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Title: | Students' usage of and attitudes towards academic e-books at the University of Malta |
Authors: | Pellegrini, Luigi |
Keywords: | Scholarly electronic publishing Electronic books -- Malta University of Malta -- Students Electronic textbooks -- Malta |
Issue Date: | 2013 |
Abstract: | The purpose of this study is to investigate the usage of and attitudes towards academic e-books amongst University of Malta students. This was done though a survey consisting of a self-administered questionnaire, comprising a number of closed-ended questions, as well as some open-ended questions. The online survey was distributed to 7670 students, and there was a response rate of 5.1% It was found that print books are used more extensively than electronic books. Nonetheless, over half the respondents (51.8%) make use of both. Laptops are the most popular device for using e-books (82.1%). Desktops and tablets are used by just under one third of respondents, and a surprising 18.2% are reading e-books on their smartphones. Students obtain for free, rather than purchase e-books. The most popular way of obtaining e-books are free internet sources such as Google Books. Obtaining e-books from friends and colleagues and illegal downloading are also popular methods. Just 29.5% purchase e-books from online stores such as the Kindle Store. The most popular reasons for using e-books are due to accessibility, availability and search function. While students consider most basic e-book features as 'very important', less importance was attributed to the more advanced features, which indicates that e-books are being predominantly used as digital replicas of their print counterparts. An attempt was made to identify factors which can act as predictors for the type of books used (mainly print books, or both print and e-books, or mainly e-books). The study ends with a set of recommendations about how issues concerning e-books can be addressed at the University of Malta. A number of avenues for further research are also suggested. |
Description: | EXECUTIVE M.B.A. |
URI: | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/10317 |
Appears in Collections: | Dissertations - FacEma - 2013 |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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13MBAX031.pdf Restricted Access | 1.63 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open Request a copy |
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