Exploring the Factors That Influence Generation Y Students’ Attitudes Towards University Websites

Abstract

In South Africa, an increasing number of Generation Y students register at higher education institutions on an annual basis. This rising number, coupled with university websites being a primary source of information and a basis for creating institutional impressions that can affect the attitudes and behavioural intentions of students, highlights the importance of understanding the factors that influence Generation Y students' attitudes towards university websites. As such, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of ease of use, usefulness and playfulness on Generation Y students' attitudes towards university websites within the South African context. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 319 Generation Y students registered at two higher education institution campuses in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis. The findings indicate that the ease of use, usefulness and playfulness of university websites have a significant positive influence on Generation Y students' attitudes towards university websites. Universities can use the findings of this study to improve the effectiveness of their websites in an attempt to positively influence Generation Y students' attitudes towards the sites.