Perceived usefulness of institutional repositories for research outputs among Arabic language undergraduates in Kwara state, Nigeria

Institutional repositories (IRs) are critical platforms for preserving scholarly outputs in higher education, yet undergraduate students’ awareness of and utilisation of IRs remain concerns in Nigerian universities. This study investigated the perceived usefulness of IRs for research outputs among Arabic language undergraduates in Kwara State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, involving 300 students selected through multi-stage sampling from federal, state, and private universities. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.79 and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that students perceived IR usefulness (grand mean = 3.04). IRs were valued for exploring previous research, accessing publications, enhancing literature reviews, and refining methodologies. No significant differences were found based on gender (t = 1.714, p  = 0.122) or institution type (F = 1.724, p  = 0.072). The study recommends that universities develop robust IRs and mandate research deposits, that librarians provide training programmes, that departments integrate IR use into curricula, and that the National Universities Commission establish IR guidelines and accreditation standards.