Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of NCE III Teaching Practice Students in Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoko Lagos State.
Abstract
This study assessed the information needs and seeking behaviour of NCE III teaching practice students in Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoko Lagos State. It employed the use of descriptive survey research design. The total population for this study is 371, comprising all NCE 3 teaching practice students in Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoko Lagos State in the 2023/2024 academic session, and the total enumeration sampling technique was adopted because of the small population size. A questionnaire was designed and administered to elicit data from the respondents, of which only 312 were completed and found usable, giving a 84% response rate. The simple percentage and frequency counts were used to analyze data generated from their response. The findings suggest that the information needs of NCE 3 teaching practice students are information about their course, teaching practice supervision, evaluation/assessment of students, teaching subject, method of teaching, business/wealth creation and school curriculum, use of teaching aids, current affairs and sport/entertainment. They seek information for the purpose of preparing lesson note, self-development, knowing how to use instructional materials, assessment and evaluation of students, get students information, entertainment/sports, understand different teaching methods/techniques, acquire/improve teaching skills, know the curriculum/syllabus, understand classroom management, and imbibe ethics of teaching profession. It further reveals that the major sources of information consulted by teaching practice students are google/other search engines, students, friends/colleagues and professional teachers. However, it identified erratic power supply, too much information to deal with, lack of time, inadequately stocked library, lack of computer infrastructure, poor internet access, poor internet/search skills, non-availability of student records and limited access to information materials as the challenges faced by teaching practice students when seeking for information. The study recommended that academic/school library should revamp or make available a viable computer infrastructure with access to the internet for users to easily access information relevant to their field.
The Impact of Library Maker Spaces on Entrepreneurial Studies among Stem Students in Selected Academic Libraries in Southwestern Nigeria.
Abstract
As global demand for innovative and entrepreneurial people grows, established educational institutions are under pressure to provide practical and experiential learning environment and opportunities. Library maker spaces, which are outfitted with cutting-edge tools and technologies, have the potential to provide a solution by encouraging practical learning and innovation. However, previous study has primarily focused on librarians' opinions, ignoring the important perspectives of the students who are the main patrons of these spaces. This study investigates the impact of library maker spaces on entrepreneurial studies among science, engineering and mathematics students in Southwest Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey design, while a multistage sampling combining random, stratified and purposive sampling techniques was used to select 400 STEM students across the selected tertiary institutions. The questionnaire was chosen as the instrument for data collection. 400 copies of the questionnaire were distributed, out of which 360 were duly filled, yielding a return rate of 90%. The results of this study revealed that the use of maker spaces in the selected library was fairly high, while awareness level was also fairly high. The study also found that the use of maker spaces positively influence the development of entrepreneurial activities among the students, despite the various challenges facing the adoption of maker spaces identified in the study. The study hereby concluded that the use of maker spaces has to be encouraged by proffering solutions to identified obstacles, in order to enhance creativity and innovation among university students, thereby fostering entrepreneurial development.
