Research Report

On

E-Book versus Printed Books: Dhaka

University Students Preference

Department of Management
University of Dhaka
E-Book versus Printed Books: Dhaka University Students Preference
MGT-407: Business Research

Prepared for:
Dr. Muhammad Shariat Ullah

Assistant Professor

Department of Management

University of Dhaka

Prepared by:
Tapash Chandra Paul

Roll: 35
th
Section: A; Batch: 17
Department of Management

University of Dhaka

Submission Date: October 30, 2014

 Letter of Transmittal

October 30, 2014

Dr. Muhammad Shariat Ullah

Assistant Professor
Department of Management
University of Dhaka

Subject: Submission of research report on E-Book versus Printed Books- Dhaka

University students Preference.

Dear Sir,
Here is the research report on E-Book versus Printed Books: Dhaka University students
Preference.

The report is prepared on the primary and secondary data from different sources.
Recommendations are only subjective judgment of mine.

I would like to thank our course teacher Dr. Muhammad Shariat Ullah for giving me the
opportunity to know elaborately about preparing research report. I sincerely prepared this
research report. I truly appreciated this assignment and I enjoyed it very much.

Yours Sincerely

Tapash Chandra Paul

Serial No: 35
Section: A
Session: 2010-11
th
Batch: 17
Department Of Management
University Of Dhaka

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iii
Table of Contents

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

References

Appendix

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Executive Summary
In a relatively short period of time, higher education has been transformed by digital
technologies such as the internet, laptop computers, mobile phones and, most recently,
electronic books or e-books. E-books are regarded as a radical innovation for university
students, transforming their academic life and reading habits.
This study tried to determine the preferences of Dhaka University students on reading printed
books or e-books and the reasons for these preferences.
This study was conducted using screening technique which is a descriptive research model.

To compare the quantitative data with the relationship between two groups, chi-square test
was used.
While the current generation of Dhaka university students is comfortable with digital
information and communication devices, surveys often indicate a strong preference for
printed books.

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1.0 Introduction

Reading habits, accessing resources, and material preferences change rapidly in a digital
world. Dhaka University students, as digital natives, are accessing countless resources, from
lecture notes to research papers electronically. The change of reading habits with a great scale
has led to differentiation on accessibility of resources, archiving them and usage of related
technologies. The purpose of this study is to examine the e-book usage preferences versus
printed material along with reading habits in a context of different variables.

2.0 Literature Review

With electronic books becoming widespread, various studies have begun to be carried out about
reading habits, digital catalogs, and e-book device. A vast majority of these studies have focused
on university students. This is a foregone conclusion considering that e-books became widespread
at first in academic libraries for emergence of electronic journals (Mischo, Norman, Shelburne, &
Schlembach, 2007; Shelburne, 2009). In those studies, the main discussion topics have been the
ratio of preference in comparison to printed materials (Nicholas, Rowlands, Clark, Huntington,
Jamali, & Olle, 2008), perceptions related to the advantages of e-books (Cassidy, Martinez, &
Shen, 2012), effect of e-books on learning (Annand, 2008; Muir & Hawes, 2013; Szapkiw,
Courduff, Carter, & Bennett, 2013), library collections and circulation of e-books in academic
libraries versus printed books (Christianson, 2005; Slater, 2009; Sprague & Hunter, 2009;
Vasileiou, Rowley, & Hartley, 2012).

In a study examining the e-book usage patterns of university students (smail & Zainab,
2005), use and non-use of e-books are determined by several circumstances in a model. This
model has four dimensions that interact with each other; technological competencies, users
own cognitive makeup, the level of access to e-books, and the types of function or use made
of the e-books. In the study although about 70 % of the participants rate positively on the e-
book service and rate themselves as skilled in Internet use and have positive attitude towards
the e-book service, the level of e-book use is low (39%). The students become aware of the e-
book service mainly while visiting the university library website. In a study which
demonstrated the ratio of e-book use as 37% (Letchumanan & Tarmizi, 2010) it has been
detected that use is basically dependent on access and the students who have no previous
familiarity with this technology have no tendency to use e-books either.

