Advisers

John Pros B. Valencia, RL, MLIS

Discipline

Social sciences

Abstract

Bestlink College of the Philippines transformed its library from a conventional collection into a Collaborative Learning Center integrating digital services such as the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). Despite these developments, students continue to experience difficulty accessing reliable and current academic resources because of limited digital literacy, unstable internet connectivity, and insufficient awareness of ethical research practices. These barriers may be related to the quality, credibility, and originality of student research outputs. This research study used a descriptive correlational quantitative design to determine the relationship between limited information access and the quality of research outputs among fourth-year CTE students of Bestlink College of the Philippines during the first semester of SY 2025–2026. Respondents were purposively selected from different CTE majors who had completed their final research defense. Data were collected using a researcher-developed, validated questionnaire with a four-point Likert scale. Respondents reported high perceived levels of information access and research quality, with availability, credibility, and accessibility identified as major factors. Because the data were nonnormally distributed (p < .05), Spearman’s rho was used. The analysis found a weak but significant positive correlation between access to digital technology and research quality, while the other variables were not statistically significant. The findings provide evidence of the relationship between information access and perceived research quality. They may serve as a basis for improving institutional support systems, information resources, digital-literacy initiatives, and access to reliable academic materials for students.

Keywords

digital literacy, information access, research quality