INTERNET USAGE BY STUDENTS FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: A CASE STUDY

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO (TURFLOOP CAMPUS)

A RESEARCH REPORT

BY

LEKGANYANE EG (201013862)

LESELE MF (201014932)

MAKWELA MM (201001741)

MATHOLE ME (201014917)

MBEDZI ML (200908104)

NEMUTANZHELA LI (201013859)

SUBMITTED

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

IN

INFORMATION STUDIES

TO THE PROGRAMME OF INFORMATION STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA, COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION STUDIES

SCHOOL OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

AT

UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO TURFLOOP CAMPUS

SUPERVISOR: MR LA MAKGAHLELA
 DECLARATION

We hereby declare that this research report submitted to the University of Limpopo

(Turfloop Campus) for the degree in Bachelor of Information Studies in the Programme

of Information Studies of the School of Languages and Communications Studies,

Faculty of Humanities, has not previously been submitted by us for a degree at this or

any other university; and that all material contained herein has been properly

acknowledged.

Names Signature Date

LEKGANYANE EG __________________ _________________

LESELE MF __________________ _________________

MAKWELA MM __________________ _________________

MATHOLE ME __________________ _________________

MBEDZI ML __________________ _________________

NEMUTANZHELA LI __________________ _________________

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude to all the people that have

contributed to the completion of this research. The authors would like to thank the

University of Limpopo Turfloop Campus, Information Studies 301/302 students for their

help in data collection. We had a great fortune to study under the supervision of Mr L.A

Makgahlela and we are very grateful for his guidance and encouragement. His profound

knowledge provided us with opportunity to broaden our knowledge and to make

significant progress. Lastly, special thanks also to our families for their ever-present love

and support.

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 ABSTRACT

The paper presents the results of the investigation of the undergraduate student’s

Internet usage for academic purpose of the University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus

(UL-TC). The key aim of the study was to investigate why students rely more on the

Internet to access information for academic purposes and the constraints students face

when using the Internet at the UL-TC.

Quantitative approach was used in the study. Convenience sampling has been used to

collect data through questionnaire which was distributed to a sample of 70 3rd level

Information Studies students’ from UL-TC. The results of the study were analysed using

Microsoft excel and were presented in a form of tables and pie charts.

The results of the study shows that students spend most of their time accessing the

Internet and that majority of students frequently use the Internet for academic purposes.

The study also found that the main constrain that students face when using the Internet

was slow access speed. Time saving and user friendliness are the reasons of Internet

usage among university students. On this basis, the study recommends that the

university authorities should arrange training programs for students’ Internet use and

should provide adequate Internet facilities.

Keywords: Internet usage; Students; Academic purpose; University of Limpopo

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Declaration i
Acknowledgement ii
Abstract iii
Table of Contents iv
List of Figures vi
List of Tables vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Background of the study 1
1.3 Problem statement 3
1.4. Aims and Objectives of the study 4
1.4.1 Aims 4
1.4.2 Objectives 4
1.5 Hypothesis 4
1.6 Significance of the study 5
1.7 Structure of the research 5
1.8 Conclusion 6
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction 7
2.2 The Internet in historical perspective 7
2.3 Impact of the Internet on society 9
2.4 Internet use among students 9
2.5 Conclusion 14
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction 15
3.2 Research design 15
3.3. Population and sampling 16
3.3.1 Population 16

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 3.3.2 Sampling 16
3.4. Data collection instruments 17
3.4.1 Questionnaire 17
3.4.2 Pilot study 18
3.5. Data collection procedure 18
3.6 Conclusion 19
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
4.1 Introduction 20
4.2. The results of the questionnaire 20
4.2.1 Response rate 21
4.2.2 Gender 22
4.2.3 Age ranges of respondents 23
4.2.4 The use of Internet to access information for studies 24
4.2.5 Appealing features (reasons) for using the Internet 24
4.2.6 Device(s) used to access the Internet 25
4.2.7 Place(s) of accessing the Internet 26
4.2.8 Frequency of Internet use 27
4.2.9 Use of search engines to access information 28
4.2.10 Purposes of Internet searches 29
4.2.11 Accuracy of information on the Internet 30
4.2.12 Reliability of information on the Internet 31
4.2.13 Usefulness of information on the Internet 32
4.2.14 Problems encountered when searching the Internet 33
4.2.15 Training on searching for information on the Internet 34
4.2.16 Other sources of information other than Internet 35
4.2.17 Comments made by students 35
4.3 Conclusion 36
CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.1 Introduction 37
5.2 Findings 37
5.3 Recommendations 38

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5.4 Conclusion 39
List of references 41
List of appendices
Appendix A: Cover letter 47
Appendix B: Questionnaire 48
List of figures
Figure 4.1 Gender 24
Figure 4.2 Age ranges of respondents 25
Figure 4.3 Appealing features (reasons) for using the Internet 26
Figure 4.4 Device(s) used to access the Internet 27
Figure 4.5 Place(s) of accessing the Internet 28
Figure 4.6 Frequency of Internet use 29
Figure 4.7 Use of search engines to access information 30
Figure 4.8 Accuracy of information on the Internet 32
Figure 4.9 Reliability of information on the Internet 33
Figure 4.10 Usefulness of information on the Internet 34
Figure 4.11 Training on searching for information on the Internet 36
List of tables
Table 4.1 Purposes of Internet searches 31
Table 4.2 Problems encountered when searching the Internet 35
Table 4.3 Respondents’ use of resources in the absence of Internet 37

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1 Introduction

This chapter introduces the study by exploring the background and historical
perspective of Internet development and its use in South Africa and worldwide and
problem statement is also introduced and dealt with. Aims & objectives of the study and
the research hypothesis are also identified. The chapter concludes with a discussion of
the significance and structure of the study.

The development of the phenomenon of Internet is introduced, and then brought into
focus as it has begun to affect Internet users around the world, including South Africa.
Advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have brought in some
changes in the way individuals survive; many students prepare course assignments,
make study notes, tutor themselves with specialized multimedia, and process data for
research projects. Most exchange emails with their faculties, peers, and remote experts.
They keep up-to-date in their fields on the Internet; accessing newsgroups, bulletin
boards, list servers, and web sites posted by professional organizations.

1.2 Background of the study

Internet use is spreading rapidly into daily life, and directly affecting people’s ideas and
behaviour. Internet has an impact in many areas, including the higher education system.
The Internet is an inseparable part of today's educational system. The academic
community increasingly depends on the Internet for educational purposes. Majority of
academic and research institutions provide Internet service to students, teachers, and
researchers (Bashir, Mahmood and Shafique, 2008).

Increasingly, university students are using the Internet as an information resource while
in search of information for academic assignments. The emergence of the Internet has
had a profound impact on society in general and on library and information services in
particular. The use of the Internet has been growing vividly in recent years (Liu, 1996).

