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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In this age of information society, students are expected to know how

to use the library and the computers to retrieve any required information for a

certain study. But still some of the students don’t know how to use the library

and computers due to lack of available tools and even books in the library.

This paper intended to examine the information competency possessed by

the college students in Eastern Visayas State University. It involves

organizing information if needed and being able to locate, evaluate, and use

information in various formats. This refers to the ability to navigate rapidly in

the growing information society.

The term information competency, sometimes referred to as

information literacy, is generally defined as the ability to access, evaluate,

organized and use information from a variety of resources. Being information

literate requires knowing how to clearly a subject of investigation, select the

appropriate terminologies that express the concept of the subject under

investigation, formulate a search strategy into consideration different

resources of information and various ways information is organized and data

are collected and analyze for value, relevance, quality and suitability and

successively turn information into knowledge (Watson and Johnson, 2000).

According to Association of College Research Libraries (2000),

information literacy or competency is a set of abilities requiring individuals to

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recognize when information is needed and have ability to locate, evaluate,

and use effectively the needed information. Therefore, the concept of

information literacy presupposes that an individual recognizes the need for

information and knows how to find, evaluate and subsequently communicate

effectively to solve a particular problems or to make decision.

In this global Information Age, information literacy/competency is

essential for success, both in college and throughout life. The definition of

information literacy/competency that guides academic librarianship is provided

by the American Library Association (ALA)--Association of College &

Research Libraries (ACRL). They define information literacy/competency as a

set of abilities to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability

to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” This definition

is further specified by a set of competency standards that emphasize five key

skills. A person who is information literate (1.) Determines the nature and

extent of the information needed. (2.) Accesses needed information effectively

and efficiently. (3.) Evaluates information and its sources critically and

incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value

system. (4.)Individually or as a member of a group, uses information

effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. (5.) Understands many of the

economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and

accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

Information literacy is focused on content, communication, analysis,

information searching and evaluation. It is a vital ability for modern

information-intensitive world, enabling personal, economic, social and cultural

development.
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American Library Association (2000), said that information competency

is important in our world that is rapidly evolving through the growth and

proliferation of technological and information resources. As a result,

information users face with countless information choices and must decide

which resources to use in the acquisition of information. They also determine,

the authenticity, validity and usability of information they discover. The ability

to access, evaluate, and use of information is a pre-requisite for a lifelong

learning and a basic requirement for information society.

Julien (2002), believes that an information literate person today should

possess specific online searching skills such as the ability to select

appropriate search terminologies, logical search strategies and appropriate

information evaluation.

There are skills that are required to be an information literate person

call for an understanding of: a need for information, the resources available,

how to find information, the need to evaluate results, how to work or exploit

results, how to communicate or share your findings and how to manage your

findings. Information literate people are those who have learned how to learn.

They know how to learn because they know how information is organized,

how to find information and how to use information in such a way that others

can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning because

they always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand

(Lowe and Spitzer, 2004).

Etim (2007), observed that the use of electronic information

superhighway is already in high esteem in the world where prior knowledge of

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search skills was manual. According to her, traditional library skills taught to

students have been mere location skills, but digital retrieval skills have

hitherto not been taught. She further noted that because most library workers

have not fully comprehended this retrieval mode, hence, information literacy

skills remains totally alien to most library users including students.

Information literate students are competent and independent learners

that know their information needs and actively engage in the world of ideas.

They display confidence in their ability to solve problems and know what

relevant information is and manage technology tools to access information

and to communicate effectively. They operate comfortably in situations where

there are multiple answers as well as those with no answers. They hold high

standards for their work and create quality products. Information literacy

students are flexible, can adapt to change and are able to function

independently and in groups, whether information comes from a computer, a

book, a government official, a film, a conversation, a poster or any number of

other possible sources.

In the article written by Butch Hernandez in the Philippine Daily

Inquirer, he quoted that “To become a successful student, responsible citizen,

productive worker, or competent and conscientious costumer, individual

needs to develop expertise with increasingly sophisticated information and

entertainment media that addresses us on a multisensory affecting the way

we think, feel and behave”.

According to the California Community Colleges Academic Senate,

“Information competency is the ability to find, evaluate, use, and communicate

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information in all its various formats. It combines aspects of library literacy,

research methods, and technological literacy. Information competency

includes consideration of the ethical and legal implications of information and

requires the application of both critical thinking and communication skills.”

In the former President Barack Obama’s Proclamation designating

October 2009 as a National Information Literacy Awareness Month. He

stated that “Every day, we are inundated with vast amounts of information. A

24-hoour news cycle and thousands of global television and radio network,

coupled with an immense array of online resources, have challenged our

long-held perception of information management. Rather than merely

possessing data, we must also learn skills necessary to acquire, locate, and

evaluate information for any situation. This new type of literacy also requires

competency with communication technologies, including computers and

mobile devices that can help our day-to-day decision making”.

According to ALA/ACRL (2000), “Information competency is a hot new

term in the higher education lexicon,” but is not a new concept. “The idea of

resource-based education is an old one and librarians have been involved in

teaching the effective use of information resources for over a century under

the labels library instruction, bibliographic instruction and library skills.”

It differs from the traditional library instruction in that it involves a

collaborative effort between librarians, computer science, and other classroom

faculty. It also focuses on the learner, rather than on the teacher, and on

teaching lifelong skills rather than on teaching specific function of various

library resources.
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Based on the foregoing information, the researcher conducted the soil

study to identify the level of information competency possessed by the college

students in Eastern Visayas State University in Burauen, Leyte.

