Library utilization and extent of learning engagement by the third year students in a State College in Iloilo Province

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the extent of library utilization and extent of learning engagement by the third year students in a State College in Iloilo Province. The respondents of the study were 308 third year students who were proportionately drawn from five campuses of State College in Iloilo Province, two from main campuses and three from external campuses. This descriptive-relational aimed to determine the relationship between extent of library utilization and extent of learning engagement. Specifically, the study determined the relationship between profile of respondents and between extent of library utilization and extent of learning engagement. Stratified random was utilized to draw the samples of the study. The instrument used to collect data adapted from Kuh, G.D. and Gonyea, R.M. (2003) and Pool, S.K. (2011). Data collection was initiated after the necessary permissions were granted upon request of the researcher. The validated instruments which was tested for reliability was used for data collection. The statistical tools used were frequency, percentage, mean, Phi coefficient and Cramer’s V, Gamma and Pearson r in order to analyze the data gathered. The result of the study revealed that the majority of the student were female, belonged to College of Education, with high school educated fathers and mothers and were studying in main campus of a State College in Iloilo Province. Library utilization was low for most of the students but almost all of them had visited the library at least once or twice a week and for 1 to 2 hours duration. The major purpose of the students was to read or study, use computer database to search information, browse reference materials and to read materials then brought with them. Books and ready reference collections were the most frequently used by the library users. Overall, the respondents extent of library utilization was low. Respondents overall extent of learning engagement was average. The student - librarian interaction was the most common means of engagement, while the lowest was student-faculty interaction. The extent of library utilization was low regardless of the respondents’ profile. There were more female users than males. Most of the respondents were from the College of Liberal Arts, with fathers and mothers who are high school graduates. Most of them were enrolled in the main campus. Also, the proportion of male students involved in learning activities was higher than that of females. The students from the College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences/Allied fields post the highest proportion with average learning engagement. Students with parents who had college degree also had a higher average extent of learning engagement than those with less educated parents. There was a positive and significant correlation between the extent of library utilization and extent of learning engagement.