Utilization of Library Facilities by Pre-Service Science Teachers: Information Literacy and Scientific Literacy Perspectives

Abstract

Many scholars in the field accept scientific literacy as a main component of science education. Scientific literacy is depicted as accessing and obtaining scientific information and knowing how to do science. Next, information literacy is seen as an indispensable competency for science students to be scientifically literate persons. Given the crucial role in information literacy, utilizing print and online information resources that academic libraries provide may help science students get reliable and up-to-date information pertaining to science and latest developments. As such, this study aims to investigate, how pre-service science teachers as science students use print and digital information resources in the context of scientific literacy competency and explore relationships between various usages of library facilities. The study adopts an explorative descriptive method to get data about the point of interest. 82 pre-service science teachers joined the study. Data was statistically analyzed. Results indicate the utilization of various physically and virtually accessible information resources are below expectations. The study proposes a collaboration between science educators and information scientists in creating enhancements in the use of information facilities those libraries provide. This collaboration may help science students to enhance information, literacy and scientific literacy competencies.