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of the study was to assess the information competency

of the college students in Eastern Visayas State University.

Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender;

1.3 Year and Programme;

2. What is the level of information competency of college students in

Eastern Visayas State University?

3. What is the impact of information competency to the students?

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

In this study many learning theorist attempted to explain how people

learn but no one having the complete answer on this theory. However, the all-
inclusive learning theory of connectivism describes the process of creating
from a variety of sources and experiences.

Information competency is both common and an important learning

activity with higher education. In the research of Casuela et al (2016), they

said that it is under-theorized as a process and as a path to a product. The

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view of information seeking as something that is learnt is well in accordance

with the view that the appropriation of information literacy may be a goal for

learning. However, theoretical starting points are not always clearly stated in,

for instance, information literacy definitions, standards, or educational

practices. Regardless of whether the underlying theory is made explicit or not,

it will nevertheless have a profound impact on the ways in which we teach or

research information literacy

The advocates on the Connectivity Theory (connectivism). George

Siemens, a Canadian theorist in 2004 known properly as a learning of the

digital age, it took its root the psychological learning theories of behaviorism,

cognitivism and constructivism. The connectivism is the integration of principle

explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories.

It’s focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections

that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of

knowing. Also focus the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly

altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired. The ability

to draw distinctions between important and important information is vital.

Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism do not attempt to address the

challenges of organizational knowledge and transference (Siemens, G. 2005).

Connectivism has emerged as an explanation of student learning

theory in the 21st century. The theory, advanced by George Siemens in 2005,

argues traditional learning theories are no longer relevant in a digital age

where information and knowledge are constantly changed. Several of

Siemen’s (2005), man principles of connectivism have clear ties to information

literacy: Learning and knowledge rests in diversity opinions; learning is a

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process of connecting specialized modes/information sources; capacity to

know more is more critical than what is currently known; ability to see

connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill;currency is the

intent of all connectivist learning activities; decision-making is itself a learning

process

The theory is an alternative to behaviorism, cognitivism and

constructivism which are learning theories used in creating instructional

environments when technology was not part of learning. They consider

learning principally as occurring inside a person and failed to recognize

learning that is stored and manipulated by technology

(Siemens, 2005). This theory is about the use of ICT resources the second is

how these skills and competencies will benefit the academic environment

where the library staff serve. It will help them connect to a diversity of ideas;

explore capacity to know more, etc.

Connectivism has been considered as an approach to information

education, acknowledged as a potentially more relevant learning theory, such

as constructivism, because of its emphasis on thinking about information in a

networked society (McBride 2013). Transue (2013), mapped each of Siemens

principles to the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher

Education, published by the Association of College and Research Libraries

(ACRL) in 2000. Transue suggested many connectivist principles were

already embedded in information literacy instruction, but librarians should be

more intentional in their application of the theory.

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It is impossible to experience everything; the learner can share through

collaboration. It is defined as actionable knowledge, where an understanding

of where to find knowledge maybe more important than answering how or

what that knowledge encompasses. This theory is about the use of ICT

resources the second is how these skills and competencies will benefit the

academic environment where the library staff serve. It will help them connect

to a diversity of ideas; explore capacity to know more, etc.

Behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism are the three broad

learning theories most often utilized in the creation of the instructional

environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when

learning was not impacted through technology. Behaviorism and cognitivism

view knowledge as external to the learner and the learning process as the act

of internalizing knowledge. Constructivism assumes that learners are not

empty to be filled with knowledge. Instead, learners are actively attempting to

create meaning. Learners often select and pursue their own learning.

Most learning theories are that learning occurs inside a person.

Learning theories are concerned with the actual process of learning not with

the value of what is being learned.

Conceptually, all the factors identified are the things that will be

considered in making assessment about the level of information competency

possess by the college student in Eastern Visayas State University.

The schema on the succeeding page shows in the Figure 1 which

illustrates the connectivity on how students learn and how these theories used

in information seeking in this theory college students learned to develop

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topics, identify potential sources, develop, use, revise search strategies

evaluate sources and information also recognize the use of information

ethically. The model of the study profound on the concept of the

demographic profile of college students the Age, Gender, Year and

Programme serves as an input to classify the profile of the students. The level

of information competency will recognize the problems and create questions

of it, make a plan for finding information and solutions and to formulate

hypotheses and make predictions. Also to find information and data from

books and the internet evaluate the credibility of the sources , organize and

synthesize all gathered information and make conclusions and process

understanding of it this is the process were in the college students recognize

the level of information and how it use.

Therefore, the concept shows the connection between the aspects that

the demographic profile of the college students and their level of information

and utilization. The impact of level of information competency it help students

to formulate and plan their projects or assignments, finding information,

managing and using information, presenting information and evaluating

information. Students become a skill full user and producer of information in a

wide range of source and format.

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The impact of
Factors that The level of
Affect the Level information
of Information information
Literacy of the competency can
competency will
Student be positive or
1.1 Age tell the ability of
negative, it
the students on
1.2 Gender depends on how
how they will use
1.3 Year and the students use
Programme the available
the available
information.
resources.

Figure 1. Schematic Presentation of the Conceptual Framework of the

Study
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Significance of Study

This study serves as guide to the users of information that they could

enhance themselves to become potential information users in the 21 st century.

