Influence of Accessibility on the Utilization of Online Databases for Research by Academics in Polytechnics in Katsina State, Nigeria
Hindatu Salisu Abubakar, Hauwa Sani Ahmad, & Usman Abdulkadir Umar
1Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management Central Library
2Department of Library and Information Sciences, Bayero University Kano
Abstract
The paper carried out a study on the influence of accessibility on the utilization of online databases for research by academics in polytechnics in Katsina state, Nigeria. The study is set to test the following two hypotheses: H01: accessibility does not significantly influence utilization of online databases by academic for research purposes in Polytechnics in Katsina state and H02: challenges does not significantly affect the access to and utilization of online databases by academic for research purposes in the study area. Cross sectional survey research design was adopted to the study and population of the study comprised a total number of six hundred and fifty-nine (659) academics from three (3) Katsina state Polytechnics including Federal Polytechnic Daura (FPD) located in Daura local Government in Katsina State, Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic (HUK) located in Batagarawa Local Government in Katsina state and Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management, located in Katsina, Katsina State. Total enumeration sampling technique was employed to select the entire respondents. Questionnaire using closed ended questions was the instrument used for data collection and inter-item reliability test was used to ensure the consistency of the research instrument and result was tested using Cronbach alpha formulae and was .919. The Instrument was personally distributed by researchers and the data were analyzed using ordinal regression analysis at 0.05 level of significance, suitable for the ordinal data collected. One of the notable finding of the study on H01, stating that accessibility does not significantly influence the utilization of online databases, was rejected. The P-value of 0.000 indicates a significant influence, while the R² value of 0.176 shows a moderate influence, explaining 17.6% of the variance in utilization. As such the study recommended that polytechnic institutions should invest in improving internet infrastructure, providing adequate access to a wider range of databases, and ensuring consistent availability of resources. This could involve increasing the number of subscriptions to essential databases, enhancing Wi-Fi connectivity, and integrating user-friendly platforms that facilitate seamless access for academic staff and students and among others
Keywords
Influence, Accessibility, Utilization, Online Databases, Research Purposes, Polytechnics
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