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ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS TOWARDS BUYING OF TEXTBOOKS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study 

Education builds the human wind, which is the key component for economic growth technological capability and social transformation. People are perceived as the ultimate resources whose substance constitutes all-encompassing goals of development with education as its well spring unfortunately, students of college of education Ekiadolor in Edo State. This could be attributed to problem of students towards buying of textbooks the issues of buying of textbooks in the nation colleges of learning is of great importance from observation today. It reveals that there is now an alarming increase of the issues of students not buying of textbooks which if not corrected might lead to some problems in the College.

The traditional print textbook has been regarded as the foundation for advancing learning, designed to provide an authoritative and pedagogic version of an area of knowledge, according to the community’s or society’s beliefs about what is important for students to learn (e.g., Lowe, 2009; Williams, 2014). Ideally, textbooks serve to guide discussion, frame issues, illustrate processes, identify critical questions and, thereby, enrich the learning experience.

In Universities, textbooks remain a critical component of many courses and academic programmes, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that there is a tendency to rely on traditional, purchased textbooks rather than, or in association with, other resources including digital resources and e-books. From our experience, the choice of required textbooks tends to be made by lecturers and others involved in designing courses. Depending on the course, those “others” can include programme teams and departmental academic boards, all of whom would be influenced by their perspectives and demands made by disciplines or professions. Usually, students have no involvement in this choice, even though they are directly affected by it. Cost of purchasing the chosen textbook is the most obvious impact on them but alongside this is access: libraries can provide copies via high-demand services when necessary, and copyright licensing also allows excerpts to be made available via password-protected systems but each of these options is limited and may not meet demand.

Evidence from outside our context indicates that the cost of textbooks is having a negative effect on student behaviours (e.g., Martin, Belikov, Hilton, Wiley & Fischer, 2017; Jhangiani & Jhangiani, 2017; Senack & Donoghue, 2016). The problem is serious enough that it is not only influencing students’ choice of courses but also their academic achievement (Hilton, 2016; Martin et al., 2017; Senack, 2014). Researchers argue that one alternative to the traditional textbook is the open textbook; one benefit being that they are free and readily accessible (Hilton, 2016; Jhangiani & Jhangiani, 2017; Martin, et al., 2017). (Erroneous) assumptions often underpinning such claims include: that all students are connected; that open textbooks are free; and that open textbooks are digital only.

The constantly changing nature of higher education means that there has been a dramatic increase in enrolment numbers at tertiary institutions (http://data.uis.unesco.org), with students from greater ranges of academic levels and backgrounds than in the past. Inquiry into students’ experiences of entering higher education has become the focus of much research over the last two decades, with universities addressing specific transition needs that focus on both social and academic support (e.g., Leathwood & O’Connell, 2003; Scanlon, Rowling & Weber, 2007; Sotardi & Friesen, 2017). As part of this, university staff, such as librarians, express concerns about the ability to provide the needed wide range of suitable resources, including textbooks (e.g., Werner, 2014) to meet needs of courses, staff and students. Additionally, each institution will have its own sets of goals reflecting expectations, resourcing, and policy, determined at a number of levels from government to individual teacher. These institutional factors flow through to students’ experiences as well as their perceptions about learning and study in higher education; the place, value and role of textbooks being one part of those experiences.

Then there are the textbooks themselves: what they are; how they are used by teaching staff within courses and by students; where they originate; and their relevance to a course (e.g., as discussed in Weller, de los Arcos, Farrow, Pitt & McAndrew, 2015). The nature, intentions, structure and content of a course, including teachers’ values and pedagogical beliefs, and courses’ expectations and opportunities to engage and interact with learning resources will influence student responses and approaches to their study (e.g., Entwistle, 2000). Added to this is the broader textbook market environment. This factor is not new (e.g., see commentary in What is a textbook), with publishers’ behaviours influenced and determined by commercial interests. These behaviours include the regular publication of new editions and the continually rising costs of academic publishing (e.g., Larivière, Haustein & Mongeon, 2015). Students, teachers and institutions are subject to these costs and must either accept them, or seek other avenues through which to source resources to support learning, teaching and research.

Statement of Problems

Some students of College of Education are experiencing this problem where students show negative attitude towards buying of textbooks. Recent observation carried out by the researcher reveals that there are certain factors that make some students to show negative attitude towards buying of textbooks which some show positive attitude towards buying of textbooks. Some factors have been identified among which are failure of some students due to lack of materials to prepare for the examination, poverty and lack of interest of buying of textbooks.

This study is also interested to examine other factors that might cause the non-challenges attitude towards the buying of textbooks in College of Education.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to identify some problems related to the negative attitude of students towards buying of textbooks in our higher institution of learning like the college of education, Ekiadolor whether among these students more or less people will be in favour or against the idea of buying textbooks.  Besides, the researcher believer that the time and money sent on buying textbooks would be of great beneficial to the students because of the  importance of textbooks which is the bed rock of every successful person that have pass through educational system and out with a grade to come out with. Every responsible students should marry his or her textbooks or reading materials if he or she wants to be successful in the educational life.

Significance of the Study 

The significance for which the researcher has embarked for this study is all embracing looking at the importance and usefulness of textbooks; however, it is to give advice to the management and lecturers in general in the college of education Ekiadolor and other higher institution of learning on how to tackle the problems of textbooks buying by the students. This study is significant not basically to student’s negative attitude towards buying of textbooks but to emphasize on the importance functions usefulness and the positive effect of textbooks in order to create awareness to students, parents and lecturers. And also the low income earners will know how to manage income in other to met up the demand of buying textbooks.

Research Questions    

1.  What kind of attitude would you like other to show towards buying of textbooks?

2.   Do you think you can cope without buying textbooks?

3.   With your knowledge of buying of textbooks do you dim it fit for students to buy and appreciate textbooks?

4.   Do you think problems of negative attitude towards buying of textbooks is as a result of poverty?

5.   Do you think the issues of textbooks should be made compulsory for the students?

6.   Most of the students fail their examination because of their negative attitude towards buying of textbooks.

Scope of the Study  

This study is limited to only students of the college of education Ekiadolor in Edo State. The sample drawn from the population is a full representation of College of Education Ekiadolor in the area as a result of the extent to which the generalization could be made from this study is limited. However, it is believed that the sample aid across single sex.

Definition of Terms

Attitude: This refers to the ways of thinking about something or behave towards something e.g the attitude of student towards buying of textbooks

Students: This is a group of individual engage in studying something especially at a college or university.

Buying: This is the act of obtaining some thing by paying money for it. It can also be referred to as the act exchanging money for a particular goods and services.

Textbooks: This refers to a written materials which is used to facilitate the teaching and learning process.

Teacher: A person who teaches in school or College. He is also one who is able to transmit knowledge, to a group of students in the College or school.

Protest: This is to express strong disagreement or disapproval bout something e.g. I really must protest a lecturer has no right to impose the buying of textbooks on any students.

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