Student. Result of this study, merge a new body of understanding that

enhance the information competency skills of the students.

Parents. Result of this study informed the parents of how information

competency is important for their children and for them to be aware of the

usefulness of information competency to their children.

Librarians. This study helped the librarian in selecting the appropriate

information resources for the students to become information competent in

the future.

School Administrators. The findings of the study, lead the

administrators to focus on how information competency is important and for

them to lead the teachers to expose their students into information society.

Society. The outcomes of the study give an insight to the society on

how important information competency is. As this improved every individual in

the society.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study focused on the level of information competency and on its

impact to students, on how they use and utilize the available resources.
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The study utilized a descriptive design of research. It focused on the

students of Eastern Visayas State University Burauen Campus, Burauen,

Leyte. The respondents are selected randomly from the different programmes

available in the university. There are forty-five (45) respondents that

participated in the study. The respondents were selected through the use of

stratified random sampling. The study was conducted during the academic

year 2017-2018.

Definition of Terms

Critical literacy. In this study, the term was defined as the ability to

evaluate critically the intellectual, human, and social strengths and

weaknesses, potential and limits, benefit and costs of information

technologies.

Competency. In this study competency was defined as the

combination of observable and measurable knowledge, skills, abilities, and

personal attributes that contribute to enhanced an individual to be ready as a

lifelong learner.

Emerging technology literacy. In this study, the term was defined as

the ability to continuously adapt to, understand, evaluate and make use of the

continually emerging innovations in information technology so as not to be a

prisoner of prior tools and resources, and to make intelligent decision about

the adoption of new ones.

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Information. In this study the term was defined as knowledge that you

get from someone or something, a facts or details through researching,

investigating and analysing data.

Information Competency. In this study the term was defined as a set

of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and

the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Information literate. In this study, the term was defined as the person

who knows how to use effectively the information.

Literacy. In this study, literacy was defined as the ability to use

technology at a level that enables individual to locate, evaluate use

information from different variety of resources.

Publishing literacy. In this study, the term was defined as the ability to

format and publish research and ideas electronically, in textual and media

forms, to introduce them the electronic public realm and the electronic

community of scholars.

Resources literacy. In this study, the term was defined as the ability to

understand the form, format, location and access methods of information

resources, especially daily expanding networked information resources.

Research literacy. In this study, the term was defined as the ability to

understand and use the IT-based tools relevant to the work of today’s

researcher and scholar.

Social-structural literacy. In this study, the term was defined as the

understanding of how information is socially situated and produced.

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Tool literacy. In this study, the term was defined as the ability to

understand and use the practical and conceptual tools of current information

technology relevant to education and the areas of work and professional life

that the individual expect to inhabit.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter discuss the review of literature and studies reviewed by

the researcher which provide insights and information related to the present

study. The collated research literature also serves as background and support

the variables involved in the research endeavour.

Related Literature

Past literature is the mirror of present and future, which helps to

develop a thorough understanding and insight into previews research works

that relates to the present study. It is the tool that provide with a proper

guideline and idea to the researcher in many studies hence, literature related

to the research topic, has been quoted here. It will make the study authentic,

stronger and finds the foundation for the work (Altman and Hernon, 1998).

Information competency is a set of skills which requires an individual to

recognize when information is needed and has the ability to locate, evaluate

and use effectively the needed information.

The concept of information literacy has been defined in many ways

since the early 70’s. Terms such as study skills, research skills and library

skills tend to be used in an educational context. Terms such as information

competencies and information proficiencies are generally used in the working

environment. Although whatever the term, they all refer to the same ability of

finding, evaluating and using information effectively. According to ALA,

information literacy is a series of skills to know when information is needed

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and has the ability to find, evaluate and use the information effectively.

Information literacy forms a basic life time lesson. It is valid generally for any

branch of knowledge, every learning environment and for all the levels of

education. With information literacy, students can understand and master the

content of the materials and expand their researches, directing themselves

and also have bigger control over their own learning process.

Information competency is an intellectual framework for identifying,

understanding, evaluating and using information includes determining the

nature and extent of needed information, accessing information effectively

and efficiently, evaluating critically information and its sources, incorporating

selected information in the learner’s knowledge base and value system, using

information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, understanding the

economics legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and

information technology, and observing laws, regulation and institutional

policies related to the access and use of information.

Information is very important in every society and the growth of

information due to the fact that industrial and information technology

revolution leaves people in avalanche and information and information

resources to interact with. Ojedokun and Lumade (2005), describe information

literacy as the ability to locate, evaluate, manage and use information from

range of resources not only for problem solving, but also for decision making

and research. Information literacy can no longer be defined without

considering the technology literacy in order for individuals to function in an

information-rich, technology infused world.

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Information competency is much broader than the acquisition of the

traditional information skills. These includes how to use catalogue, how to

locate a book from the shelves and how to access an electronic database.

Warschauers (2004), recognizes information literacy as part of an electronic

literacy spectrum, which includes computer literacy- ability to operate a

computer.

Information competency is becoming increasingly more important to

our world that is rapidly evolving through the growth and proliferation of

technological and information resources (American Association Library,

2000). As a result, information users faced a countless information choices

and must decide which resource(s) to use in the acquisition of information.

