Second-year Social Science students’ perceptions of electronic information resources at the University of Kwazulu-Natal.

Abstract

This study was aimed at investigating the perceptions of second-year social science students about electronic information resources offered by the UKZN library. The study sought to establish the extent of use and perceptive factors that influence the use of electronic information resources. The study was based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989). This study adopted a quantitative research approach as it is underpinned by a positivist worldview that has been adopted as an underpinning paradigm. Furthermore, this approach is consistent with the adopted descriptive research design, which allowed the researcher to generalise the findings of the study to a greater audience. This study's population was comprised of second-year students registered for the Bachelor of Social Science programme offered at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This population was important to this study as it sought to uncover student perceptions based on their first-year experiences using electronic information resources. The study adopted probability sampling by specifically employing random sampling. The researcher randomly selected participants from the Howard College campus and Pietermaritzburg campus to make up the sample. The sample size was 310 randomly selected participants from both Howard College and Pietermaritzburg campuses. The sampled participants were surveyed using an online questionnaire made available via Google Forms. A staggering 295 students completed the survey, translating to an excellent 95% response rate. Descriptive data analysis was employed in line with the research paradigm underpinning this study and the research design as well as the approach adopted. The findings revealed that (78.6%) of respondents utilised electronic information resources offered by the library. Furthermore, (34.1%) of respondents considered electronic information resources ‘very much useful’. A notable (42.7%) of respondents indicated that they regarded electronic information resources as relatively easy to access. The findings also revealed that (34.1%) of respondents perceived electronic information resources as ‘relatively easy to use’. Some of the challenges cited by the respondents include internet connection, printing-related problems, staff not always available to help, uncertainty as to which database to use and password requirements. Recommendations based on the significant findings and conclusions were made, which involved the library's need to conduct targeted user education programmes. These programmes should address specific challenges that have been identified instead of having a blanket approach to training. Moreover, there should be strong communication channels for students to interact with library personnel when they encounter problems and need assistance, especially when they cannot be physically in the library. Suggestions for further research were also given.