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Dissertation Information for John Agada

NAME:
- John Agada

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Pittsburgh (USA) (1984)

ADVISORS:
- Sara Fine

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- E. Blanche Woolls
- Allen Kent
- Donald Shirey
- Ellen Detlefsen

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: THE IMPACT OF LIBRARY EDUCATION ON STUDENT ASSERTION; A COMPARISON OF NIGERIAN BEGINNING AND GRADUATING LIBRARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN OTHER UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Abstract: Studies of the personality of librarians have deplored the passive and submissive nature predominant among librarians as inappropriate to the demands of modern librarianship. The present study was based on the assumption, derived from library literature, that assertion is a necessary attribute for librarians. The personality attributes of assertion has been identified, on empirical grounds, as the antithesis to submissiveness; correlating highly with the dynamism, drive for ascendancy and leadership ability desired for librarians. The development of student assertion, therefore, ought to be one of the goals of library education.

Both theoretical and empirical evidence support the conception that assertion may be augmented through training. The efficacy of professional socialization in enhancing the assertive ability of students through library education programs have, however, not been established. This study sought to address this issue through an assessment of undergraduate library education. A secondary aim concerned the degree to which beginning library school recruits differ in their assertive ability from their counterparts in law and liberal arts schools.

The investigation was undertaken at Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental, cross-sectional design was employed, comparing beginning and graduating library school students with their counterparts in the schools of law and liberal arts who served as comparative and control groups respectively. The assertion levels of in-coming library school students were also compared with those of the other school groups. An assertion instrument was constructed from the Wolpe-Lazarus and Lawrence Assertive Inventories. The data generated from its measures of assertion were subjected to analyses of variance.

The results indicated that the third year library and liberal arts students tended to be less assertive than their first year counterparts. The law students, on the other hand, maintained a comparable degree of assertiveness at both levels. No difference could, however, be demonstrated between the beginning students in the three schools. These findings suggest that library education does not enhance student assertion and ought to focus more on the socialization of its students to an appropriate professional demeanor.

MPACT Scores for John Agada

A = 3
C = 3
A+C = 6
T = 3
G = 1
W = 3
TD = 3
TA = 0
calculated 2010-02-03 23:14:42

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