Exploring the impact of socio-cultural adaptation and information literacy skills challenges on the academic self-efficacy of Nigerian students in Higher Education institutions in Scotland.

Olawoye, Hannah

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the socio-cultural adaptation and the information literacy (IL) skills challenges of higher education (HE) Nigerian students in Scotland, and how these may impact their academic self-efficacy. The study explores mechanisms for supporting the process of how Nigerian students search, retrieve and use information in their academic and everyday life contexts. The research adopted a mixed-methods research design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. Two instruments were used for data collection: an online questionnaire survey of a representative sample of 304 Nigerian students studying in Scottish HE Institutions and semi-structured interviews with twenty Nigerian full-time (undergraduate and postgraduate) students, from fifteen out of the total population of nineteen HE institutions in Scotland. The questionnaire survey explored students' academic and everyday life IL, socio-cultural adaptation, and language and communication challenges, and examined how they impact their academic self-efficacy. The semi-structured interviews explored the thoughts, feelings and beliefs of Nigerian students, delving into personal perspectives, exploring individual issues and challenges they encountered, and offering a deeper understanding of how these were likely to influence their academic self-efficacy while studying in Scotland. Quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire surveys were analysed on the basis of mean values, standard deviations and linear regression analysis, while the semi-structured interview qualitative data were analysed using thematic coding, employing template analysis. The research findings indicated that Nigerian students encountered IL skills challenges, encompassing difficulties in language and communication, critical thinking, articulating information needs, conducting efficient information searches, referencing, paraphrasing and presenting ideas coherently, as well as becoming independent learners. Ultimately, these challenges significantly affected students' self-perceived academic self-efficacy in a way that could have a negative overall impact on their academic performance. The study suggests support mechanisms to help students develop effective, step-by-step information searches and proposes socio-cultural interventions (such as "cultural bridge networks") to enhance the transition process. Using previous established IL models/frameworks, the study proposes key practical recommendations that reinforce the notion that an individual's societal and cultural orientation influences processes, source selection and level of commitment when engaging in IL activities. The research recommends educating academic librarians on socio-cultural differences, especially for Nigerian students whose educational backgrounds may differ from Western norms, to aid their development of IL skills and smoother academic adjustment.

Citation

OLAWOYE, H. 2024. Exploring the impact of socio-cultural adaptation and information literacy skills challenges on the academic self-efficacy of Nigerian students in Higher Education institutions in Scotland. Robert Gordon University, PhD thesis. Hosted on OpenAIR [online]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-2795732

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Apr 18, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 18, 2025
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-2795732
• Keywords: Information literacy; Information seeking behaviours; Study skills; Nigerian students; Higher education; Scotland
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2795732
• Award Date: Apr 30, 2024