1
The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capacity, a mechanism for information
dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and
their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet has given the world
numerous easy to use and inexpensive research tools (Leiner, Cerf, Clark, Kahn,
Kleinrock, Lynch, Postel, Roberts, and Wolff, 2009).

Bashir, Mahmood and Shafique (2008) found that for most university students the
Internet is a functional tool, one that has greatly changed the way they interact with
others and with information as they go about their studies. Liu (1996) affirms that the
Internet revolution has had a great impact on traditional library operations including
information selection, presentation, organization and provision. As the Internet becomes
increasingly popular, and more information and services are available on the Internet,
the demand for the use of the Internet from the general public also increases
dramatically (Liu, 1996).

The use of the Internet in the educational environment has enabled easy access to
many resources, and information sharing has, therefore, significantly increased.
Moreover, the prevalence of this sharing has brought additional benefits in that these
resources can be used in any location and any time (Sahin, Balta and Ercan, 2010).
Usun (2003) states that Internet is appealing to higher education for a number of
reasons: it reduces the time lag between the production and utilization of knowledge; it
stimulates international co-operation and exchange of opinions; it extends the sharing of
information; and it promotes multidisciplinary research.

However, Reno (1997), in his article, argued that, any person or organization with a
computer connected to the Internet can publish information online. Publishers include
government agencies, educational institutions, commercial entities, advocacy groups,
and individuals. Publishers may either make their material available to the entire pool of
Internet users, or confine access to a selected group, such as those willing to pay for
the privilege. No single organization controls any membership in the Web, nor is there
any single centralized point from which individual Web sites or services can be blocked
from the Web. As a result, it makes it difficult for the Internet users to know which of the

2
information published online is to be trusted as accurate and reliable, as most of
information on the Internet has no direct or visible source.

This study aimed at why students rely more on the Internet to access information for
academic purposes. Furthermore, it strived to discover the constraints students
encounter when searching information on the Internet.

1.3 Problem statement

Walliman (2001) explains that research problem statement is a clear and concise
statement that assists the researcher to be able to obtain the required information for
the study. It is the foundation, focus of the research report and a clear, stand‐alone
statement that makes explicit what it is the researcher is aiming to discover or establish.
It also provides a general guide to nature of research limits, areas to be investigated,
and offers a preliminary description of the research topic.

The Internet has become an important part of many people’s lives across the world and
the development in amount of information that is available through the Internet is
overwhelming. Along with the phenomenal growth of the Internet and its use by
students, like any new technology, the development of Internet brings potential
problems. There is a growing concern at the UL-TC made by lecturers from different
Faculties and Schools associated with inaccurate and unreliable information which
students get from the Internet. It has also been observed that students rely more on the
Internet, and this reliance leads them to just copy and paste information which they get
from the Internet when completing their assignments and other activities without
thoroughly studying its content and without proper referencing. Several studies, which
have investigated on the subject, share the same sentiment.

Chapman (2000) brings up threats of Internet use for young people. He states that great
deal of information on the Internet is of questionable value, inaccurate or misleading.
Many students are likely to use information found on search engines and various Web
sites as research material. Plagiarism from online sources has become a major issue on
many campuses, and faculties often report concerns about the number of Universal
Resource Locator (URLs) included in research paper bibliographies and the decrease in

3
citations from traditional scholarly sources (Jones, 2002). Onovughe, (2012),
emphasizes that the growth of Internet seems to have reduced students’ interest in
reading printed materials for vocabulary development and general knowledge-
broadmindedness which an individual gets from having a good reading habit.

Therefore students need to be made aware of the dangers associated with information
from the Internet, and that the Internet alone is not enough for their studies. They need
to be made more aware that they should not depend on the Internet alone to access
information for academic purposes but should also use peer-reviewed information from
books and journals.

1.4. Aims and Objectives of the study

1.4.1 Aims of the study

Aims are generally broad statements which indicate what is to be done, where and with
whom. Aims always include a verb which indicates what will be done or will be
measured (Uys and Basson, 1991). In overall, aims of this study were to find out why
students rely more on the Internet to access information for academic purposes and
what constrains do students face when using the internet.

1.4.2 Objectives of the study

The specific objectives of this study were:

 To investigate why students rely more on the Internet for academic purpose.
 To identify the constraints faced by students when using the Internet.

1.5 Hypothesis

Babbie (2010) defines hypothesis as a specified testable expectation about empirical

reality that follows from a more general proposition. It is the basic statement that is
tested in research. Typically a hypothesis states a relationship between two variables in
order to make a prediction about their relationship, it must be testable so researchers
can determine if the prediction is right or wrong when examining the results obtained in

4
the study. The hypothesis of this study is: students in the UL-TC rely more on the
Internet for their academic purposes.

1.6 Significance of the study

According to De vos, Strydom, Fouche, and Delport (2002), research proposal must
demonstrate that the research will be useful in three broad respects which are
contributed to knowledge, the relevant policy arenas should find usefulness and
meaning in the study and the study should be useful for practitioners. It is expected that
the study will provide students with a general knowledge as to why they should or
should not rely on the Internet. It is anticipated that the study may identify ways through
which learning can contribute to the meaning of life for many persons through the use of
Internet.

This study might encourage lecturers to integrate Internet with their teaching
methodology in a classroom environment. Therefore, it is researchers’ contention that
this research will lead to the implementation of policies by the university management to
endorse software monitoring information accessed through the Internet. This research
would provide an interesting general insight into the extent to which the Internet is being
used and the effect it is having on students. This will enable the university to develop
appropriate services (Internet information searching skills) that will integrate emerging
services that have been made possible by the rapid new developments in ICT.

1.7 Structure of the research

This research report is divided into five chapters. The first chapter includes an
introduction and background of the study, statement of problem, aims and objectives,
hypothesis, significance of the study and the structure of research. Chapter two reviews
literature, with regard to information on the use of Internet.

Chapter three outlines and discusses the methodology employed to answer the
research objectives of the study. The results of the analysis of findings are presented in
chapter four, while the summary of findings, recommendations and conclusion are
presented in chapter five.

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1.8 Conclusion

This chapter has introduced the research topic and articulated the problem statement.
Research aims and objectives together with hypothesis for the study were also outlined.
The chapter concluded with a statement on the significance of the study and structure of
the research.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter is a presentation of the review of literature on the use of Internet for
academic purpose. The chapter starts by giving a definition of literature review followed
by discussing the historical perspective of the Internet. It also discussed the impact of
Internet on society and then dwell much on the use of Internet by students. Internet use,
especially in education, has been investigated for some time, and many different studies
exist in literature about this subject.

