Relationship between personality traits and digital literacy skills: a study of university librarians

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between personality traits and digital literacy skills among university librarians of Punjab, Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Five research hypotheses were established to achieve the study objectives. Two instruments; namely, “big five inventory (BFI)” scale of personality traits and a structured questionnaire of digital literacy skills (library literacy, computer literacy, tool literacy, information retrieval literacy and research support literacy) were used to collect the data. Pearson correlation test and correlation research design were used to examine the relationship between digital literacy skills and personality traits of university librarians. Findings The findings of the study revealed significant relationships between personality traits and all digital literacy skills. The study concluded that librarians having the extraversion trait are more inclined toward digital literacy skills and they can perform well in the libraries as compared to professionals with other traits. Research limitations/implications This study measures the digital literacy skills among the librarians of “higher education commission” recognized universities of Punjab, Pakistan. The study conclusions and findings are limited in scope to only the librarians of these universities. Such topic has no previous research. Practical implications This study has practical implication for university libraries, library associations, librarians and library professionals. The results of the study are also useful for librarians to acquire digital literacy skills, which are necessary in the current digital environment to manage the libraries. Social implications Library professionals can get digital literacy skills to face the challenges of digital age. Originality/value Some researchers examined the relationship of personality traits with the social networking sites, internet addiction, knowledge sharing behavior, information seeking behavior and academic performance. This study in particular identified the relationship of personality traits with the digital literacy skills, which are essential for managing the libraries. It helps libraries to find suitable library professionals and also help managers in assigning the duties based on these personality traits and digital literacy skills.

Introversion-extraversion and online course satisfaction

“…Indeed, the findings supported this hypothesis and indicated that digital literacy was a significant predictor of course satisfaction for introverts, whereas for extraverts, this was not the case. Previous findings have indicated that extraverts have higher levels of digital literacy skills compared to introverts (Ahmed and Rasheed, 2020), but that introverts are more highly focused on building and designing their personal profiles on Facebook (Amichai-Hamburger and Vinitzky, 2010), which requires digital literacy skills and may reflect the stronger need for perceived control among introverts in various contexts (e.g. Pearce-McCall and Newman, 1986).…”

“…Furthermore, there is evidence that introverts and extraverts differ in their digital literacy skills (Ahmed and Rasheed, 2020) and in their focus on the use of digital literacy skills to build and design their personal profile on Facebook (Amichai-Hamburger and Vinitzky, 2010). In addition, previous studies have indicated that introverts have lower levels of perceived control in various situations (e.g.…”

The Road to Developing Students’ Digital Fluency: The Role of Personality Traits

“…Several factors can affect an individual's fluency in using digital technology. Personality is one of the factors that can be used to understand the development of digital literacy and individual fluency [15,16]. In addition, personality can also be used to understand resistance to changes and developments in the use of technology in companies [17].…”

Research on key influencing factors of university students' digital competence in blended teaching

“…In the book Digital Literacy published in 1997, Gilster (1997) describes digital literacy as the ability to use and understand all kinds of digital resources and information displayed by computers.The European Union defines digital culture as people's ability to critically and innovatively use information technology in their study, work, entertainment and social participation (Ferrari, Brecko & Punie, 2014). The American Library Association defines people's ability to use ICT to retrieve, understand, evaluate, create and digitally exchange information (Ahmed & Rasheed, 2020). Later, some scholars began to extend and deepen the definition of digital literacy.…”