Abstract
Abstract Prior studies on students’ perception of open educational resources (OERs) indicates that students find open resources as good or better than commercial textbooks (Hilton, 2016). However, studies published to date have not attempted to control for student knowledge of cost as a variable influencing perception of quality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ perception of the quality of brief, de-identified open and commercial textbook samples, then determine whether their preferences changed after learning textbook costs. As part of an in-class activity, students enrolled in an introductory-level psychology course reviewed samples of two commercial and two open textbooks. Participants rated the materials on quality measures (Gurung & Martin, 2011), selected a preferred textbook, and provided a rationale for their choice. Next, participants were informed of the cost of each textbook and asked to re-rate textbook quality and indicate whether their textbook preference had changed. Prior to learning the cost of the textbooks from which each sample was selected, 81.29% of responding participants indicated preference for a specific commercial text, citing quality factors related to quality/clarity of writing, book layout, and quality of figures as primary drivers of preference. Following the cost reveal, only 42.46% of responding participants indicated a preference for a commercial textbook while 57.53% indicated a preference for an open textbook. An exact McNemar’s test determined that this was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of respondents who selected open and commercial texts before and after price data were available, p < .01. Qualitative comments for participants who indicated a preference shift toward the open textbook referenced cost and quality of the materials as components of their decision-making, supporting previous studies that demonstrate cost is an important predictor of students’ textbook preferences (Clinton, 2019). Regression analysis showed that visual appeal, engaging writing, and clarity of writing predicted participants’ desire to use the text in class, but quality of examples was only a significant predictor for one of four texts. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
Highlights
Higher education has become increasingly expensive and the cost of college is of growing concern (Humphreys, 2012)
Results indicate that participants initially indicated a preference for a specific commercial textbook (Grison), with no significant difference in preferences for the comparison commercial text (King) or two open textbooks used in this study (BCcampus and OpenStax)
There was no clear difference in quality ratings or suggested fair cost between the other three texts, including another commercial sample, consistent with studies demonstrating a preference for open educational resources (OERs) offerings when students know the cost materials (e.g., Jhangiani et al, 2018; Cuttler, 2019, and Clinton, 2019)
Summary
Higher education has become increasingly expensive and the cost of college is of growing concern (Humphreys, 2012). Though tuition is a clear contributor to the cost of a college education, non-tuition college expenses such as textbooks, housing, and other essential needs often exceed the cost of tuition (California Student Aid Commission, 2019). The rising cost of tuition and fees may not be offset by available financial aid (Florida Virtual Campus, 2019), leaving students with difficult decisions about purchasing required course materials, working more, or cutting back costs by way of other vital needs (Gurung, 2017; Broton and Goldrick-Rab, 2018). Various studies report that students regularly forego purchasing required materials due to cost (Chae and Delaney, 2018; Florida Virtual Campus, 2019). Faculty recognize that student costs are a significant barrier to success (Seaman and Seaman, 2019) and open educational resources (OERs) have swiftly gained popularity in higher education. As of 2019, OERs have been adopted in 26% of large introductory undergraduate courses, similar to levels of adoption for some major commercial textbooks (Seaman and Seaman, 2019)
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