Medical undergraduate students’ perception towards the use and non-use of e-books: a case from Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of medical undergraduate students regarding their behavior towards use and non-use of e-books. It also elucidates their preferences between print and electronic book format. Design/methodology/approach It is a quantitative study based on survey method. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from final year medical students of three medical colleges of Lahore, Pakistan. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse 232 useable questionnaires. Findings The findings indicate that the use and non-use of e-books is almost equal among students. The students who use e-books mostly access them through Google books, and they used e-books for academic purpose. Users were convinced about the benefits of e-books such as easy access, 24/7 availability and up-to-date information. However, users and non-users of e-books preferred to use printed version of books. Non-users identified that e-books often distract them because of different links on the website, and they do not want to change their habit of reading printed books. Moreover, they are satisfied with printed books available in their libraries and hesitant to read on screen. Research limitations/implications The present study is limited to the medical sciences; its results cannot be generalizing to other academic disciplines. Practical implications The findings of the study will assist the medical libraries to improve their e-books collection and also negotiate the publishers for its licence issues. The study will also encourage the librarians to acquire handheld devices and load them with e-books for their users. Originality/value This is believed to be the first study on the use of e-books in the perspective of medical students in Pakistan.

Awareness, use and attitudes of students towards e-books: differences based on gender, discipline and degree level

“…As Zeeshan et al (2020) identified that university students had familiarity with information literacy programmes, had skills to fulfil their information needs and also recognize their importance for academic achievements. Moreover, Rafiq and Warraich (2019) have identified barriers like distraction of different links on website, problems in finding relevant books and unfamiliarity about electronic books among medical students. The authors further suggested that librarians should be well aware about e-books and must create awareness among students.…”

“…Previous researchers have also used a similar technique (questionnaire survey) to measure the use, attitudes and perceptions of study participants about e-books. (Corlett-Rivera and Hackman, 2014; Abdullah and Gibb, 2008; Lamb, 2012; Posigha, 2012; Shelburn, 2009; Khan et al , 2016; Rafiq and Warraich, 2019). Powell and Connaway (2004) defined that “questionnaires are worthwhile data collection tool to collect the information from the large population in a short period.…”

“…The study recommended that there was a need to highlight the hindrances regarding adoption of e-books by the faculty members (Al-Suqri, 2014). Rafiq and Warraich (2019) revealed that the usage and non-usage levels of e-books among medical students were similar because of timely access, up-to-date information and 24/7 availability and e-book services. Moreover, non-users preferred printed books because they disliked the distracting links on websites and reading on screen.…”

What do the business employers want? A sequential mixed methods exploration of information professionals’ competencies

“…Zohrabi (2013) remarked that researchers need to consider measuring reliability of their data either before or after collecting the data (p. 254). Literature also indicates that researchers devised questionnaires and checked the reliability after collecting the final data (Rafiq and Warraich, 2019;Rafiq et al, 2018;Warraich et al, 2018;Khan and Bhatti, 2012;Ahmed and Soroya, 2016). The reliability of the instrument for the present study was checked via Cronbach's alpha calculation after collecting final data.…”

E-book Culture at Rajshahi University Students in Bangladesh

“…Rafiq and Warraich [9] conducted a study on medical students e-book use in Pakistan, and it was found that the use and non-use of e-books are almost equal among students. Google books were preferred mostly and were used for academic purpose.…”