Factors Affecting the Adoption of Electronic Books by Undergraduate Students in a Small, Midwestern, Liberal Arts University.

摘要

Many academic libraries were early adopters of e-books and continue to acquire e-books to support student learning. The e-book is an innovation that purports to replace the printed book; however, students continue to prefer to use the printed book. While students prefer the printed book, academic libraries that provide access to e-books report their e-book collection is being used as much or more than the printed book collection. In this study, eight factors were identified and explored to determine whether one or more of the factors affected undergraduate students’ choice to use e-books. A quantitative research design using a convenience sampling method and chi-square analyses was employed in the study. The population of interest was undergraduate students attending Southwest Baptist University, a small, traditional, liberal arts institution. A survey was administered to students attending a university-wide chapel service. Four research questions were developed to explore whether a relationship existed between students’ use of e-books and using e-books for leisure reading, using e-books as a textbook, using e-books to conduct research, using e-books to read an assigned reading outside of class, using e-books to read an assigned reading out loud in-class, using e-books as the format of choice, using e-books due to forced adoption, or using e-books due to convenience. Leisure reading, conducting research, forced adoption, and convenience were factors positively related to students’ choice to use an e-book. In-class reading was negatively related with students’ use of e-books. Textbook use and reading assigned readings were not related with students’ choice to use an e-book. When both the printed book and e-book were available, students’ choice was positively related with the printed book and negatively related with the e-book. When the e-book was the only format available, students’ choice was positively related with the use of the e-book. Finally, students’ use of e-books was positively related with convenience.