Ridley (2012) defines literature review as the part of thesis where there is a widespread
reference to related research and theory in your field. He further explains that it is where
connections are made between the source texts that you draw on and where you
position yourself and your research among these sources. According to Loose and
Worley (1993) the purpose of the literature review is to allow the reader to understand
what work has already been done. The literature review provides the background for the
research problem and illustrates to the reader that the researcher is knowledgeable
about the scope of the theory. Loose and Worley, (1993) also mentioned that literature
review is the means of establishing credibility demonstration that the researcher is
familiar with the field and the work that has been done in it.

2.2 The Internet in historical perspective

Poulter, Hiom and Tseng (2000) state that, the first networks linking computers began to
emerge as early as the 1940s and today there are thousands of networks worldwide.
They added that the Internet is an international network of computer networks that can
be used for many different and ever growing purposes. According to Leiner et al. (2009)
the first recorded description of the social interactions that could be enabled through
networking was a series of memos written by J.C.R. Licklider of MIT in August 1962
discussing his "Galactic Network" concept. He envisioned a globally interconnected set

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of computers through which everyone could quickly access data and programs from any
site.

Liu (1996) mentioned that the Internet is a network of interconnected computer

networks. This global network uses the same set of network transmission standards and
protocols. The Internet evolved from the United States (US) Advanced Research
Projects Agency Network (ARPAnet) which was launched in 1969. ARPAnet was built
for military communication and research purposes. In the 1970s, ARPAnet and other
network not only continued to grow within the US but also expanded in other countries.
He also mentioned that during this period of time, local network technologies such as
Ethernet emerged, enabling a large number of stand-alone computers to be linked
together. The development of wide area networks and Transmission Control Protocol
and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) made it possible to connect networks in different
geographical areas (Liu, 1996). It has already has a long and involved history, its
creation and development profoundly affects the way in which it is used today and
indeed how it will be used in the future (Bradley, 2002).

2.3 Impact of the Internet on society

Browne, Freeman, Kari and Carrie (2003) affirm that the vastness of the Internet has
something for everyone. We use it to communicate, to play, to work. The Internet allows
users to access different types of information as if they were held on our own computer
(McNab, 2000). Internet is increasingly becoming an important source of academic
information that needs to be integrated within the overall services that are offered in the
library (D’Elia and Rodger, 2001). The Internet is having a fundamental effect in many
fields from big business to communications and, of course, education. As it becomes
ever more widely available, so its influence will continue to grow (Cicco, 2001). He
added that the Internet has started to change education, and the place of that change
will continue to speed up. All of this does not spell the end of other ways of working or
learning.

On the contrary, Herbbet and Brunet, (2010) explain that one cannot take into account
everything published on the Internet because of the heterogeneity of the Internet’s

8
contents or the simultaneous presence of reliable and unreliable information. So the
benefit that could be obtained is enormous, as is the harm done by spreading
information without any kind of scientific validation. Furthermore, the problem is about
people being misled by what is on the Internet. They state that being misled requires
two elements, which include unreliable information and credulity. It is explained that
information has no significance unless it is believed. If people easily believe nearly
everything they see on the Internet, then the element of gullibility must be added to the
problem about the quality of the information on the Web. In this regard, it is worth noting
that according to a report, about half of Internet users believe that most or all online
information is reliable and accurate. This means that even students in universities are
bracketed with those Internet users who rely on online information without questioning
its accuracy, (Galston, Ghering, Hilde, Introna, Levine, Nissenbaum, Uslaner, and
Wachbroit, 2004).

As an increasing number of citizens use the Internet for communication, entertainment,

shopping, and information, simple “connectedness” measures focusing on Internet
access and time spent online are no longer sufficient to gauge whether a “divide” still
characterizes the digital world. Although the varied features of the Internet and the ever-
changing face of Internet technology makes it difficult to examine the use and effects of
the Internet, research needs to re-conceptualize the digital divide to reflect the varied
uses people make of the Internet and the specific gratifications gained from these
interactions, (Cho, De Zuniga, Rojas and Shah 2003).

2.4 Internet use among university students

Internet usage among students at tertiary institutions has been extensively researched
by academics and researchers. In the study of D'Esposito and Gardner (1999), Internet
usage trends of the university students, and college student perceptions of the Internet
and a traditional library were presented. The above study showed that when university
students have the opportunity to use Internet resources, almost all of them prefer to use
these resources, rather than classical libraries for their studies, but when the information
source satisfaction in research needs is considered, the students’ trends are in the
direction of using both.

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It is emphasized in a study by Jones (2002), saying that nearly three-quarters (73%) of
students say they use the Internet more than the library, while only 9% said they use the
library more than the Internet for information searching. In response to a general
question about overall library use, 80% of students reported using the library less than
three hours each week. The reason of high percentage of relying heavily on the Internet
is that traditionally, and ideally, the library has been a place where students go to study
and collect materials used for papers, presentations and reports. Even though people
do socialise in the library, nowadays, the Internet has changed the way students use the
library (Jones, 2002). He further highlighted that at the same time, virtual study groups
are common at university. The Internet is allowing students who live off campus to
maintain a relationship with their academic environment from a distance, with which the
library cannot offer. For instance, the Internet provides an easy way to collaborate, relay
and clarify information with other students.

Jones (2002), states that students are early adopters and heavy users of the Internet
compared to the general population. Use of the Internet is a part of students’ daily
routine. The internet is integrated into their daily communication habits and has become
a technology as ordinary as the telephone or television (Jones, 2002). In his study “The
Internet goes to college: How students are living in the future with today’s technology”,
the study shows that students (79%) agree that Internet use has had a positive impact
on their college academic experience. That is the reason why eighty-six percent (86%)
of students have gone online, as compared with 59% of the general population saying
that the Internet has enhanced their education. He further states that students use the
Internet to communicate with professors and classmates using emails to express the
ideas that they would not have expressed in class, to do research, and to access library
materials.

McDonald (1997) indicated that the Internet has further eliminated barriers to direct
communication, as sophisticated networks provide information transfer around the
globe. A student, an educator, or anyone with an Internet-connected account can travel
the planet from the comfort of the classroom or home, retrieving text, graphic, video, or
sound files for personal or professional use. Nwokedi (2007) speculates that lack of

10
searching skills is still hindering good use of Internet. He affirms that acquisition of
Internet skills can lead to discovery of valuable research and teaching resources, which
would in turn cause the users to use the Internet to enhance their research and learning
capabilities. Internet access ability would be expected to stimulate regular use of the
Internet and minimize the perceived barriers to its use.

A study conducted by Mahlatji (2011) shows that students in the Faculty of Humanities
in the UL-TC did not use the Internet as compared to those in other Faculties and that
those who use Internet often use it for non-academic purpose. A study conducted by
Sahin, Balta and Ercan (2010) shows that since adolescents, especially some university
students sometimes, use the Internet for reasons other than educational (they explore
the funny view of the Internet).

