Abstract
Abstract Postgraduate students use online databases for various academic activities. However, past studies have revealed low utilisation of online databases by postgraduate students in Nigeria. The general objective of this study was to examine the influence of user education and adjustment factors (perceived enjoyment and objective usability) on use of online databases by postgraduate students of four private universities in southwest Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design of the correlational type was used, and the population was comprised of 1,067 postgraduate students in four private universities. A sample size of 513 was selected through a purposive sampling technique. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed varying degrees of usage, perceived enjoyment and objective usability of online databases among the respondents. The study established a significant relationship between: user education and use of online databases; perceived enjoyment and use of online databases; and objective usability and use of online databases. User education, perceived enjoyment and objective usability therefore influenced the use of online databases by the postgraduate students of the four universities.
Highlights
Postgraduate students form a significant group in the university
User education, perceived enjoyment and objective usability influenced the use of online databases by the postgraduate students of the four universities
Given that students are taken on a visit to major service points, and library techniques, use of library catalogues, better focused instructions and the ability to locate library materials quickly were taught to them in the four universities, it could be inferred that user education programmes that were provided for postgraduate students in the four private universities cover library orientation, one-on-one sessions, library tours and bibliographic instructions
Summary
Postgraduate students form a significant group in the university. The success of their programmes largely depends on the educational resources made available by the university and through the library. The library provides information and educational resources which include textbooks, periodicals, reference materials and electronic resources (e-resources). An example of electronic resources is the online database. University libraries in Nigeria have witnessed remarkable growth in their collections of electronic resources including online databases which were provided and expected to be accessed and utilised by patrons of which the postgraduate student is a major constituent. Past studies have revealed low utilisation of online databases by postgraduate students (Nkoyo & Nsanta, 2016) and have tried to investigate the factors which could be responsible but the use of online databases by postgraduate students were not improved by the findings
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