Examining Graduate Students’ Research Performance through Competency and Information-Seeking Skills

Background/purpose. This study aims to describe the research performance, competency levels, and information-seeking skills of graduate school writers, and to examine whether these skills significantly correlate with research performance. It also aims to identify which specific aspects of competency and information-seeking skills most strongly influence research performance. Furthermore, this study seeks to explore the experiences of graduate students in writing their theses or dissertations and to recommend support programs that address their identified needs during the writing stage.

Materials/methods. This study utilized a quantitative descriptive–correlational design to explore the relationships among graduate students’ research performance, competency levels, and information-seeking skills, and to determine which factors most influence performance. The participants were 106 graduate students enrolled in Thesis and Dissertation Writing courses at Bulacan State University during the Academic Year 2023–2024.

Results. Graduate school writers generally exhibit strong research performance, with nearly half achieving high ratings and a quarter excelling. While they demonstrate solid information-seeking and literacy skills, such as evaluating sources, using databases, and citing correctly, these abilities do not directly correlate with their research performance. Despite their competence, many face significant challenges throughout the thesis and dissertation writing process.

Conclusion. Graduate students persist in completing their research, confronting resilience and commitment. Providing targeted support in research methodology, academic writing, and time management could help them solve problems more effectively.

Keywords: Competency, graduate students, information–seeking skills, research performance, support program

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