Peng, Tsai and Wu (2006) in their study of university students’ attitudes and self-efficacy
towards the Internet demonstrated the relationship between perceptions of the internet
and their Internet attitudes and self-efficacy. The study showed that there is a positive
effect if the students use the Internet as a functional tool or functional technology.

A survey at University of the Punjab, Lahore conducted by Bashir, Mahmood and

Shafique (2008) based on Internet use among university students shows that most of
the students use this technology for course related reading and research needs. A large
number of them have learnt to use the Internet tools by themselves, or relying on
assistance from friends without attending any formal training programs.

A study by Anunobi (2006) conducted on a Nigerian university students revealed that

81% used Internet for academic purposes among university students compared to 15%
who used it for entertainment purposes. A survey of the Indian medical students by
Sharma, Verma, Sawhney, Arora and Kapoor (2006) revealed that above 80% of
students used Internet to get information for research work. Most of them preferred
Internet because they perceived it as a source of latest knowledge. Majority used
Google search engine. In a study, conducted by Hong, Ridzuan and Kuek (2003),
Malaysian university students showed a positive attitude towards using the Internet as a
teaching and learning tool.

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Not surprisingly, given their heavier use of the Internet, male college students are more
likely to feel that the Internet takes time away from other social activities (Jones,
Johnson-Yale and Millermaier 2009). Furthermore, their discussion was that students
today are experienced Internet users, and incorporate the Internet into many aspects of
their lives. From socializing online, to recreational Web surfing, to academic uses,
students are comfortable using the Internet as an information resource, a medium
through which to pursue relationships, and a source of entertainment. This statement is
acknowledged by Sherman, End, Kraan, Cole, Campbell, Birchmeier, and Klausner
(2000), saying that technology must be made relevant to its users in order for it to be
valued as an important resource and communication medium, and incorporated into
daily activities.

The study on the impact of the Internet conducted by Njoroge and Mukoma (2007)
found out that it is becoming increasingly superficial that academic libraries will no
longer be able to meet information needs of their users using the traditional library
services alone due to diminishing government funding, increased number of academic
programs and the ever increasing number of Internet users. The Internet is increasingly
becoming an important source of academic information that need to be intergraded
within the overall services that are offered in the library (D’Elia and Rodger, 2000).
Luambano and Nawe (2004) also observed that the existent of the Internet at the
university level has changed the learning environment and consequently the Internet is
playing a vital role in meeting information and communication needs of the university
community.

Saiti and Prokopiadou (2008) recently sought to examine whether students prefer to use
the Internet or their university libraries for learning and research and what factors
determine student decisions. By administering questionnaires to 211 post-graduate
students from the Greek education system in the 2003-2004 academic years, the
authors found 77.3% favored the Internet while the remaining 22.7% chose the library
for their primary information source. Other findings released in their 2008 article "Post-
Graduate Students and Learning Environments: Users' Perceptions Regarding the
Choice of Information Sources" indicate that students in some fields of study skewed

12
more towards one source than the other. For instance, business/economics and
engineering students leaned towards the Internet while education, humanities and
social sciences students were more inclined to use the library.

The study highlighted the provision of creditable and up-to-date information, the ease of
access to information at home, the time of day they can obtain material (time resource)
and the speed of information retrieval as the main reasons for students' choices. In light
of this, the study offered suggestions for increasing students’ usage of libraries by
extending hours, patterning library hours of operation to suit needs of key library users,
offering more orientation sessions for users and employing a customer-service
approach. In regards to Internet usage, the authors noted lack of system-specific search
skills as an issue and suggested that more instructional programs and research tools
could help users sift through the vast amount of information found online.

Kim and Sin (2007) studied undergraduate students’ perception and preference for
different types of resources using a survey method. They found that undergraduates
preferred information sources like search engines, Websites, books, online databases
and journals. Also, students believed that books, encyclopedia, OPACs and librarians
were trustworthy sources, while search engines, Websites, and friends/family were easy
to use. Mill (2008) analyzed citations in undergraduate research papers for intermediate
and advanced courses. He found that journals were cited more frequently than books, in
particular, students used electronic journals more than printed ones.

Jones (2002) surveyed the attitude of college students toward emerging Internet media
and Web information. Most students believed that Web-based resources had a positive
influence on college students’ academic experiences as the Web provided easily
accessible information for their search tasks. Metzger, Flanagin and Zwarun, 2003
investigated college students’ perception of credibility in Web information. Although
college students relied heavily on the Web for academic information, they were not
likely to verify the credibility of the information from the Internet. Ebersole (2005)
reviewed research which examined student perceptions and uses of the World Wide

13
Web for academic purposes and affirmed the positive attitude of students toward the
Web.

Thompson (2003) discovered that the majority of students began a research

assignment with the Internet, most often using a commercial search engine. More
significantly, the study stressed the importance of information literacy skills in finding
authoritative information. Burton and Chadwick (2000) surveyed the Internet usage of
students and found that Web documents were the main sources for students in writing
research papers, while they still used library resources frequently.

Studies indicate that as online information resources proliferate, college students are
making fewer visits to the campus library to retrieve information, and that their use of
the World Wide Web as an information resource is increasing overall. In fact, college
students are increasingly taking advantage of the Internet and Web to complete course
assignments (Pew Research Center, 2002). The movement away from the library and
toward cyberspace raises important concerns about the nature of information obtained
by students and their ability and desire to evaluate online information effectively.
Accordingly, groups such as the American Library Association, the National Institute for
Literacy, and myriad librarians and instructors have called for schools and universities to
teach Internet literacy skills, with an emphasis on evaluating the quality of Web-based
information (Metzger, Flanagin and Zwarun, 2003).

2.5 Conclusion

This literature overview provided deep insight to the subject matter. The literature above
was reviewed in order to explore former research works on the same topic. It was
evident that researchers in the country (South Africa) has not exhausted on the topic of
this study, which is the use of the Internet by students in tertiary level, thus most work
was retrieved from international sources. Prevalently, the literature points out that,
students do use the Internet for their academic purposes and there are some benefits
and disadvantages associated with Internet usage in institutions of higher learning.

14
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the research design and methodology used to collect data and
selection of the sample. Research methodology defines the ways which bring this
research to its logical conclusion. The adopted methodology was based on the
statement of the problem and the research aims & objectives that were formulated
earlier. The research tools and techniques that were employed in this research were
aimed at collecting relevant data that enabled researchers to fulfil the proposed
research objectives. The main purpose of this chapter is to discuss in detail this
research method and how it was developed and implemented in this research project.
This also includes reasons for choosing this data collection method.

