Acceptance and Use of Online Resources amongst University Students in Selected Higher-Learning Institutions in Iringa, Tanzania

Sanga, Winfrida K. (2023) Acceptance and Use of Online Resources amongst University Students in Selected Higher-Learning Institutions in Iringa, Tanzania. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

The main objective of this study was to examine the acceptance and use of online resources amongst university students of higher learning institutions, which was conducted at Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE) and Ruaha Catholic University (RUCU). Specifically, the study aimed (i) to examine the extent to which university students perceive ORs as ease to use in learning, (ii) to examine the extent to which university students perceive ORs as useful, (iii) to examine the influence of environmental factors on the acceptance and use of ORs, (iv) to examine the extent to which university students are socially influenced in accepting and use ORs. The study adopted the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and also adopted quantitative research approach so as to comply with the Positivism research philosophy used and applied a deductive as a research design. The study population constituted of 10200 students and of these, 5,500 were from MUCE while 4,700 were from RUCU. Researcher use a published sample size table by considered 5 level of significance to come up with the sample size of 370 where 170 students were enrolled at (RUCU) while 200 students were enrolled at (MUCE) respondents were obtained through simple random sampling techniques. The study used questionnaire method in collecting data and data were analyzed and summarized by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 with descriptive statistics and inferential analysis using multiple regression analysis. Descriptive Statistical results revealed that the majority (84.79%) of respondents cumulatively agreed that the ease of use of online resources enhanced their acceptance and use of such resources. The majority (81.52%) of respondents cumulatively agreed that perceived usefulness impacted their acceptance of online resources. The majority (72.94%) of respondents cumulatively agreed that environmental attributes influence their acceptance and use of online resources and lastly, the majority (69.85%) of respondents cumulatively agreed that social attributes influence their acceptance and use of online resources. The findings of the regression analysis also revealed a strong correlation between the acceptance and use of online resources by selected university students and perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and environmental and social factors. According to the research, it was recommended that institutions implement more sophisticated technology to improve the availability of online materials. Adopting technology that is simple to use and considered helpful by students is very critical. It is also imperative that universities provide a favourable, socially conducive environment to enhance students' acceptance and use of online resources. The researcher concludes that generally, most students have a positive attitude towards the use of online resources in learning and research activities Keywords: Online resources, acceptance, perceived usefulness, ease of use, environmental and social influence.

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