IMPACT OF INTERNET ON READING AND RESEARCH HABITS OF MASS COMMUNICATION STUDENTS
Abstract
The internet is one of the greatest recent advancement in the world of information technology and has become a useful instrument that has fostered the process of making the world a global village. However, despite the added benefits of the internet to learning, teaching and research, there is no provision of effective internet service in most of the tertiary Institutions in Nigeria. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the internet for learning, teaching and research in institutions of higher learning. Critical reviews to related literature were made. Relevant theories were used to gratify the study. Quantitative research design was used in which cross-sectional survey method was adopted while the data collection instrument was questionnaire. The results from the analysis of the responses showed that students and staff use internet mainly for research and e-mail. However, the findings revealed five categories of readers; the non-readers who believe that reading is a boring activity and time consuming, the marginal readers who do not have much interest in reading. They would rather do other activities than reading. Readers read only when it is really necessary especially to pass examination/quiz. Finally, some of the recommendations made includes: The University has the potential to make online access to the collections in the medical library possible if required infrastructure is acquired. The library has the capacity to host up to twenty (20) workstations. The University library should embark on information literacy/sensitization programme for students in order to effectively harness the various web-based electronic resources it subscribed to.
