Information literacy skills among incoming first-year undergraduate students at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Kenya

Abstract

This research investigated the information literacy skills and competencies among incoming first-year undergraduate students at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Kenya. A total of 137 incoming first year undergraduate students for the 2013/2014 academic year were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires. Findings revealed that most or all incoming students: (a) had limited knowledge of strategies used to search for information; (b) possessed computer skills such as the use of the internet and its applications (e.g. social networking sites and websites) as well as word-processing and statistical applications; (c) were not familiar with the various retrieval tools and their applications; (d) were familiar with both electronic and printed information resources; (e) were not aware what constituted primary resources and secondary sources; and (f) exhibited little knowledge of issues relating to intellectual property rights.