1. VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries Undergraduates’ Self-Efficacy Perceptions and Their Use of Online Library Research Services Deborah Cowles Jill Stover Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia

2. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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

3. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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 Google’s linking nature), and, with smiles on their faces, they hand in their work without even learning one thing about real research.” – Steven Cohen

4. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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.

5. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference Operational definitions Non-library Internet sources  Google, Wikipedia, other Web resources not owned by library Online library resources  Resources made available by library’s paid subscriptions (ex: InfoTrac, online journals, e- books, etc.) Tangible library resources  Print materials including monographs, encyclopedias, magazines, etc.

6. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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

7. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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

8. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference Bar graph: % of time

9. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference Why it’s 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

10. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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

11. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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 incentives…efficacy expectations are a major determinant of people’s choice of activities, how much effort they will expend, and of how long they will sustain effort.”

12. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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 1. whether consumers will choose to use a service 2. how long they will persist in using the service to achieve their goals 3. their level of motivation and attitudes toward the service 4. their performance outcomes

13. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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].

14. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference Perceived Self-Efficacy Items With Mean Scores Item # Students were asked to indicate their agreement/disagreement with the following statements ranging from 1 (Strongly Agree) to 6 (Strongly Disagree):* Mean Score* 1 I have successfully used [the campus] library’s electronic resources to complete a class assignment involving academic research. 1.94 2 When faced with the requirement for a class assignment to conduct academic research, my professors/instructors encourage me to use the electronic resources of [the campus] library. 2.16 3 In the past, I have experienced anxiety and/or stress when I’ve been expected to use [the campus] library’s electronic resources to conduct academic research for a classroom assignment. 3.80 4 My friends and acquaintances at [this university] routinely use the [campus] library’s electronic resources to conduct academic research for classroom assignments. 2.91 5 I would feel “stressed out” if I received a class assignment that required me to use the [campus] library’s electronic resources to conduct academic research. 4.25 6 Compared to my friends and classmates at [this university], I know more about using the [campus] library’s electronic resources to conduct academic research for classroom assignments than they do. 3.53 7 I meet my professors’ expectations when it comes to conducting academic research using the electronic resources at [the campus] library. 2.48 * Note: Mean scores reported here are prior to reverse coding of negatively worded items (#3 and #5). Also, in the original questionnaire, the name of the university was inserted into [bracketed] items shown here.

15. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference 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

16. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference Summer Research Grant Possible directions:  Uses & Gratifications Theory  Marketing Communications

17. March 10, 2007VCU School of Business & VCU Libraries ACME Conference Thank you! Dr. Deborah Cowles  VCU School of Business Department of Marketing E-mail: dcowles@vcu.edudcowles@vcu.edu Ms. Jill S. Stover, MSLS  Undergraduate Services Librarian James Branch Cabell Library, VCU E-mail: jsstover@vcu.edujsstover@vcu.edu URL http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jsstover/acme/acme2007.ppt