VCU School of Business

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Undergraduates Self-Efficacy Perceptions and
Their Use of Online Library Research Services

• Deborah Cowles
• Jill Stover
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Richmond, Virginia

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Where we stand today

• Computer- and Internet-savvy undergraduates
• Ubiquitous Google, Wikipedia, etc.
• Un- or under-used electronic library research
  resources
• OCLC Perceptions Report
• Missed opportunities

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As one library professional put it

• They students slap down a few citations from
  Wikipedia (which comes up on many top results of
  research type queries, because of Googles
  linking nature), and, with smiles on their faces,
  they hand in their work
  without even learning
  one thing about real
  research. Steven Cohen

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Hypothesis 1

• When asked to complete an academic research
  assignment requiring a specific number of
  scholarly references, undergraduate students will
  spend a significantly larger percentage of their
  time searching for information via non-library
  Internet sources, as opposed to using online
  information services available to them through
  their campus library.

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Operational definitions

• Non-library Internet sources
• Google, Wikipedia, other Web resources not owned
  by library
• Online library resources
• Resources made available by librarys paid
  subscriptions (ex InfoTrac, online journals,
  e-books, etc.)
• Tangible library resources
• Print materials including monographs,
  encyclopedias, magazines, etc.

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Results 9.86 hrs. average research

• 2.2 would NOT use online/non-library resources
  (i.e., the Internet)
• 7.1 would NOT use online resources of campus
  library
• 21.4 would NOT use tangible (brick-and-mortar)
  library resources
• 52.7 would NOT use other resources

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Percent of time each category

• 43 of time using online/non-library resources
  (i.e., the Internet)
• 34 of time using online resources of campus
  library
• 18 of time using tangible resources of campus
  library
• 5 of time using other resources

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Bar graph of time
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Why its important

• Information overload
• Electronic information literacy
• Marketing students especially need to
• Develop search skills/strategies
• Use information resources for all types of
  research and business opportunities
• Know how to organize, communicate and present
  research results

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Search as a consumption decision

• Undergraduates decide if to use, how to use, how
  much to use research-service options available to
  them
• Physical library
• Electronic library resources
• Internet
• Other research resources

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Self-Efficacy vs. Self-Confidence

• As opposed to generalized self-confidence,
  self-efficacy refers to how a person perceives
  his or her abilities as they apply to a specific
  task.
• Bandura Given appropriate skills and adequate
  incentivesefficacy expectations are a major
  determinant of peoples choice of activities, how
  much effort they will expend, and of how long
  they will sustain effort.

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Self-Efficacy Services Marketing

• Self-efficacy theory has broad implications for
  service providers, since service customers more
  often than not participate in the production of
  service offerings.
• Perceived self-efficacy is a factor in
• whether consumers will choose to use a service
• how long they will persist in using the service
  to achieve their goals
• their level of motivation and attitudes toward
  the service
• their performance outcomes

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Hypothesis 2

• Undergraduates perceived self-efficacy regarding
  use of online academic library research services
  is positively related to their intention to use
  such services H 2A, the relative amount of time
  they will spend using online library resources
  vis-à-vis other information sources H 2B, and
  their attitude toward using such services H 2C.

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Perceived Self-Efficacy Items With Mean Scores
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Findings

• H 2A H 2B
• High (39)
• Med SE (30)
• Low SE (21)
• H 2C High SE students have more favorable
  attitude.
• Role of past performance and instructor
  involvement

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Summer Research Grant

• Possible directions
• Uses Gratifications Theory
• Marketing Communications

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Thank you!

• Dr. Deborah Cowles
• VCU School of Business
• Department of Marketing
• E-mail dcowles_at_vcu.edu
• Ms. Jill S. Stover, MSLS
• Undergraduate Services Librarian
• James Branch Cabell Library, VCU
• E-mail jsstover_at_vcu.edu
• URL
• http//www.people.vcu.edu/jsstover/acme/acme2007
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