They also determine the authenticity, validity, and usability of information they

discovered (ALA, 2000). The ability to access, evaluate and use information

as a pre-requisite for a lifelong learning and a basic requirement for the

information society.

The theory of information competency presupposes that an individual

recognizes the need for information and knows how to find, evaluate, use and

subsequently communicate information effectively to solve particular problems

or to make decisions (Ojedokun, 2007). This asserts further weather the

information comes from Internet or World Wide Web, online databases,

books, journals, government departments, films, conversation, poster,

pictures or any other images or any number of possible resources, the skill to

understand and critically evaluate the information is inherent in the notion of

information competency.
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To this end, Shapiro and Hughes (1999), outlined a “prototype

curriculum” that encompassed the concepts of computer literacy, library skills,

and a “broader, critical concept of a more humanistic sort”, suggesting seven

important components of a holistic approach to information literacy, tool

literacy, resources literacy, social-structural literacy, research literacy,

publishing literacy, critical literacy.

Related Studies
Local Studies
Several studies have been conducted in the country aimed at achieving

common objectives, such as: evaluating their collection and services;

determining the needs of the libraries to have a bases for formulating an

effective development programs; building up an comprehensive collection of

materials and enhancing library services.

Arlante (1999), observed that one of the highest number of researches

in the field of library and information science in the country is on the topic of

the user studies. These studies usually focus on user needs in the terms of

resources, facilities and services provided by the libraries. There were only

few studies that focus on the competency skills of information users.

In the study of Batianala (2006), about the engineering students

information literacy in SSC-R De Cavite, he concluded that the Engineering

students have limited knowledge and have not acquired the desired library

and information literacy competencies in determining the extent of information

needed; accessing the needed information effectively and efficiently;

evaluating information and its resources critically; and using information

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effectively to accomplish a specific purpose; and understand the economic,

legal and social issues surrounding the use of information.

In the study of Casuela, et al in 2016, they found out that there was a

significant relationship between the perceived factors that affect the use of the

library resources and condition that meet needs of the students.

Foreign Studies

In foreign countries studies have been conducted in relations to user

education or library and information literacy education of the end user

information.

Sun and Radar (1999), reported that 421 academic institutions in China

had developed library instructions programs. Instruction has been created to

teach students how to use integrated library information system.

Researches about information literacy have been done by the

California State University in 2000 and 2001. This research provides detailed

data about students’ behavioural tendency of patterns. The facts show that

students enter California State University without possessing information

literacy, the ability to think critically, decision making and independent

learning. The multidimensional qualitative research also figures out that

students tend to believe in sources of information that originate from the web

and other sources that are found by using search engines, this is the opposite

of the use of other sources for example, information in library catalogs and

subscribed databases. Besides that, students also tend to use keywords

rather than terms in a controlled vocabulary. Searching by using keywords

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gather together information that comes from anywhere, whereas searching by

using controlled vocabulary with subject terms (thesaurus) will make the

retrieval more relevant. As a result, they usually miss the important sources of

information. They cannot make the difference between a popular or scientific

work, and they tend to use the World Wide Web rather than traditional

libraries because they feel that the flexibility and access to new information is

bigger. Due to this situation, students will experience a risk in accepting any

kind of information that is displayed by search engines and will give bigger

credit to the newest source of information rather than to the comprehensive

discussion that can be found in books (California State University Information

Competence Assessment, 2002) .

Another research about information literacy from various aspects is one

that was completed by Mandy (2001) onto forty five college students in a

Hong Kong university. This assessment was aimed to identify the perception

and competency of the University of Hong Kong students in gaining, using

and evaluating information in their academic studies. From this research, it

identified that the respondents used various ways to find information (internet,

library and social networks); there was a difference between perception and

performance; the importance of having an analyzing ability; the importance of

knowledge about copy right; and a problem in using language. Another

assessment that discussed about students’ ability limitation in information

literacy capability was one completed by Mark Hepworth (1999) at Nanyang

Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. In general this research

determines that many college students had limited ability in information

literacy. Some main problems faced by the students were; problem defining,
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determining where to find the information, developing a searching strategy,

finding the materials in the library, building a detailed meaning and estimation.

The Boyer Commission Report (2008), Reinventing Undergraduate

Education, recommends learning strategies that require students to “engage

across curricula in actively framing significant questions, to research or

creatively explore to find answers, and to hone the communications skills

necessary to convey the results”

Baro and Fyneun (2009) studied information literacy among

undergraduates students in the Niger Delta university. Their results showed

that male students in the faculty are more aware and use information sources

available in the university more than female students It is common to all

disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It

enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become

more self-directed and assume greater control over their own learning.

Information literacy is related to information technology skills, but it has

broader implications for the individual, the education system, and for society.

Information literacy 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.

Another interesting study was conducted by John Hickock (2002), on

the state of Southeast Asian libraries have these findings particularly in the

Philippines that: (1) Filipino student were less interested in reading,

prevalence of borrowing from other classmate work instead of researching

information independently; (2) less continual user education and continuing

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library education are less common and less; (3) subject-specialization

endeavours not always maximized and some libraries do create subject-

based endeavours but many others do not, leaving students to hunt on their

own.

Another study conducted by Mittermeyer and Quirion (2003), on

information literacy competency of incoming first year undergraduates in

Quebec, the results indicate that a significant number of students have limited

knowledge, or no knowledge, basic elements characterizing the information

research process.