3.2 Research design

Burns and Grove (2003) define research design as a blueprint for conducting a study
with maximum control over factors that may interfere with the validity of the findings. In
research design there are two types of research methods namely: qualitative and
quantitative research methods. It is possible that a researcher can use one of them or
use both methods. Schumacher and McMillan (1993) describe qualitative methodology
as a field focused on attempts to unveil the real world situation that exists within the
classroom and which stands in theoretical deductions. Quantitative research design
uses large sample and the analysis of results is usually based on statistics. In contrast,
qualitative research design uses small samples of people and also implements in-depth
methods (Welman, Kruger and Mitchelle, 2005). In quantitative design, location is
artificial while in the qualitative research design location is natural (Collins and Hussy,
2009).

For the purpose of this research, researchers adopted quantitative approach.

Quantitative approach was adopted because of its value of making it possible to seek
numerical data on the use of Internet for academic purpose by students. Aliaga and

15
Gunderson (2000), defines quantitative research as explaining phenomena by collecting
numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods. Using a
deductive approach, quantitative research seeks to establish facts, make predictions
and test the hypothesis or assumption that has already been stated. Quantitative
methods collect quantifiable data. This study attempted to seek quantitative data on
Internet usage for academic purpose by students of the University of Limpopo, Turfloop
campus. It was selected because it is the most commonly used research approach.

3.3. Population and sampling

3.3.1 Population

Population is the study object and consists of individuals groups, organizations, human
products and events or the conditions to which they are exposed. It is the full set of
cases from which a sample is taken (Welman, Kruger and Mitchelle, 2005). Fox and
Bayat (2007), define population as any group of individuals, events or objects that share
a common characteristic and represent the whole or sum total of cases involved in a
study. For the purpose of this study, the population was students from the UL-TC. They
were selected from the Faculty of Humanities under school of Languages and
Communication studies. To be more specific, these participants were from department
of Media, Communications and Information studies.

3.3.2 Sampling

Peil (1995) defines sampling as the selection of a part to represent the whole population
of a study. She further explains that it takes place in the selection of a topic, the
location, the people to be studied, the concepts and variables which are used, the data
collected, methods employed, and the relationships on which the analysis is focused.

Convenience sampling was used in this study. Welman and Kruger, (2000) define
convenience sampling as a process of selecting available units for inclusion in the
sample. Convenience sampling occurs when only elements that are easy to access are
selected. This sampling method can be used to compile a sample when the sampling
frame cannot be stated with precision; this method is dependent on the availability of

16
the participants in a selected location of collecting data. Of the 70 students in the
sample, 37 were males and 33 were females. The sample was selected from the
university community of all registered third level Information Studies students in the UL-
TC.

3.4. Data collection instruments

Data collection instruments are those instruments that were used to collect the relevant
and necessary data that would lead this research to achieving the formulated objective
and prove the research hypothesis. There are many methods one can use to collect the
data. This study adopted quantitative research approach in the form of a questionnaire.

3.4.1 Questionnaire

A questionnaire is self-report data collections tool that research participants complete

for a specific research project (Johnson and Christensen, 2000). It is a research
technique consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of
gathering information from respondents. According to Chamber (1983), questionnaire is
data collection method most commonly used in planning research. This research tool
allows free flow of information and data capture.

The main reason for selecting the questionnaire format was that it is very appropriate for
quantitative research, and as stated by Fox and Bayat (2007) questionnaire is easy to
analyse, it is familiar to all people, it reduces biasness, and it is less intrusive than
survey. Leedy (1997) affirms that a common instrument for observing data beyond the
physical reach of the observer is the questionnaire. Questionnaires may be sent out to
people thousands of miles away, whom the researcher may never see. It was also more
convenient for this study because it would be practical to administer and easy to
manage.

The questionnaire was divided into two different sections. Firstly, it was demographic
information. This included age and gender. Section A (demographic information) seeks
to determine general details of each student and section B (Internet usage) contains
questions about internet usage which included; the reasons for using the internet,

17
devices used to access the internet, places of internet access, the frequency of internet
usages, popular sites which are visited as well as the purpose of internet searches,
students were also asked whether they find information of the internet accurate, reliable
and useful, the problems they encountered when accessing the internet ,training on
using the internet as well as other sources they use to access information for academic
purpose other than the internet. A covering letter explaining the purpose of the
questionnaire was also included. The questionnaires were distributed to students for
completion.

3.4.2. Pilot study

A pilot study is an initial or preliminary investigation designed to test the research

hypothesis and the feasibility of using the selected data collection method (Punch,
2003). A pilot study was carried out to test the validity of the questionnaire. The pilot
study population involved fifteen (15) students studying in different Faculties and
Schools at UL-TC. These students were not included in the final investigation and thus
served as an appropriate pilot setting. Errors revealed by the pilot study were rectified.
An initial questionnaire was constructed based on information derived from the
literature. The initial questionnaire comprised of two sections: A) demographic
information; B) outlines of Internet use.

Section A: Demographic Information included age and gender, while Section B: Outlines
of Internet use included devices used to access information, place of Internet use, sites
visited to access information, preference of Internet searches, constrains encountered
when searching the Internet, frequency of Internet use, and purpose of Internet use.
Data analysis consisted of quantitative technique. A statistical analysis was conducted
based on the questionnaire responses.

3.5 Data collection procedure

The data collection procedure involves arranging the visit to participant. Questionnaires
were distributed to students in their respective class. An introductory letter on the cover
of questionnaire was used to confirm researcher’s status, title of research and

18
emphasise the scope of the study. Researchers conducted a briefing to participants to
highlight and emphasise the scope and purpose of the questionnaire as being only for
academic purpose. Each participant was given a questionnaire to complete. Prior to
distributing the questionnaires to participants, students were shown how to complete the
questionnaire.

3.6 Conclusion

In this chapter, research approaches, and data collection methods used were
discussed. Through those discussed approaches, researchers were able to come up
with solutions to the research hypothesis. It has been vitally important to use the
appropriate data collection methods since all the results were based on the methods
that were used to collect data. This chapter has therefore come up with all the required
and necessary methods that were used to get the right solutions. A description of pilot
study and the procedures that were used to collect and analyse the data was also
discussed. The next chapter presents data analysis and interpretation.

19
 CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION OF RESULTS

4.1 Introduction

In the previous chapter, the research methods as well as the data collection tools for
this study were discussed. The purpose of this chapter is to present the research results
that were revealed through the methods and techniques that were discussed in the
previous chapter. The research results are represented with descriptive statistics and
are presented in the form of pie charts and tables. Data that have been collected
through the questionnaire were entered and analysed with the aid of a computer
spread-sheet, using Microsoft Excel. These results will be followed by descriptive
analysis and interpretation of responses and will be presented in the same sequence of
questions in the questionnaire. This chapter also discusses the response rate followed
by the presentation of results and findings that were solicited from the fifteen questions
of the questionnaire, followed by the comments made by the participants in the
sixteenth question of the questionnaire.

