Pre-admission undergraduate students' prior understanding of academic libraries in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study explored how personal experiences with libraries and interactions with various information sources shape the prior understanding of academic libraries among pre-admission undergraduates in Sri Lanka. The study followed a qualitative approach through an interpretive lens using Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory methodology. Thirty semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with pre-admission undergraduates at a university in Sri Lanka via Zoom. Participants had not yet received any university education and had not yet been exposed to their current university. The results demonstrated that negative or limited experiences with libraries significantly influenced their prior understanding of the university library. Personal interactions and media content also impacted students' prior understanding of their university library. In contrast, personal interactions, particularly with friends who had enrolled in university education experiences, played a crucial role in shaping pre-admission undergraduates' prior understandings of the university library. These factors play a crucial role in shaping pre-admission undergraduates' understanding of the university library.