The foregoing related literature and studies bears relatedness to the

present study. Hence, it will support the variables included in the study.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the discussion of the research design, research

respondents, locale of the study, instrument, procedure in collecting the data,

and data analysis, as well as the appropriate statistical tools to use in the

treatment of the collected data.

Research Design

The research adapted a descriptive type of design. Descriptive

research was used to describe the characteristic of the population or a

phenomenon being studied. This method was to be the most appropriate

design for this study. The study was conducted to assess the level of

information competency of college students in Eastern Visayas State

University and on how they utilize information on their everyday learner, as

they ready themselves as lifelong learners.

Research Respondents

The study utilized forty-five (45) respondents and was selected

randomly as sample-respondents to represent the students in Eastern

Visayas State University Burauen, Campus. The respondents were drawn

randomly.

Research Locale

The study was conducted in Burauen, Leyte. Specifically, in Eastern

Visayas State University. The university was located in San Diego Dist. 9
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Burauen, Leyte. The institution offers a variety of courses such as Bachelor of

Secondary Education (BSEd), Bachelor in Teaching Home Economics and

Livelihood Education (BTHELE), Bachelor of Science in Information

Technology (BSIT), Bachelor of Science in Office Administration (BSOA),

Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship (BSE), and Bachelor in Agricultural

Technology (BAT). This study helped the university in developed its

foundation towards information competency as we advanced to the global age

of information era in the history.

Research Instrument

Data were gathered through questionnaire. The study adopted a

standardized test. The Information Competency Assessment Instrument

(ICAI). There were 40 item tests that were needed to be answered by the

respondents. The ICAI test the level of information literacy and its impact to

the students.

Sampling Procedure

In this study, stratified random sampling was used. The students were

group according to its department. There are three departments present in

Eastern Visayas State University Burauen, the Education Department,

Business Entrepreneurship and Management Department, and the Agriculture

and Technology Department.

Data Gathering Procedure

The data in research was gathered through a survey questionnaire. In

order to gather data, the researchers asked permission and approval through
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writing a communication letter to the administration. The researcher assured

the confidentiality of the questionnaires since identities are not important. The

researchers also understand the student’s consciousness may also affect

their honesty and effectiveness in answering the questionnaire. Respondents

were given time to answer the questionnaire and was collected after 30

minutes.

Method of Scoring and Analysis of Data

The data were gathered from the questionnaire and was analyzed to

the corresponding quantitative equivalent. Calculating the weighted mean

value position of each items were used in determining the frequency and

satisfaction of the students as information user. The responses are going to

be categorized and were given weights that were multiplied by the number of

replies to each question and were divided to the sum of the products.

To interpret the data for the level of information competency of the

students, the following interpretation was adopted.

Weight Qualitative Description

4.51 – 5.00 Very High

3.51 – 4.50 High

2.51 – 3.50 Moderately High

1.51 – 2.50 Low

1.00 – 1.50 Very Low

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Statistical Treatment of Data

The researchers used the appropriate statistical tools in order to

answer the research problem of study.

The responses of the respondents are going to be tabulating them

according to the specific question asked. Frequency counts and percentage is

going to be use in variables such as age, gender, and department. The

following formula was used in this research.

f
P= × 100
N

Where:

P = percentage of frequency

f = frequency of item given

N = total number of respondents

Weighted mean for each item were computed using the following formula:

X=
∑ fx
N

Where:

N = Total numbers of respondents

f = frequency

x = weight of each item

X= weighted mean
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CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presented the analysis and interpretation of data

gathered. Each set of data was analysed and interpreted to shed light on the

problem under investigation.

Profile of the Respondents

The study examined the profile of the respondents in the terms of the

following: age, sex, year and programme.

Age

Table I presented the frequency distribution of the respondents by age.

TABLE I

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS

ACCORDING TO AGE

Age Frequency ( f ) Percentage (%)

25 3 6.66
24 2 4.44
23 2 4.44
22 5 11.11
21 8 17.77
20 10 22.22
19 9 20
18 6 13.33
TOTAL 45 100

As shown in Table I, the distribution of respondents according to age,

there were 10 respondents equivalent to 22.22 percent with the age of 20, 9
 29

respondents equivalent to 20 percent with the age of 19, 8 respondents

equivalent to 17.77 percent with the age of 21, 6 respondents equivalent to

13.33 percent with an age of 18, 5 respondents equivalent to 11.11 percent

with an age of 22, 3 respondents equivalent to 6.66 percent with an age 25, 2

respondents equivalent to 4.44 percent with an age of 23, and another 2

respondents equivalent to 4.44 percent with an age of 24. This implies that 33

respondent’s equivalents 72.99 percent belonged to the age bracket 18-21

year old.

Gender

Table II presented the distribution of respondents according to sex.

TABLE II

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS

ACCORDING TO GENDER

Sex Frequency Percentage

Male 23 51.11

Female 22 48.88

TOTAL 45 100

As shown in Table II, the distribution of students according to gender,

there were 23 or 51.11 percent male respondents and a 22 or 48.88 percent

of female respondents. This implied that it is male dominated.

Year and Programme

Table III presented the distribution of respondents according to programme.