4.2. Results of the study

According to the results of this study, many students in the UL-TC use the Internet to
access information for academic purposes. Respondents stated that they found
information on the Internet sometimes useful, reliable and accurate for their academic
work. Furthermore, the results show that respondents use the Internet more frequently
than any other source of information available to them. It was also pointed out that
some of the problems students are faced with when accessing the Internet include slow
access network connections, viruses and difficulty in locating relevant information when
searching information on the Internet. The following is an insight on the questions which
were included in the questionnaire.

The first set of questions for the questionnaire deals with variables that might have an
influence on the usage of the Internet for academic purposes among the students.
These variables include gender and age of the participants. The third question asked

20
the participants to specify if they used the Internet for their studies. The fourth question
investigated reasons influencing students for using the Internet. The fifth and sixth
questions attempted to determine devices mostly used to access the Internet and
location or facilities students use when accessing the Internet. Question number seven
attempted to establish the frequency on the Internet usage. Question eight attempted to
determine the most visited site or search engine on the Internet followed by question
nine, which asked about the participants’ purpose(s) for using such a particular site.

Questions number ten, eleven, and twelve were aimed at assessing if the students
found information on the Internet accurate, reliable, and useful. Questions thirteen and
fourteen attempted to determine if students encounter some problems when accessing
the Internet and whether they received formal training on Internet searches. The last
question asked if there were other sources beside the Internet which students use to
access information for their academic purposes; and also allowed participants to
comment about the Internet.

4.2.1 Response rate

Out of the seventy-seven (77) questionnaires distributed, only seventy (70) responses,
that is, completed questionnaires were received. This means that seven (7) students did
not respond to the questionnaire. This number, 70, represents ninety-one percent (91%)
of the total respondents, as against seven (7) respondents, which represents nine
percent (9%) of the students that did not respond to the questionnaire because they
were not available during the time of collecting data.

Deductions from the number of responses received, that is, seventy (70), representing
ninety-one percent (91%) of the responses received, can be taken as sufficient to allow
researchers to draw conclusions regarding the usage of Internet for academic purpose
by students at UL-TC.

21
4.2.2 Gender

Figure 4.1Gender

Out of 70 participants, 37 were males and 33 were females. Figure 4.1 shows that there
are more male respondents 53% than female respondents 47%.

22
4.2.3 Age ranges of respondents

Figure 4.2 Age ranges of respondents

The results concerning the age ranges to which respondents belong are represented in
Figure 4.2 above. Students were asked to indicate their ages by choosing between the
age ranges to which they belong, starting from the age range of 18 years old to the age
range of above 28 years. The results showed that a large number of respondents which
represents 29 (42%) of the respondents belonged to the age group of between 18 and
21 years old.

On the other hand, students whose age group ranges between 22 and 24 years old
represent 28 (40%) of total respondents. Respondents whose age group ranges
between 25 and 27 represent 10 (14%), while those who are above 28 years represent
3 (4%).

23
4.2.4 The use of Internet to access information for studies

The respondents were also asked to indicate whether or not they use Internet for their
studies. All the respondents mentioned that they use it to access information for their
studies. This means that a total of 70 students which constitute to 100% use the
Internet.

4.2.5 Appealing features (reasons) for using the Internet

Figure 4.3
Appealing
features
(reasons)
for using
the
Internet

The
students
were asked
to mention
the reasons
for using
the Internet. Figure 4.3 presents the reasons for which the students used Internet. Four
reasons plus a choice to mention any other reason were given for students to answer
the question why they used the Internet. Thirty-three (33) which is 30% mentioned that
time saving was the most appealing feature of the Internet, 32 (29%) mentioned user
friendly as appealing feature, while 27 (24%) pointed out accuracy of information, 18
(16%) mentioned reliability of information and 1 (1%), from the “other” option mentioned
that Internet is advanced.

24
4.2.6 Devices used to access the Internet

Figure 4.4 Device(s) used to access the Internet

Students were asked to indicate devices that they use to access the Internet. Fifty (50)
which is 44% indicated that laptop was the most physical resource used, followed by 36
(32%) smartphone, and 28 (24%) for a desktop computer. No participant has added
other resource as shown in Figure 4.4 above.

4.2.7 Place(s) of accessing the Internet

25
Figure 4.5 Places of accessing the Internet

The respondents were asked to mention the place(s) where they access the Internet.
The results presented in Figure 4.5 show that 45 (39%) of participants accessed the
Internet from the computer laboratory followed by those that made use of Internet in
their hall of residences 36 (31%). Twenty participants which is (17%) accessed the
Internet at their homes while only few respondents, 15 (13%) used Internet in the
university library and none indicated using the Internet café or any other place where
they access the Internet. The results presented in Figure 4.5 shows that majority of
students accessed the Internet from the institutions’ facilities (computer lab and hall of
residence).

4.2.8 Frequency of Internet use

26
Figure 4.6 Frequency of Internet use

The students were asked to mention how often they used the Internet. The results in
Figure 4.6 reveal that daily users were 44 (63%) while once a week users had 0 (0%),
11 (16%) users were using Internet 2-3 days in a week. Seven (10%) users were using
it more than 4 days a week and 8 (11%) users were using it occasionally. Frequency
distribution is presented in Figure 4.6 above.

Results in Figure 4.6 above, reveal that the percentage of the students using the
Internet every day is 63%, among all the participants. In other words, almost third quota
(3/4) of the students uses the Internet every day. All these results point to the fact that
the frequency of Internet use by students is statistically and significantly higher. This is
to say, most students spend more time on the Internet.

4.2.9 Use of search engines to access information

27
Figure 4.7 Use of search engines to access information

When the respondents were requested to indicate the Internet sites used to access
information, majority of the respondents 51 (57%) used Google, followed by 16 (18%)
that used Google scholar. Another 15 (17%) utilized online databases, while 5 (5%)
used Wikipedia, 3 (3%) were using MSN to access information and zero percent used
any other site.

4.2.10 Purposes of Internet searches

28
Purposes Frequency Percentage

For news 34 21

To update knowledge 18 11

For academic purposes 58 36

Communicate with families and friends 28 18

For entertainment 22 14

For other reasons 0 0

Table 4.1 Purposes of Internet searches

Four reasons plus a choice to mention any other reason were given for students to
answer the question why they used the Internet. Table 4.1 above presents the purposes
for which the students used the Internet. The most frequently chosen purpose for all
students included using it for academic purpose, as it was used by 58 (36%)
respondents, followed by 34 (21%) who used Internet for news and 28 (18%) to
communicate with family and friends. Twenty-two (14%) mentioned that they use the
Internet for entertainment, while 18 (11%) were using it to update their knowledge.
There was no other purpose for using the Internet which was mentioned by the
respondents.

