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A Study of Some Factors in the Students’ Attitude Towards Library Usage and their Academic  

Achievements in Enugu State College of Education (Technical) 

Eze, Hycinth Osondu; Chukwu, Ebele Georgina 

 

A STUDY OF SOME FACTORS IN THE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS 

LIBRARY USAGE AND THEIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENUGU 

STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL) 

 
Eze, Hycinth Osondu (Ph.D) 

Department of Education 

Enugu State College of Education (Technical), Enugu. 

 

Chukwu, Ebele Georgina 

Department of Library and Information Science 

Enugu State College of Education (Technical), Enugu. 

 

Abstract 

A descriptive survey study was conducted to find out the reasons behind some students’ behavior 

regarding use of libraries and its effects on academic achievement. The result generally indicated 

that students’ ‘background affects students’ library usage and that age and sex do not result in 

or promote competency in library usage and academic achievement. The researchers observed 

that the use of handsets, Ipads, playfulness and impatience seem to be associated with the degree 

of lack of interest in the use of libraries. 

 

Keywords: Factors, students, attitude, library, academic achievement. 

 

Introduction 

The motivating factor behind the study 

was the author’s observations of 

students’ pattern of library usage and the 

effect on their academic achievement. In 

recent years, with the rapid growth and 

development in technology, many 

students tend to ignore the importance of 

library in academic institution.  

 

This is to say that any factor that 

influences attitude could be said to be a 

barrier to academic achievement. The 

end result of poor usage of libraries may 

be failure in examination with its 

attendant consequences. 

 

Literature Review 

According to Kaskus and Aguila (1920), 

the importance of library cannot be 

overemphasized, because it is an integral 

part of quality education. This means 

that students who do not use the library 

may encounter academic problems 

(success). Thus the role of library in the 

successes of students must be 

acknowledged. Holmberg (1988) opined 

that the importance of libraries in 

schools and its usage provides 

information services, such that those 

who do not use library would result in 

producing learners with narrow 

experience in research-led inquiry. The 

graduates produced under this situation, 

would lack the vital skills necessary for 

independent thinking and research, 

which are fundamental aims of higher 

education. He stated that library visit 

enables students to be aware of the 

purpose, practice and predominant 

 
 



 

 

49 | P a g e  

 

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Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies (ESCJERPS) Vol. 1 
ISSN: Print 2811-2717                                                                            https://journal.escetjerps.com 

 
 

 

expectations. In the same way, if 

students are properly oriented on the use 

of libraries, their performance will 

certainly improve for better. Clemente 

(2013) carried out a study on the 

influence of library on the academic 

achievement of students and she 

concluded that the use of library is 

important for better output in academic 

pursuit, the above assertion, no doubt is 

applicable to use of libraries. Of recent, 

many researchers have devoted time to 

investigating provision of information 

services and its adequacy Oladukun 

(2002) Msuya and Maro (2002). They 

found that inadequate provision of 

library and information services result in 

poor achievement of students. This 

study has deviated from provision of 

psychological and intellectual factors 

that affect library usage in tertiary 

institutions. 

 

Factors that Affect Library Usage 

Students are exposed to use library and 

its services. Lack of usage or interest 

varies and according to Hoskinson and 

Harvey (1398), feelings, emotions, 

loneliness and poor intellectual ability 

affect library usage, which results in 

poor achievement. 

 

Methodology 

 

Sample: Subjects were 230 students 

(130 females and 100 males) from 10 

ranndomly selected departments out of 

the existing schools in Enugu State 

College of Education (Technical) that 

are in their second year and have taken 

first semester examinations.  

Instrument: Four attitude scales on 

family background, economic 

background, sex and age and intellectual 

competence developed by researchers 

were used to gather data in this study. 

Each consisted of two sections. In 

section A, the students were requested to 

provide personal information on sex, 

age, background, parents’ education and 

year of study and grade point average. 

Section B of the instrument contained 10 

attitudinal items on family background, 

age, sex, and intellectual competence 

respectively beside a four-point scale in 

which students were requested to 

indicate the extent of their agreement or 

otherwise to each item. Attitude 

instructions were adopted for the study. 

 

Data Collection and Analysis: Data 

collection did not lend themselves to 

rigid statistical analysis. Consequently, 

only appropriate descriptive statistics 

and the x2 test were employed in analysis 

of the data. In all, 215 of the forms given 

out were returned. Considering that 

some of them were administered during 

examination period, the 93 percent 

response rate was sufficiently high. 

 

Result: Considering the limited scope of 

this paper, only a few of the typical 

examples can be highlighted here. The 

attitude is presented first.  

 

The items on attitude were selected to 

reflect only temporary attitudes, while 

the other section contains personal data 

items. Here are some of the attitudinal 

behaviors for varying reasons, gleaned 

from students’ response. 



 

 

50 | P a g e  

 

 

A Study of Some Factors in the Students’ Attitude Towards Library Usage and their Academic  

Achievements in Enugu State College of Education (Technical) 

Eze, Hycinth Osondu; Chukwu, Ebele Georgina 

 

a) If my family has reading 

materials, why should I use 

library. 

b) Students go to library to make 

friends. 

c) If I go to the library, boys will 

disturb me. 

d) If I am an intelligent student, 

why should I use the library. 

e) I cannot concentrate in the 

library. 

f) I am satisfied with my Ipad 

phone than library. 

g) My parents urge me to be using 

the library. 

h) If I go to the library, girls disturb 

me. 

i) I can be a good student without 

using the library. 

j) I am shy to read in an open space 

like the library. 

