The views, adoption and use of e-books by undergraduate students at the University of Namibia

Abstract

The advancement of Information Communication and Technology, especially the vast development of the Internet, which makes information more widely available to more people, has brought changes to the publishing industry. This technological development includes the introduction of electronic information sources such as e-journals and e-books. The research aimed at investigating the adoption of views about and use of e-books at the University of Namibia. The research design was exploratory and the study adopted a mixed approach, in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Data collection was done through administering questionnaires, a focus group discussion and observation, combined with think-aloud methods. Both purposive sampling and random sampling techniques were used in selecting respondents. The results of this study reported a high awareness about e-books by students. The study also revealed frequent general use of e-books. The study further reported that respondents used both the non-library search engines and the library search tool as starting points to search for e-books, with the result that the use of the library provided e-books has not reached any significant level. The study also observed positive attitudes towards e-books by students, as they indicated a preference for e-books over printed books and reported using e-books mainly for course work and research purposes. In identifying factors that hinder the use of e-books, aspects such as slow Internet connections, lack of knowledge (including the awareness and skills required to utilise e-books), limited and/or lack of relevant e-books titles, preference for print, eye strain and difficulty reading on screen, as well as limited computers and lack of e-readers, were identified as major deterrents for the use of e-books. Additionally, the study found that the relative advantage, compatibility, trialability and observability have significant influence on the adoption of e-books.