Use of the Internet for Learning among Students in Agriculture and Related Disciplines in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

HE internet use is acknowledged to facilitate enriched networking and multiple collaborations among agents across geographic domains. However, use of the internet for social interaction appears to be at the expense of use for academic purposes among users particularly students. Purpose: This study is, therefore, designed to analyse the use of internet by students in agriculture and related disciplines in Nigeria. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data used for this study were collected from 232 randomly selected students enrolled in agriculture and related fields in the University. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: Findings indicate that the general awareness of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) applications and knowledge and attitude to the use of the internet for learning were high among respondents (p<0.01). Daily use of the internet was, however, highest for social chatting followed by its use for academic purpose (p<0.01). The Tobit regression indicates that proportion of hours spent on the internet for academic purpose was positively reinforced by attitude to use (p<0.05) and age of respondents (p<0.1), and negatively by total hours spent on browsing (p<0.01). Identified constraints include the slow speed of internet and lack of awareness of appropriate academic search engines. Research Limitations: The study is limited to Agriculture-based students in Tertiary institutions sampled in University of Ilorin, Nigeria, hence the findings is limited to the study area. It may be required that similar studies need to be carried out on agriculture-based students drawn from other institutions in Nigeria. Practical Implications: The study recommends an improvement in logistics; the supply of electricity, the increase in the bandwidth for internet users, and the training of students on appropriate searching techniques.