Assessment of Information Searching Skills of University Students in an Electronic Environment: A Case of State University of Zanzibar.

Abdalla, Mwanakheir A. (2023) Assessment of Information Searching Skills of University Students in an Electronic Environment: A Case of State University of Zanzibar. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

The study assessed information searching skills of university students in an electronic environment taking the State University of Zanzibar as a case study. The study specifically assessed the information searching skills of university students in an electronic environment in the university library, the effects of information searching skills and challenges of information searching skills in an electronic environment. The study involved the use of case study design in which sample sizes of 150 respondents were selected by using purposive and random sampling techniques. Data were collected through questionnaires and interview. The analysis of data generally was based on qualitative approach with absorption of quantitative approach for some of data that required quantifiable justification. The study findings revealed that, the University library used a combination of tools for information searching in an electronic environment. They include; university memo, ICT tools, face to face information, internal meetings, email and intranet. Also, the findings revealed that internal information skills within the university library has numerous positive effects such as creation of work harmony, increasing organisation control towards uncertainty and risk, giving the directions to reach performance of planned goal and facilitates the distribution of the information timely for better decission making. Furthermore, the study found that, poor channel of information communication, wrong perceptios of information among employees, late information dissemination and timing, ineffetcive information searching strategy, information linkage and information barriers were the main challenges of information searching in the University. Finally, the study recommended that the way of improving searching skills and performance among other things should include eastablishment of comprehensive information searching skills strategy to the University. Keywords: Information Searching Skills, University Stududents, Electronic Environment, Zanzibar

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