Quality control in postgraduate supervision in library schools:A study of Library and Information Technology Department, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examined quality control in postgraduate supervision in library schools with particular reference to the Department of Library and Information Technology (LIT), Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria. Mixed methods research design was adopted for the study. The total population of the study comprised all the 67 candidates of the Department of Library and Information Technology, who registered with the School of Postgraduate Studies between 2013 and 2016 with the 12 available supervisors. Total enumeration was used to cover the entire population. A self-designed instrument tagged “Quality Control in Postgraduate Supervision Questionnaire” (QCPGS) with the reliability co-efficient of 0.79 was administered to both the supervisors and the postgraduate students. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Findings of the research show that the number of postgraduate students admitted in LIT between 2013 and 2016 is commensurate with the number of supervisors available and that the appointment of co-supervisors/supervisory committee enhanced quality of supervision. The study concluded that high quality has been maintained in postgraduate supervision in the surveyed Department especially as regards balanced supervisor/supervisee ratio but not with consistency. The study recommended the following amongst other. Trimming the size of would be postgraduate students to match the number of available supervisors which has been a practice in LIT should be continued and this should be a practice in all other library schools in Nigeria. To ensure that the best candidates are admitted into the postgraduate programmes, pre-admission screening test should be conducted for all would be postgraduate students in LIT and in all other library schools in Nigeria.