Low information retrieval skills among university students may limit effective access to electronic resources and consequently affect their academic performance. This study investigated the level of information retrieval skills of undergraduate students at the University of Ibadan and their use of electronic resources. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised undergraduate students of the university, from which a sample of 394 respondents was selected using proportionate-to-size stratified random sampling across the various faculties. A structured questionnaire served as the instrument for data collection. The researcher personally administered the questionnaires, and 381 copies were successfully retrieved for analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that undergraduate students frequently used electronic resources such as e-books and e-journals for academic activities including assignments, homework, and research. The results further indicated that respondents possessed varying levels of information retrieval skills, with stronger competence in identifying and locating information needs. However, weaknesses were observed in areas such as selecting appropriate scholarly articles and applying advanced search techniques. The analysis also revealed a strong positive relationship between students’ information retrieval skills and their use of electronic resources. The study concludes that improving students’ information retrieval skills is essential for maximizing the effective use of electronic resources. It therefore recommends the integration of information literacy programmes into the university curriculum and the improvement of information technology infrastructure to enhance students’ access to and utilization of electronic resources.
Omoju et al. (Thu,) studied this question.