INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS OF UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS IN SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA: A REVIEW LITERATURE

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the information literacy skills (ILS) of medical undergraduate students in two public universities in Kenya and to propose an ILS framework to enhance the adequacy of ILS among the medical undergraduates. With the growing size and complexity of library collections coupled with the explosion of medical information in diverse formats, medical students require competencies in identifying, locating, retrieving, evaluating, synthesizing, and effectively utilizing information. There is a need, for medical students to acquire information literacy skills (ILS) to master content, extend their investigations, and become more self-directed and life-long learners. The objectives of the study were to: assess the status of ILS of medical undergraduate students at Moi University and University of Nairobi; examine the ILS curricula and policies supporting delivery of ILS to medical undergraduate students; examine the perceptions of medical undergraduate students towards ILS; analyze the knowledge and skills possessed by staff engaged in facilitating ILS. The study was informed by the Sauce Model and the Six Frames of Information Literacy Education Model. A pragmatic research paradigm with a mixed-method approach was employed in the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey design applied within a multiple case study, combining concurrent triangulation in data collection and analysis. The target population was 685 students comprising 6thyear medicine, 5th -year dentistry, and 4th -year nursing students, and 182 lecturers. A combination of stratified random and purposive sampling techniques was employed to obtain 353 medical undergraduate students, 62 lecturers in medicine, dentistry, and nursing specializations, 2 university librarians, 2 heads of medical librarians, and 6 heads of departments. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented using frequency distribution tables and bar charts while qualitative data was analyzed thematically based on the objectives and research questions and presented as narrative.