ICT Proficiency and Mentoring as Panacea to Low Research Productivity among LIS Educators in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study is aimed at assessing the effect of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) proficiency and mentoring on research productivity of Library and Information Science (LIS) Educators in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The study was located in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Four (4) research questions were asked and answered. The total population for the study was 12 LIS Educators from six (6) higher institutions of learning in Nasarawa State. Only two (2) of the institutions run LIS programme, specifically Federal university Lafia and Nasarawa State Polytechnic Lafia, hence they were purposively selected for the study. Total enumeration (census) technique was used to cover the entire target population. Twelve (12) copies of the questionnaire administered were all returned, having a response rate of 100%. The research questions were analysed using mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that ICT proficiency and mentoring greatly enhanced the research productivity of LIS Educators in the two higher institutions running LIS programme in Nasarawa State Nigeria, as revealed in their mean scores. The study recommended that LIS Educators should be trained and imparted with ICT skills and to engage in mentoring relationships since all these are panacea to low research productivity. In addition, the university management should endeavour to provide Internet connectivity, office computers and constant power supply for enhanced research productivity of LIS Educators in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Keywords: ICT Proficiency, Mentoring, LIS Educators, Research Productivity, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria