ICT Competence of Postgraduate Students in the Use of Electronic Libraries as Determining Factors for the Choice of Research Topics and Rate of Completion

Abstract

The study was on ICT competence of Postgraduate Students in the use of Electronic Libraries as determining Factors for the Choice of Research Topics and rate of Completion. The main objective of the study was finding out the influence or place of access to E-Libraries on the length of time spent or progress made on respondents’ programme and to examine the ICT competence on the use of Electronic Libraries as factors influencing postgraduate students of selected Universities in Nigeria’s choice of research topics and the rate of completion of the programmes. The study adopted quantitative research methods and specifically a survey research design. The population comprised the postgraduate students of four federal universities from the south-west geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Descriptive statistic was used to analyze the data collected. Findings show that a little above average [(226 (56.1%) and 221 (57.1%)] of the population of respondents from two of the institutions examined were competent, while the other two had excellent percentages [(167 (80.7%) and 173 (77.6%)] of the total respondents being competent in the use of ICT, which consequently reflected on their use of Electronic Libraries right from the stage of choosing research topics, through to the actual research processes and its completion. The paper concluded with recommendations that, since it was established that the postgraduate students were found to be competent in the use of E-Libraries, university libraries are encouraged to explore avenues of making richer, robust, current and scholarly electronic information resources; especially fee-based or subscribed ones available for use with little or no stress.