Information Literacy of Undergraduate Students Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus

Abstract

        This research aimed to study the information literacy of first-year undergraduate students from six academic discipline groups at Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, by analyzing the relationship of academic discipline groups and enrollment in the "Information Media for Learning" course with students' information literacy, using pre-tests and post-tests based on the five ACRL standards. Data were collected in the first semester of academic years 2024 (n = 878) and 2025 (n = 1,128). The findings revealed that (1) students in academic year 2025 obtained significantly higher pre-test scores than those in 2024 (t = −19.89, p < .001, d = 0.940), rising from a "Fair" to a "Moderate" level; (2) academic discipline groups were significantly related to pre-test scores in both years (One-Way ANOVA: F = 43.93 and 7.11, respectively, p < .001), with Standard 4 (Application) being a weakness in all discipline groups in both years; and (3) taking the Information Media for Learning course resulted in significantly higher scores in all discipline groups (Paired t-test: p < .001 in all cases; Cohen's d = 0.798–2.688), with students in academic year 2025 reaching a "Very Good" level after the course (M = 28.12). The analytical results suggest that the Information Media for Learning course should provide more activities that enable students to apply information literacy in their own professional contexts in order to strengthen Standard 4, which was a weakness among students in all discipline groups, and that program administrators should establish an explicit program learning outcome for information literacy to ensure its continuous integration into each major's courses.