Information Literacy Skills among Female Students of Secondary Schools in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study assessed information literacy skills among female students of secondary schools in Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire was developed consisting of library and ICT facilities, information literacy skills, ability to locate information, evaluate information sources, and use the approach of needed information. A total of 596 data were collected from female students of class nine of five general and five girls' high schools in the rural areas of Dhaka Districts. The study revealed that overall, 60.23% of the respondents were aware of IL; however, 49.33% of the female students were unable to locate academic information, 69.63% failed to identify information sources, and 75.17% did not know how to use the required information appropriately. It is the first endeavor to assess IL skills among female students of class nine in Bangladesh. Thus, a holistic approach can be initiated countrywide for further studies on measuring the IL skills of male and female students.