we found less than one-quarter of the

respondents whether an author had credited sources used (24%), and/or

whether there was a bibliography of some kind (20%).

Conclusions

The findings resulted to the formulation of the following conclusions:

 College students searching for information sources do some criteria in

evaluating the reliability and credibility of the sources.

 Being information literate is very important nowadays. Information can

be found and accessed in various format, thus there is a need to

educate individuals in determining which and when information is

needed. They should possess the ability to access, locate, use, and

evaluate information effectively and efficiently.

Recommendation

The following were the recommendations of the researchers to North

Central Mindanao College students, teachers, administrators and librarians

that could be an action plan for the improvement of information literacy of the

college students.

 Students should study and set standards in evaluating information

resources.

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 Students should enhance their information literacy through looking into

the validity, credibility and reliability of the research data.

 Librarians should be engaged in lobbying electronic resources

publishers to create databases with more appealing user interfaces

and superior functionality.

 Libraries must also take seriously the need to have a presence online

and create points of access that make their resources discoverable by

Internet browsers.

 Provide funding for professional development to help teachers learn

ways to support student progress in the full range of 21st century

literacies, and provide assistance to schools for professional

development to help teachers incorporate literacy learning in all content

areas.

 Ensure that schools are equipped with a 21st century technology

infrastructure and 21st century technology tools.

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