INFLUENCE OF KNOWLEDGE NAVIGATION SKILLS ON ONLINE SCHOLARLY RESOURCE USE BY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, ZARIA

Abstract

This study examined the influence of Knowledge Navigation Skills (KNS) on the use of Online
Scholarly Resources (OSR) by postgraduate students in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU),
Zaria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 2,499
postgraduate students, from which a sample size of 346 respondents was determined using the
Research Advisors (2006) sample size determination table. Questionnaire was used as an
instrument for data collection, data were collected using a structured questionnaire and
analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques, including frequencies, percentages, mean
scores, and standard deviations with the aid of SPSS. The findings revealed that postgraduate
students predominantly use online scholarly resources for academic and research-related
purposes, particularly for research writing, assignments, literature retrieval, and sourcing
scholarly materials. Non-academic uses, such as social networking, were minimal. The study
also found that postgraduate students use online scholarly resources frequently, with the
Internet, online databases, electronic journals, and e-books being the most commonly accessed
resources. Furthermore, the results indicated that effective use of online scholarly resources
is closely linked to students’ knowledge navigation skills. The study concludes that Knowledge
Navigation Skills significantly enhance postgraduate students’ ability to access and utilize
online scholarly resources effectively. It therefore recommends that university libraries
strengthen practical training in information and knowledge navigation skills and ensure
consistent access to relevant digital resources to support postgraduate research and learning.