 

Indeed, it would appear that there are 

attitudinal behaviors with almost every 

student in the college. In response to 

items on questionnaire, many students 

said that the usage of library is 

influenced by attitude. Others opined 

that students ‘background influences the 

usage while others claimed that 

activities in the library essentially affect 

students’ attitude in library usage. Of a 

great note observed that students who 

have got high grade point average in 

their courses use libraries, it means 

libraries are still very necessary. 

Of more relevance to this study were the 

responses of students to the items asking 

them to indicate their general feeling 

about Ipad. Some 56 percent of the 

respondents indicated that they still 

believe in Ipad as against the use of 

library. About a quarter of the 

respondents said that they were not 

comfortable with the way boys and girls 

use libraries. Forty-nine respondents 

said that some students achieve very 

well without using the libraries. But 

there were a handful of the students who 

said they still believe in library use. As 

to being shy in the use of library, some 

of the students’ responses vary. Some 

are of the opinion that the use of library 

does not really matter.  

 

Respondents were also asked to give an 

overall evaluation of attitude by ticking 

any of the options and were the trends 

observed; ninety percent said that 

attitude influences library usage, 60 said 

backgrounds sometimes affects, 36 

believed that sex and age are true, while 

15 said, lack of concentration. 

 

The students’ responses to the relevant 

item on the questionnaire indicates that 

in the Nigerian institutions, students 

view library differently. It is seen as a 

place where they may not get exactly 

what they want. 

 

       

 

 

 

                                                       



 

 

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Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies (ESCJERPS) Vol. 1 
ISSN: Print 2811-2717                                                                            https://journal.escetjerps.com 

 
 

 

Table 1 
 Background effects Gender Age Intellectual 

O 91 60 36 15 

E 50.5 50.5 50.5 50.5 

N=202 

The attitudes of the students were quite to those of other schools.  

 

In their responses to the item the X2 test 

carried out on these frequencies yielded 

a value of 47.78 which is significant at 

the 0.01 level. Asked what they thought 

accounts for this, respondents severally 

gave such explanation as not properly 

guided, intimidating books, desire to be 

on oneself; a reflection of what the 

school wants. 

 

Perhaps more relevant from the point of 

view of the orientation of the present 

study were the responses to items 8 and 

9 on the power of parents to control 

students. 

 

Discussion: From the sample of attitude 

and the views of the students presented 

in this paper, it would appear that to a 

considerable extent, Nigerian students 

are influenced by parents, peers, and 

background in their attitude towards the 

use of libraries. It would not be any 

surprise that Nigerian students see use of 

libraries as a transition or an end to a 

process (studies in school). What appear 

new in the study is conception of gender 

which tends to be a source of distraction 

to students. It is shown that students who 

use libraries tend to achieve more than 

others. 

 

The implications of the study/these 

findings for counseling are not very 

obvious, but the contention is that these 

aspects of Nigerian students ‘personality 

are capable of influencing school 

guidance and counseling programmes 

and libraries in a number of ways. 

1. Students ordinarily have problems. 

They consult Ipad, internet centres 

for information, but many find it 

difficult to use libraries. The 

school counselor will use this 

study to reinvigorate the way 

students are handled. 

2. As the average Nigerian students 

hold adults in suspicion and 

believe that others can be of harm 

to him/her, they often tend to 

believe in themselves and do what 

pleases them. The parents will 

benefit from the study, that 

students rely much on themselves 

than what parents would want 

them to be. 

3. The Nigerian society is largely 

authoritarian and the younger 

members are brought up to obey 

orders implicitly. Thus 

suppression is common and the 

one who is able to keep his/her 

feelings and plans to himself be 

regarded as mature. The principles 

of school counseling programmes 

emphasize different values from 

their views. 

 



 

 

52 | P a g e  

 

 

A Study of Some Factors in the Students’ Attitude Towards Library Usage and their Academic  

Achievements in Enugu State College of Education (Technical) 

Eze, Hycinth Osondu; Chukwu, Ebele Georgina 

 

Suggestions/Recommendation 
The counselors, teachers and libraries 

who design the school programmes, and 

the students who are expected to benefit 

from them are not likely to develop 

appropriate attitudes towards libraries as 

a result of some aspects of their 

personality revealed in the result of this 

study. In order that schools could 

achieve its objective in institutions, the 

following recommendations are put 

forward to guide its principles and 

practice. 

i) School teachers should establish 

warm and reassuring 

relationship with the students 

and complement the efforts of 

other agencies in the society. 

ii) Deliberate efforts should be 

made to ensure that both 

lecturers and counselors are very 

well trained to re-orientate 

Nigerian students. 

iii) The policy of mass 

enlightenment is needed in 

schools. 

 

Conclusion 
Most findings of this study tend to 

corroborate available findings on 

Nigerian students’ attitude. However, in 

view of the vast cultural diversities that 

constitute the Nigerian institutions and 

in view of the rapid social and cultural 

changes taking place in Nigeria, the 

results of this study could be subject to 

zonal variations. 

 

Only a series of systematic studies 

conducted in various parts of the country 

can succeed in forming the basis for 

theories that can be generalized over the 

whole of the country. Any revision of 

the outcome of this study must await the 

results of such studies. 

 

 

References  

 

Aguilar, William and Kascus, Maria 

(1991), Introduction (To-Off) 

Campus Library Programs In High 

Education. Library Trend 

39(4)367-74 

Clemente, D.H. (2013), Instructional 

Practices and Students 

Achievements. A Correlation from 

a Study. A Correlation from a 

Study of Math’s Curricula. 

University of Denver Morgride 

College of Education. 

Holmberg, B. (1998), Concept of 

Library in Distance Education, 

International Perspective London 

Routledge 

Ogunjide, B. (2004), Teaching and 

Achievement in Schools. New 

Castle, Hill Paris. 

Oladoitun, O.S. (2002), The Practice of 

Distance Librarianship In Africa 

Library Review. 51(6) 295-300. 

 

 


