Awareness and Use of Electronic Information Resources by Education Graduate Students: Preliminary Results from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the use of electronic information resources by graduate students at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Fifty-nine graduate students affiliated with four Departments of Education voluntarily participated in the study. A specifically designed questionnaire was administered to gather information about the awareness of resources, the frequency of use, the kind of information sources preferred by students, the main reasons for using the resources, the perceived effectiveness of the searches, the factors encouraging their use and the major obstacles in terms of using them effectively. In addition, the authors sought information on the ways students identify the sources they use, the level of training they have received in using the services and their training needs. Results showed that the vast majority of the participants used Internet search engines rather than specialized databases and full-text resources. It is quite interesting, that nearly half of the respondents (49.1%) had never used ERIC, the fundamental resource of education literature. Only 6.8% became familiar with electronic resources by attending the library training programs. The main problem associated with the non-use of resources was lack of adequate searching skills. The above findings suggest limited use of electronic resources by graduate students, mainly due to absence of basic skills. In order to exploit the full potential of electronic information, university library should undertake a more active role in informing, promoting, and educating the members of the academic community.