Determinants of Undergraduate Students’ Attitude and Perception towards the Use of Electronic Information Resources (EIRs) among Undergraduate Students in Selected Universities in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the attitudinal behavior and perceptions of undergraduate students in University of Fort Hare and Rhodes, towards their utilization of e-information resources (EIRs). The essence was to ascertain whether their attitude and perception have a positive or negative impact on e-resource use in selected universities in Eastern Cape, South Africa. The purposive and proportionate stratified random sampling techniques were employed in selecting the study population and sample size while questionnaire and oral interview were used as instruments for data collection. The findings revealed that the respondents usually encounter difficulties which negatively influence their attitudes and behavior towards e-resource use. They assume that additional special computing skills are required before one can be competent enough to effectively utilize these resources. In carrying out this research, a total of 377 copies of the questionnaire were randomly distributed to undergraduate students in all the faculties of both institutions, and the results were analyzed using the Statistical Package of the social Sciences (SPSS Version 32). Additionally, hypotheses were tested in order to validly make assertions based on the collected data, and the results state that perception and attitude of undergraduate students affect their utilization of E-journals. Recommendations were made, and these include the need for mass enlightenment campaign on the use and benefits of E-resources among undergraduate students through training and retraining , seminars, and workshops.