PERCEPTION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TOWARDS THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DATABASES FOR ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN KANO STATE.

Abstract

This study investigated the perception of undergraduate students towards the use of electronic databases in university libraries in Kano State. The objectives of the study were to determine the types of electronic databases available in university libraries in Kano State, to find out the perception of undergraduate students towards the use of electronic databases and to ascertain the extent of use of electronic databases. The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a cross-sectional survey design. The population of the study was thirty thousand, two hundred and one (30,201) undergraduate students in universities in Kano State. A proportionate sampling technique was used to calculate the sample size of the study. Three hundred and seventy-nine (379) undergraduate students were selected to form the sample size for the study. A self-developed questionnaire was the instrument used to collect data with Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient results of .903 (90.5%) with 161 items. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics; while the chi-square test using SPSS version 26 was used to determine the relationship between the variables of the study. The findings from the study revealed that university libraries in Kano State provide an adequate number of electronic databases which are very relevant to the students but fairly accessible. The study also discovered that the perception of the undergraduate students towards the use of electronic databases was positive as the findings established that some of the databases; Science Direct, ProQuest, Jstor, EBSCOhost and Hinari are most positively perceived with the majority of 50 (47%) of them. likewise, the study indicated there is a statistically significant relationship between perception and use of electronic databases. The study concludes that the undergraduate students in Kano State formed favorable attitudes towards the use of electronic databases despite challenges they experienced in their accessibility. The study further recommends for the need to raise the students’ awareness about databases through orientations and campaigns among others