Assessment of Learner-Centred Techniques for Academic Library Instruction: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Academic library instruction in Nigeria increasingly requires learner-centered approaches that promote engagement, ownership of learning, and effective research skills, yet the extent to which librarians apply such techniques across tertiary institutions remains uneven. This study assessed learner-centered techniques used by academic librarians teaching Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in Federal Colleges of Education and a Federal University in North-West Nigeria. A descriptive comparative survey design was adopted, with total enumeration of 314 librarians. The Assessment of Learner-Centered Techniques Questionnaire (ALTQ) was used; 289 copies (92.0%) were correctly completed and analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and independent-samples t-test at the 0.05 level. Librarians generally applied learner-centered guiding principles, addressed classroom power dynamics, used Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework language, built rapport, and applied motivational and metacognitive techniques; classroom-management and prior-knowledge-activation techniques were comparatively less used. University librarians scored significantly higher on philosophy, rapport, and motivation-related techniques, while no significant difference emerged for classroom management and prior-knowledge activation. Learner-centered instruction is emerging but unevenly embedded. Continuing professional development, institutional support, and faculty-librarian collaboration are recommended.