 30

TABLE III

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING

TO YEAR AND PROGRAMME

Frequency
Programme Year Percentage
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total

BSED 2 4 1 6 13 28.88
BEED 0 0 0 2 2 4.44
BSOA 1 3 2 2 8 17.77
BSE 1 4 0 2 7 15.55
DAT 5 0 1 3 9 20
BSIT 5 0 0 1 6 13.33
TOTAL 45 100

As shown in Table III, the distribution of respondents according to its

year and programme, there were 13 respondents equivalent to 28.88 percent

from BSED, 2 respondents from BEED equivalent to 4.44 percent, 8

respondents from the BSOA equivalent to 17.77 percent, 7 respondents

equivalent to 15.55 percent from BSE, 9 respondents from DAT equivalent to

20 percent, and from BSIT 6 respondents equivalent to 13.33 percent.

LEVEL OF INFORMATION COMPETENCY

Table IV presented the weighted mean and interpretation to the level of

information competency.

Table IV

LEVEL OF INFORMATION COMPETENCY

FREQUENCY
STATEMENT MEAN
 31

5 4 3 2 1
1. When given an assignment for a 11 18 8 8 0 3.71
research paper or a speech, I feel
confident determining what topic I
need to search.
2. Sometimes I feel lost because the 0 2 15 23 5 2.31
topic I want to research is not very
clear to me.
3. I can take a complex topic and 2 23 16 4 0 3.51
break it down into more useful, simpler
items.
4. “Confused” is probably the best 0 3 12 19 11 2.15
term to describe me when starting a
project.
5. I am sometimes unsure of how 3 4 11 23 5 2.4
much information I need for the
assignment.
6. I know the difference between 17 16 10 2 0 1.07
“primary” and “secondary” sources.
7. I get confused because of the many 3 4 9 23 6 2.44
different formats (print, electronic, etc.)
when searching for information.
8. I am certain that I can use the 11 22 10 2 0 3.94
information I find.
9. I know how to broaden or narrow a 4 12 18 8 3 3.14
search using Boolean operators (AND,
NOT and OR) and truncation.
10. It is easy to interpret the results of 2 18 17 8 0 3.31
a search.
11. I’m not sure how to use an index 2 2 23 15 3 2.73
(e.g. catalog, database, etc.).
12. I can confidently get my hands on 4 22 15 4 0 3.58
the material (by printing, e-mailing,
interlibrary loan, etc.) I need.
13. I understand the organization of 10 22 10 2 1 3.85
materials in libraries
14. Government documents are 2 23 17 3 0 3.52
confusing to me.
 32

15. Web search engines are unreliable 2 10 21 11 1 3.02

16. I know the difference between an 4 18 16 7 0 3.25
abstract and an article.
17. Sometimes I cannot figure out for 2 24 16 2 1 3.53
whom the information is intended.
18. I can use many different types of 10 18 14 3 0 3.77
media (print, video, photography, etc.)
confidently as information for my topic.
19. At times, the producer of the 4 17 13 10 1 2.94
information is not clear.
20. I can confidently spot inaccuracy, 2 7 24 10 2 2.73
errors, etc. in the information from
mass media.
21. The information I find is so 1 2 18 22 2 2.51
confusing that I don’t know if I can use
it.
22. I am not confident that the 1 6 15 18 5 2.55
information I get is accurate.
23. The information I use is complete 9 11 21 3 1 3.53
and reliable.
24. I am sure that the information I 7 20 16 2 0 3.72
have answers my question or
addresses my topic.
25. A lot of the information I find is 0 12 22 10 1 3
irrelevant or unnecessary.
26. After collecting my information, it is 8 25 10 2 0 3.87
easy to sort by content that is similar.
27. Sometimes my question changes 9 20 12 4 0 3.76
depending on what information I find.
28. If my topical outline doesn’t make 2 3 16 22 2 2.58
sense, I get discouraged.
29. I am not sure which 3 5 11 23 3 2.59
communication medium
(transparencies, slides, video, etc.) is
appropriate for the delivery of this
information.
30. I know my audience and that the 11 19 14 1 0 3.88
information I present meets their
 33

needs.
95.89
TOTAL Weighted Mean 3.19

After the interpretation of the data gathered, the level of information

competency was revealed in the table IV. The weighted mean for the level of

information competency of the students in Eastern Visayas State University

Burauen was 3.19 and was interpreted as “Moderately High”.

The result signifies that the level of information competency of the

students in Eastern Visayas State University is moderately high and it is not

being left behind with the sudden changes of information era.

IMPACT OF INFORMATION COMPETENCY

Table V presented the impact of information competency to the college

students in Eastern Visayas State University Burauen Campus.

Table V

IMPACT OF INFORMATION COMPETENCY

Frequency

Positive Negative
Impact of Information Competency

1. Information competency can help the students in looking 45 0

for more resources.

2. Information competent person become more internet 27 18

dependent.

3. Students tend to use internet surfing than using library. 30 15

4. Information competency can build confidence in using 43 2

computer and library in researching.

5. Information competent student will possess the ability on 39 6

 34

online skills to select the appropriate search

terminologies, logical search strategies and information
evaluation.

6. Internet user tends to copy paste information without 20 25

evaluating the information.

7. Students tend to become lazy when it comes to searching 25 20

liable resources.

8. Information competency helps the students compare and 39 6

evaluate information from different formats of resources.

9. Information competency can help the students to 39 6

synthesize and build new body of knowledge from the
gathered information.

10. Information competency can leave behind the simple way 27 18

of living in rural areas.