The indication is that majority of the students spend their time and energy accessing the
Internet for one academic reason or another. Only few do so for correspondence or
leisure. The areas of academic activities these students focus on include: collection of
materials for research, to prepare for class and assignment.

4.2.11 Accuracy of information on the Internet

29
Figure 4.8 Accuracy of information on the Internet

Within the scope of the study, it was also examined whether or not the students find the
information on the Internet accurate for their school work. The descriptive statistic
values of the answers given to the question “do you find the information on the Internet
accurate for your school work?” are seen in Figure 4.8.

The results from the figure reveal that 55 (79%) of the students sometimes find the
information on the Internet accurate for their school work, while 15 (21%) of the
students mentioned that they always find the information on the Internet accurate for
their school work, and none mentioned that they never find it accurate.

4.2.12 Reliability of information on the Internet

30
Figure 4.9 Reliability of information on the Internet

In order to determine the reliability of information on the Internet, the participants were
asked to indicate if they find information reliable or not. It was found that the majority of
the students sometimes find it reliable represented by 56 (80%) respondents, while 14
(20%) of respondents always find it reliable to their search, and 0% responded to never
find it reliable. This is reflected in Figure 4.9 above.

4.2.13 Usefulness of information on the Internet

31
Figure 4.10 Usefulness of information on the Internet

The students were asked to mention as to whether they find information on the Internet
useful or not. The results reveal that only 1 (1%) respondent never found it useful. Fifty
(50) which is 72% answered that they sometimes find it useful, while 19 (27%) pointed
out that they find it always useful.

The aforementioned results in Figure 4.9, 4.10 and 4.11 indicate that it is not always the
case that information from the Internet is accurate, reliable and useful, but majority of
students sometimes find it accurate, reliable, and useful for their school work.

4.2.14 Problems encountered when searching the Internet

32
 Problems encountered Frequency Percentage (%)

Viruses 28 17

Inaccurate information 20 12

Unreliability of sources 16 10

Slow access speed 41 26

Information overload 22 14

Difficulty in locating information 24 15

Cost of internet facilities 9 6

Other 0 0

Table 4.2 Problems encountered when searching the Internet

Table 4.2 presents the findings on the problems faced by students when searching the
Internet. The main problem was slow access speed/slow network connections cited by
the total number of 41 respondents which constitutes 26 %, then viruses cited by 28
(17%) of respondents followed by difficulty in locating relevant information (15%) from
24 respondents. The other problems faced by respondents are information overload
from 22 respondents (14%), inaccurate information from 20 (12%) respondents, 16
(10%) responded to have encountered unreliability of sources. Costs of Internet facilities
was mentioned as a constraint by 9 (6%) of the respondents.

4.2.15 Training on searching for information on the Internet

33
Figure 4.11 Training on searching for information on the Internet

Participants were asked to mention as to whether they received any form of training to
acquire skills to search for information on the Internet. Thirty-one (31) which is 44%
users responded that they received the training, while 39 (56%) users mentioned that
they did not get any training. Figure 4.11 above indicates that a large number of
students have learnt to use the Internet by themselves while a small number did not get
any training for searching information on the Internet.

4.2.16 Other sources of information other than Internet

34
 Resources Frequency Percent

Newspaper 7 8

Journals 24 25

Books 63 66

Other 1 1

Table 4.3 Respondents’ use of other resources in the absence of Internet

The students were asked about other sources of information they use in the absence of
Internet. The responses varied up to the minimum of 1 to maximum number of 63. The
table above shows material used, frequency and percentage. The analysis shows that 7
students (8%) used newspaper to access information. Twenty-four (24) students which
is 25% used journals, while the maximum of 63 (66%) responded to be using books and
1 (1%) mentioned to be using government publications.

4.2.17 Comments about the Internet from participants

All the questionnaire forms had an optional space where participants were required to
make comments about the use of the Internet. From a total number of 70 answered
questionnaires, 52 (74%) participants made their comments, whereas 18 (26%)
respondents made no comments. In the following are the comments as made by
participants without their meaning being altered otherwise.

Respondents mentioned that scholars should not rely on the Internet, but should
frequently use books and journals because they are peer reviewed and well referenced
unlike Internet sources. Respondents who accessed the Internet in the university
computer laboratories, recommended that computer laboratories should be improved
(Increased space and more computers) as well as internet facilities. Other comments
were that students in the university should not be restricted on other sites such as

35
Facebook and pornography. It was stated that the university should stop the allocation
of megabytes for students because students do not finish their work because of
allocations of limited megabytes. Most comments showed that students accessed the
Internet daily and that the Internet is easily accessible. Notwithstanding the availability
of the Internet access to every student in the campus, other comments pointed out that
it limits students’ capacity to acquire knowledge because students just copy and paste
what is written on a particular site for their studies.

As compared to other sources of information, the Internet is seen as being fast and time
saving and gives different perspectives in different topics. However, it is commented
that it encourages plagiarism and in a way destroys the reading habits of students. It
was mentioned that the Internet contributes to student’s laziness. Respondents made
comments that the Internet has a bad impact on students because they rely more on
Internet sources, which sometimes has no relevant information to their studies. Some
made comments that as much as the internet is speed and useful Sometimes
information on the Internet is not reliable, because anyone can just upload information
online which is unprocessed and not peer-reviewed. Furthermore, the other comment
stated that users need to be information literate in order to be able to retrieve the right
and relevant information for their academic purposes.

4.3 Conclusion

The focus of this chapter was on presenting and analysing the results, based on the
responses that were received. In total, seventy (70) respondents out of sixty
questionnaires participated in the study and their responses analysed. The results
showed that most students use the Internet for academic purpose using Google as their
search engine. It was revealed in the questionnaires that slow access speed/slow
network connections are the main constrain faced by students. A summary and
discussions of the findings are presented in chapter 5.

CHAPTER FIVE

36
 FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

5.1 Introduction

This study was carried out to investigate the use of the Internet by students in the UL-
TC for their academic purposes. In order to provide an empirical foundation for this
study, questionnaires were employed as data collection method. The purpose of this
chapter is to provide some concluding remarks to this study. In order to provide the
reader with the essence of this research; findings and the recommendations on the
basis of the results that were revealed in the investigation are presented together with
conclusion.

5.2 Findings

 Mostly, respondents pointed out that Internet is time saving, user friendly, and
that information on the Internet is accurate, whereas 16% responded that the
information they retrieve from Internet is reliable as illustrated in Figure 4.3.
 Majority of students accessed the Internet at the university computer
laboratories, hall of residence, while some of the students used laptops to access
information from the Internet followed by smartphones.

 Majority of the students were frequent users of the Internet, using Internet
ranging from daily to 2-3 days a week.

