Abstract:
Social competence, the ability of a person to handle social interaction effectively, is
important for the academic success of library and information science postgraduate
students. However, there are records of low level of social competence among most
library and information science postgraduate students in universities in Nigeria.
Previous studies focused largely on social media use with little attention paid to social
competence of library and information science students with regard to awareness,
accessibility and use of social media. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine
the awareness, accessibility and use of social media as predictors of social competence
of library and information science postgraduate students in Nigerian universities.
Social Cognitive and Uses and Gratifications theories provided the framework. The
survey design of the correlational type was adopted. Sixteen library schools and 742
library and information science postgraduate students were enumerated. The
instruments used were Awareness of Social Media (r= 0.96), Accessibility to Social
Media (r=0.96), Use of social media (r=0.96), Social Competence (r=0.76) and Social
Competence Challenges (r=0.81) scales. Data were analysed using descriptive
statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlation and Multiple regression at 0.05 level
of significance.
The respondents’ age was 32.50 ± 9.10 years, and 54.2% were female. The full-time
students were 70.7%. Awareness of social media ( =106.40), accessibility to social
media ( =104.26), and use of social media ( =127.86) were high, based on the test
norms of 104-152, 103-152 and 104-152, respectively. Social competence ( =55.18)
was high based on the test norm of 55-80. Accessibility to social media (r=0.11) and
use of social media (r=0.31) had significant positive relationships with social
competence while awareness of social media did not. Significant relationships existed
between awareness (r=0.71), accessibility (r=0.23) and use of social media, and
awareness of (r=0.16) and use of social media. Awareness, accessibility, and use of
social media had significant joint contribution to social competence (F(3;738) = 33.54;
Adj. R2 = 0.52), accounting for 52.0% of its variance. Use of social media (β=0.08);
accessibility (β=0.06) and awareness (β=0.03) relatively contributed to social
competence. Inability to participate in social activity, problem-solving skills, low selfcontrol, and inability to handle and manage conflict situation were some of the
challenges of social competence faced by the library and information science
postgraduate students in universities.
Awareness, accessibility and use of social media positively influenced social
competence of library and information science postgraduate students in universities in
Nigeria. Library schools should provide students with sufficient social competence
skills for their professional development.