The table V presented the positive and negative impact of information

competency. The table shows all of the respondents agreed that the

statement no. 1 “Information competency can help the students in looking for

more resources” is a positive impact of information competency. In the

statement no. 6 “Internet user tends to copy paste information without

evaluating the information”, 25 respondents answered that the statement falls

to the negative impact of information competency. This means that there is

really a positive and negative impact of information competency. It depends

on how the student will utilize the available resources. As well as how they will

evaluate information, to see if it is reliable.

 35

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presented the summary, conclusions and

recommendations were presented as the logical outgrowth of the result and

findings

Summary
 36

This generally aimed to assess the level of Information Competency of

College Students in Eastern Visayas State University Burauen Campus.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the following question of:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender;

1.3 Year and Programme;

2. What is the level information competency of college students in

Eastern Visayas State University?

3. What is the impact of information competency to the students?

The focus of this study was to assess the information competency of the

college students in Eastern Visayas State University Burauen Campus. This

research used a standardized survey questionnaire to establish the result that

contributes the success of the research.

Surveys were conducted with 45 students from the different

department in Eastern Visayas State University Burauen Campus.

The studies used the frequency counts, percentage, and mean to

identify the information competency of the college students.

Findings

The study revealed the following major findings:

 37

Profile of the Respondents

The following shows the summary of the profile of the respondents in

the terms of their age, gender, year and programme.

Age. From the 45 respondents, 73% were most belonged to the age

bracket of 18-21years old. And 27% were from the respondents belong to the

age bracket of 22-25 years old. This means that most of the respondents

were young adult.

Sex. From the 45 respondents, 51.11% were male. And 48.88% were

female. This implied that it is male dominated.

Year and Programme. From the 45 respondents, 35.52% was taken

from the fourth year college students, and 64.48% were taken from the first

year to third college students in Eastern Visayas State University Burauen

Campus.

Level of Information Competency. In this study, the level of

information competency of the college students in Eastern Visayas State

University Burauen Campus is moderately high. This means that students are

not being left behind with fast growth of information society.

Impact of Information Competency. In this study it was proven that

there is a positive and negative impact of information competency.

Conclusions
 38

Based on the findings of the study, the researchers concluded the

following:

1. Most of the respondents were young adults

2. The study was male dominated.

3. Most of the respondents were from fourth year.

4. The level of information competency in college students in Eastern Visayas

State University Burauen Campus was moderately high.

5. There is a positive and negative impact of information competency.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of the study, the following were recommended:

1. Students should use internet wisely and knowledgeably. They must know

how to assess, locate, and evaluate the available information.

2. Students must find ways to use internet as a form of instrument to gets

reliable source

3. When looking information’s in the internet, students should be aware in

copying and pasting. Always add citations when getting information from the

internet to avoid liable charges such as plagiarism.

4. Student should not depend in the internet to find information; they should

also use resources in the library. Books are more reliable than information we
 39

get from internet, there were some unreliable website in the internet that gives

inaccurate information.

5. The library should be equipped with all the possible materials that the

students needed to enhance information competency.

6. Researcher recommended that further studies should be done using other

variables which the researcher did not consider in this study.

 40

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Unpublished and Published Materials

Batiancila M. R. 2006. “Library and Information Literacy Initiative: The SSC-R

de Cavite Experience on Promoting Information Literacy for lifelong
learning.

Casuela, Marlon P. et al (2016). An Assess of Library Resources in Eastern

Visayas State University Burauen Campus

Hernandez, Butch (2017). Philippine Daily Inquirer: Media and Information

Literacy/Competency.
 41

Okon, Michael E., Elijah P. Etuk, Uwem J. Akpan, 2014. Information Literacy
Skills and Information Use by Students in Two South University
Libraries in Nigeria.

Ojedokun, A. A., Lumande, E. 2005. The Integration of information

competency skills into a credit –earning programme at the University of
Botswana. African Journal Library, Archieve and Information Science,
Vol.15, no. 2 117-124p.

Simenms, G. 2005. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age.

International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distant Learning.

3. Electronic Resources

Obama, B. 2009. Presidential Proclamation: National Information

Literacy/Competency Awareness Month, 2009. Washington, DC: USA
Government Printing Office. Available at:
http://whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/2009literacy_prc_rel.pdf
 42

APPENDICES

Appendix A
Republic of the Philippines
Eastern Visayas State University
Burauen Campus
Burauen, Leyte

January 03, 2019

MA. SOCORRO GICAIN, Ph.D
Campus Director
This University
 43

Madam:
The undersigned is currently undertaking a study entitled: THE
INFORMATION COMPETENCY IN EASTERN VISAYAS STATE
UNIVERSITY BURAUEN: AN ASSESSMENT, in partial fulfillment as a
requirement for the course Language and Research 343B.
In this connection, we would like to ask permission to conduct a survey
of the said study to identified respondents.
Rest assured that the data will be kept with outmost confidentiality and
will solely be needed for the authenticity and validity of the study.
Your positive response to this request will be earnestly sought.
Thank you for cooperation and support for the success of this
undertaking.

Respectfully yours,
________________DEMETERIO, APPLE JOY N.
________________SALVADOR, RODWIN A.
________________TAJARROS, APRIL P.

Noted:

ANTONINA P. ALCALDE, Ph. D.

Adviser

Approved by:

MA. SOCORRO C. GICAIN, Ph. D.

Campus Director

Appendix B

A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE INFORMATION COMPETENCY IN EASTERN

VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY BURAUEN: AN ASSESSMENT

PART I. PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

Directions: Fill up the information that corresponds to your answer.

