Students’ Perception and Use of Digital Resources in University of Africa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources at the University of Africa Bayelsa State. The study was guided by three research questions and two hypotheses. The researchers employed a descriptive survey design. The study comprised 1420 undergraduate students out of which 409 were randomly selected. The study's sample size was determined using the Taro Yamane sample size formula. The questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by educational technology experts. The data gathered from the study were analyzed to check for internal consistency of reliability and the Cronbach alpha value of 0.86 was obtained. Based on the coefficient obtained, the questionnaire was considered reliable. Data were analyzed using frequency count, and simple percentages, and Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23 was used to generate the mean while the test of the hypotheses was done using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient and independent t-testat 0.05 significant levels. The findings revealed that the students had positive perceptions and a high level of usage of digital resources. The study also established that inadequate information retrieval skills, poor Internet connectivity, and lack of time to search for suitable resources were some of the challenges in the use of digital resources. Lastly, the test of the hypotheses showed, that there is a significant relationship between students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources in this study. Hence, the students’ positive perceptions influenced their level of digital resources usage.. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made.