User Engagement, Resource Optimization, and Library Access and Their Relationship to the Academic Achievement of Students in MUNPARLAS

Academic libraries are recognized as essential components of higher education institutions, supporting student learning, research engagement, and overall academic development, and this study examined the relationships among user engagement, resource optimization, and library access, and their relationship with students' academic achievement in selected MUNPARLAS (Muntinlupa, Parañaque, and Las Piñas) schools during the second semester of Academic Year 2025–2026, anchored in Constructivist Learning Theory. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was employed, and data were collected from 404 systematically selected student library users using a validated researcher-developed questionnaire, with the instrument measuring user engagement (library usage, types of resources accessed, and satisfaction with services), resource optimization (information literacy skills, research activities, collaborative learning, and self-directed learning), and library access (physical access to facilities, digital access to online resources, availability and adequacy of print and digital resources, and quality of the physical learning environment), alongside students’ self-reported academic achievement, while descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho correlation were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that students demonstrated generally high levels of user engagement, resource optimization, and library access, with variations observed across dimensions of user engagement and library access, and Spearman’s rho analysis showed that among the examined variables, only physical access to library facilities had a statistically significant relationship with academic achievement, with no significant relationships found between academic achievement and user engagement and resource optimization. The study concludes that physical accessibility of library facilities plays a more direct role in students’ academic achievement within the context examined, however, the absence of significant relationships among other dimensions suggests that academic achievement may be influenced by broader instructional, institutional, and individual factors beyond the measured library-related variables, and these findings provide evidence-based insights for educational leaders and library administrators in planning strategic improvements that support student learning and institutional effectiveness, and these findings provide evidence-based insights for educational leaders and library administrators in planning strategic improvements that support student learning and institutional effectiveness.