Information literacy training effectiveness on Cambodia's province-based undergraduates

Abstract

Purpose This study is aimed at determining the effect of a short-term information literacy training activity on the self-efficacy of undergraduate students at province-based universities in Cambodia. Design/methodology/approach A three-week training intervention was administered to 461 undergraduate students at three province-based public universities in Cambodia. The participants answered an information literacy self-efficacy questionnaire before and after the intervention. Findings The students' level of information literacy self-efficacy has a low mean score of 2.23 on a five-point scale before the training. After the training, the score dramatically increased to 3.64 and was statistically significant (p-value < 0.001). This indicates that short-term information literacy self-efficacy training is an effective means to promote information literacy among students. Research limitations/implications This research scope was limited to examine the effect of a short-term intervention on a particular population. Further improvements include analyzing the training effects over the long term, soliciting qualitative feedback from respondents, and gathering previous relevant training data. Practical implications There is a need for a carefully designed curriculum to be implemented that focuses on introducing information and communication technology (ICT) while considering its potential application to research activity. To be able to make meaningful curriculum changes, there must be a systematic way of identifying the ICT needs that are most urgent among undergraduate students in province-based Cambodian universities. Originality/value This research focuses on implementing ICT training and measuring its effectiveness on Cambodian undergraduate students in province-based universities, a growing population that has immense potential in influencing the country's growth but whose information literacy self-efficacy remains largely understudied until now.

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