NAME: ___________________________________

(OPTIONAL)
 44

AGE: _______

SEX:_______________________

Year and Programme: ______________

PART II. INFORMATION COMPETENCE

Directions: This instrument is composed of 30 statements concerning

feelings about finding and disseminating research information. Please

indicate the degree to which each statement applies to you by encircling the

number that best fits your feelings.

Legend:

Weight Quantitative Descriptive

5 - Strongly agree

4 - Agree

3 - Neither Agree

2 - Disagree

1 - Strongly Disagree

Weight

5 4 3 2 1
Statement

1. When given an assignment for a research

paper or a speech, I feel confident determining
what topic I need to search.

2. Sometimes I feel lost because the topic I want

to research is not very clear to me.
 45

3. I can take a complex topic and break it down

into more useful, simpler items.

4. “Confused” is probably the best term to

describe me when starting a project.

5. I am sometimes unsure of how much

information I need for the assignment.

6. I know the difference between “primary” and

“secondary” sources.

7. I get confused because of the many different

formats (print, electronic, etc.) when searching for
information.

8. I am certain that I can use the information I

find.

9. I know how to broaden or narrow a search

using Boolean operators (AND, NOT and OR)
and truncation.

10. It is easy to interpret the results of a search.

11. I’m not sure how to use an index (e.g.

catalog, database, etc.).

12. I can confidently get my hands on the

material (by printing, e-mailing, interlibrary loan,
etc.) I need.

13. I understand the organization of materials in

libraries.

14. Government documents are confusing to me.

15. Web search engines are unreliable

16. I know the difference between an abstract

and an article.

17. Sometimes I cannot figure out for whom the

information is intended.
 46

18. I can use many different types of media (print,

video, photography, etc.) confidently as
information for my topic.

19. At times, the producer of the information is

not clear.

20. I can confidently spot inaccuracy, errors, etc.

in the information from mass media.

21. The information I find is so confusing that I

don’t know if I can use it.

22. I am not confident that the information I get is

accurate.

23. The information I use is complete and

reliable.

24. I am sure that the information I have answers

my question or addresses my topic.

25. A lot of the information I find is irrelevant or

unnecessary.

26. After collecting my information, it is easy to

sort by content that is similar.

27. Sometimes my question changes depending

on what information I find.

28. If my topical outline doesn’t make sense, I get

discouraged.

29. I am not sure which communication medium

(transparencies, slides, video, etc.) is appropriate
for the delivery of this information.

30. I know my audience and that the information I

present meets their needs.

PART III. IMPACT OF INFORMATION COMPETENCY

 47

Directions: In the statement below, indicate your answer if it is a positive or

negative impact of information competency to the students.

Impact of Information Competency Positive Negative

1. Information competency can help the students

in looking for more resources.

2. Information competent person become more

internet dependent.

3. Students tend to use internet surfing than using

library.

4. Information competency can build confidence in

using computer and library in researching.

5. Information competent student will possess the

ability on online skills to select the appropriate
search terminologies, logical search strategies
and information evaluation.

6. Internet user tend to copy paste information

without evaluating the information.

7. Students tends to become lazy when it comes

to searching liable resources.

8. Information competency helps the students

compare and evaluate information from
different formats of resources.

9. Information competency can help the students

to synthesize and build new body of knowledge
from the gathered information.

10. Information competency can leave behind the

simple way of living in rural areas.

Thank you!
 48

The Researcher

CURRICULUM VITAE
 49

Personal Data

Name : Apple Joy N. Demeterio

Place of Birth : Burauen, Leyte

Date of Birth : December 24, 1997

Civil Status : Single

Religion : Roman Catholic

Home Address : Phase 1, Cluster 1 House No. 7 Mary Mediatrix

B.E.C., Sitio Bayog, District 9, Burauen, Leyte

Father : Apolonio G. Demeterio

Mother : Zenaida N. Demeterio

Brother : Archie N. Demeterio

Christian N. Demeterio
 50

Sister : Aime D. Ocaña

: Naomi N. Demeterio

Educational Background

College : Eastern Visayas State University Burauen

Campus Bachelor of Secondary Education-major
in English

Secondary : Burauen National High School

Elementary : Burauen South Central School

Personal Data

Name : Rodwin A. Salvador

Place of Birth : Pasay City

Date of Birth : November 04, 1997

Civil Status : Single

Religion : Roman Catholic

Home Address : Calbasag Julita, Leyte

Father : Rudy F. Salvador

Mother : Sherwin P. Acala

Educational Background

College : Eastern Visayas State University-Burauen

Campus Bachelor of Secondary Education-major
in English
 51

Secondary : Julita National High School

Elementary : Calbasag Elementary School

Personal Data

Name : April P. Tajarros

Place of Birth : Guinarona, Dagami, Leyte

Date of Birth : May 08,1998

Civil Status : Single

Religion : Roman Catholic

Home Address : Brgy. Guinarona Dagami, Leyte

Father : Fortunato C. Tajarros

Mother : Zenia P. Tajarros

 52

Brother : Froilan P. Tajarros II

Daryl P. Tajarros

Kevin P. Tajarros

Educational Background

College : Eastern Visayas State University-Burauen

Campus Bachelor of Secondary Education-major

in English

Secondary : Batasan Hills National High School

Elementary : Pres. Corazon Aquino Elementary School