Identifying and analyzing the prerequisites of access to information literacy skills among the students of Paramedical sciences faculty and compare their information literacy level

Abstract

Information literacy is a set of individual skills and abilities to accurate identifying, accessing, using, evaluating and reviewing of information resources. Since this skills improved the student capabilities to retrieval, management and use of information; nowadays, it is considered as one of the most importantcriterion fortheevaluation of students by forums. This study is a descriptive and analytical applied survey. The systematized samples were 103 students in paramedical sciences faculty Shahid Beheshti University of medical sciences in 3 level: undergraduate (BA), master (MA) and PhD students who were studying during 2011-2012.The data collection tool is the questionnaire which published by ACRL and based on information literacy standards. This questionnaire has 55 item arranged in Likert scale. Results shows that the information literacy level in all studentwas 50 % lower than the level expected of ACRL standards except Ph.D. students in basic science and MA students in medical library and information science. The level of information literacy in PhD and MA students was significantly higher than BA students while the graduate students level was not significantly different.