Attitude of Library and Information Science students towards discipline and future of the profession

Abstract

The purpose of the present research is to study the attitudes of LIS students towards their field and career future. Current applied and quantitative study used survey method. Data collection instrument was a modified questionnaire based on prior studies. The reliability analysis of the questionnaire was carried out using Cronbach's Alpha. Population of the study was graduate and undergraduate LIS students in Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University. In order to answer the research questions, descriptive and parametric statistical tests (Indepent-t, Anova and Pearson) were applied based on demographic variables. SPSS 20 was used to analyze the data and Excel was used to draw the graphs. Based on findings, the highest agreement among students was about the endangerment of career future by the recruitment of non-specialized individuals in this profession; while the lowest agreement was about the positive view of people about this field.  There was a positive and a significant association between Attitudes towards Field & Career Future (ATFS&CF) and GPA. It could be concluded that students with higher GPA have more optimistic opinion about ATFS & CF. Respondents worried about their career future as well as the employment of graduates of other fields in this profession.