 Table 4.1 is clear on the purpose for which students use the Internet most.
According to respondents, a few (11%) use the Internet for updating their
knowledge and 14% use it for entertainment, leaving many students who use the
Internet for academic purpose. According to the framework that most students
use the Internet for academic purposes, it could be acknowledged that the
Internet enables students to solve their academic difficulties. This situation
expresses the fact that a significant relationship between students’ usage of the
Internet and their academic performance exists.

 Results from figure 4.8 reveal that majority of the students 55 (79%) sometimes
find the information on the Internet accurate for their school work, while 15 (21%)

37
 students mentioned that they always find the information on the Internet accurate
for their school work.

 Fifty six (80%) respondents stated that the information on the Internet is
sometimes reliable, while 14 (20%) of respondents indicated that they always
find it reliable to their search.

 The results on the usefulness of information found on the Internet reveal that only
1 (1%) respondent never found it useful. Fifty (50) which makes 72% answered
that they sometimes find it useful, while 19 (27%) pointed out that they always
find it useful; further

 Figure 4.2 examined some of the problems that most students might be
encountering when searching for information on the Internet. Findings reveal that
most of the students encounter slow access network connections, viruses and
difficulty in locating relevant information when searching information on the
Internet.

 Apart from the use of Internet, participants were asked to mention other
information resources they use to access information for their studies, analysis
shows that maximum of sixty-three (66%) responded to be using books and a
minimum of 1 (1%) mentioned to be using government publications.

5.3 Recommendations

 The authorities should take immediate steps to improve the computer

laboratories with fast Internet connectivity (with sufficient facilities in term of
space, staff, and numbers of computers).

 The Internet facilities should be extended to libraries, reading rooms, and hall of
residence at all times to increase Internet access and usage. The University
could also appoint trained personnel on information technology to provide help to
the students whenever they need assistance on Internet use.

38
  Library and information professionals should take appropriate steps to make the
students aware about how to find relevant information from the Internet. For this
purpose, the need is to conduct workshops to train them in Internet searching.

 The use of Internet is spreading rapidly to feature in academic environments;

therefore, it is recommended that further studies on the range and extent of
problems associated with its overuse be made.

 According to the findings of the study, majority of students use Google to search
information on the Internet. It is essential to inform the students about the online
databases from which they can get peer-reviewed and well referenced
information.

 The results shows that students frequently use the Internet daily; therefore, it is
important to inform them about the negative impacts of Internet use generated by
heavy reliance on the Internet to protect them from ramifications involved thereof.

5.4 Conclusion

The Internet facility has assisted the students to enhance their academic excellence by
providing them with the latest information and access to worldwide information. In order
to keep pace with developments in the present era, computer literacy is a necessity.
The present study has highlighted the existing situation of the Internet usage by
students at UL-TC. These findings are only common in the UL-TC. Researchers at other
institutions are encouraged to conduct similar investigations to see how these findings
differ in geographic locations.

The information on the Internet is not usually available in an organized way and the
users encounter difficulties in locating relevant information from the Internet. In order to
make the Internet more useful, the library staff and the computer laboratory assistants
who have acquired good skills in the collection, organization and retrieval of information
should be obliged to see that the users are able to obtain right information satisfying
their information needs. The library needs to formulate policies that clearly articulate its
roles in the current and future information era that is being power-driven by the Internet.

39
As indicated above, there is a high use of Internet information resources among
students. The library should integrate print and electronic collections.

40
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 Appendix A: Covering letter

TOPIC: INTERNET USAGE BY STUDENTS FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: A CASE

STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO (TURFLOOP CAMPUS).

Dear participant

We are fourth year students from programme of Information Studies at the University of
Limpopo. We are currently conducting a study on “Internet usage by students for
academic purposes”. The aim of the study is to investigate why students rely more on
the Internet to access information for academic purposes and the constraints students
face when using the Internet.

We kindly ask for your time to complete the following questionnaire. This questionnaire
will require approximately 5 to 10 minutes of your time to complete. We guarantee you
that the information provided will be treated with confidentiality and anonymity.
Please read the questions carefully. Be sincere and open. The results for the study will
be used for academic purposes only. We will provide you with a summary of our
findings on request.

Thank you for taking the time to assist us in our educational endeavours. Your
invaluable effort in completing this questionnaire will be greatly appreciated.
Participation is voluntarily. If you choose to participate in this study, please answer all
questions as honestly as possible and return the completed questionnaires. You are
free to withdraw from this study at any time without obligation.

Thanking you in advance!

Sincerely,

Surname and Initials Student Number

LEKGANYANE EG 201013862

LESELE MF 201014932

MAKWELA MM 201001741

MATHOLE ME 201014917

47
MBEDZI ML 200908104

NEMUTANZHELA LI 201013859

Appendix B: Questionnaire

Section A: Demographic information

1. Gender (Please tick [√] to fill your answer)

Male
Female

2. Age
18 – 21
22 – 24
25 – 27
28+

Section B: Internet usage

3. Do you use the Internet to access information for your studies?
Yes
No

4. Reasons for using the Internet? (Choose one or more)

User friendly
Time saving
Accuracy of information
Reliability of information
Other (Specify…)

5. What do you use to access the Internet? (Choose one or more)

Desktop computer
Laptop
Smart phone
Other (Specify…)

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6. Where do you usually access the Internet? (Choose one or more)
University library
Computer lab
Hall of residence
Home
Internet café
Other (Specify…)

7. How often do you access the internet? (Choose)

Daily
Once a week
2-3 days a week
More than 4 days a week
Occasionally

8. Which site do you visit the most to access information? (Choose one)
Wikipedia
Google
Google scholar
Microsoft network (MSN)
Online database (i.e. Sabinet, Ebscohost)
Other (Specify…)

9. What is the purpose of your Internet searches? (Choose one or more)

For the news (i.e. Sowetanlive, IOL, Media24, Supersport, etc…)
To update knowledge
For academic purpose (i.e. To prepare for assignments, class, research,

49
etc…)
To communicate with family and friends (i.e. Social networking)
For entertainment
For other reasons (Specify…)

10. Do you find the information on the Internet accurate for your school work?
Never
Sometimes
Always

11. Do you find the information on the Internet reliable for your school work?
Never
Sometimes
Always

12. Do you find the information on the Internet useful for your school work?
Never
Sometimes
Always

13. What problems do you encounter when surfing the Internet? (Choose one or more)
Viruses
Inaccurate information
Unreliability of sources
Slow access speed/slow network connections
Information overload
Difficulty in locating relevant information

Cost of internet facilities

Other (Specify…)

14. Did you receive any training on searching for information on the internet?
Yes
No

50
15. What other sources of information do you use to access information for
academic purposes, other than the Internet? (Choose one or more)
Newspapers
Journals
Books
Other (Specify…)

16. Any comment about the Internet?

51