As manifested by a large-scale survey in UK with the participation of 120 universities (Nicholas,

Rowlands, Clark, Huntington, Jamali, & Olle, 2008) acceptance of e-book use among students is
by the ratio of 62%. In a different large-scale survey (N=1547) covering the acceptance and use of
e-book 57% of students were found to have used e-books. The remainder of students who
provided a negative answer on e-book use has been basically the ones who are not aware of the
availability of this service at university library (Shelburne, 2009). The research has also
demonstrated that students view easy-access advantage of e-book as its primary benefit. A
different research (Zhang & Beckman, 2011) in support of these surveys (N=1450) has likewise
presented that the use of e-book is rather common with a ratio of 53% amongst university
students. Percentages of e-book usage can be interpreted in different ways in different studies. For
example in a study in which the percentage of the non-users of e-books has been 62%, it was
concluded that e-books is not preferred to printed material (Cassidy,

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Martinez, & Shen, 2012). However in the same study, it was concluded that advantages of
electronic style is more valuable though it is not preferred. In this study it was also
determined that researchers are not aware of the available electronic resources in the libraries
on their own field of study.

Another study (Annand, 2008) probing into the preference of e-books over printed resources
and its effect on learning (N=109) has unraveled that students generally prefer printed
materials and as regards learning there is no significant differences between two formats. A
different study (Woody, Daniel, & Baker, 2010) parallel to the findings of previous research
has also provided the conclusion that as course material, students prefer printed textbook
rather than e-book (N= 91). In another study (N=538), grades of university students from a
course and perceived learning score were compared according to preference of electronic
book or printed resource within the scope of a course. Although there is not a significant
difference in the sense of grades as a result of study, perceived learning scores of students
who prefer e-book was higher (Szapkiw, Courduff, Carter, & Bennett, 2013).

Slater (2009) conducted a study in the university library of Oakland University that compared
the circulation of e-books between the printed materials and the e-books in the sources of net
Library and Safari. One of the most outstanding findings of the study was that while the
preferences of the users in the fields of science/technology were leaning towards e-book
format, the user preferences on the fields of humanities were in the direction of printed
materials.

3.0 Objective of the Study

The present study aimed at finding out preferences, and usage by students at the University of
Dhaka regarding E-book to Printed Book.
More specifically we can furnish the objectives as follows:
1. To find out overall preferences, and usage by students at the University of Dhaka
regarding E-book to Printed Book.
2. To find out overall there is a significant relationship between the status of reading E-
books and Genders of student.

4.1 Hypothesis
H1 : There is a significant relationship between the status of reading E-books
and Printed books.
H2 : There is a significant relationship between students genders and reading printed
Books/e- books preference.

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5.1 Research Methodology

5.2 Model of the Study

This study was conducted using screening technique which is a descriptive research model.

5.2 Study Group

The participants of this study comprised of 100 students, studying in different departments
across the University of Dhaka. While a part of the students were filled the questionnaire in a
40 copy hardcopy edition, the majority were accessed the questionnaire online
(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/156Twd-R_7tECnqsijA-XRC1QO0eZs7KFd4s4-
GGeWCE/viewform).
Frequency distribution of students by departments
Management
Responses
THM

Mass Com. & Journalism

AIS

Banking and Insurance

History

Marketing

International Business

Mathematics

Finanace

Development studies

Disaster Mgt. and

Vulnerability
Islamic History and Culture

58% Arabic
2%
6% Psychology

Clinical Psychology
1%
3% Peace and Conflict
Studies

Women and Gender

Studies
Sanskrit

WRC

International Relations

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 Female

Gender of Frequency distribution of students

Responses

40%

60%

5.3 Data Collection Tools

A questionnaire was developed as data gathering tool for the specific purpose of this study.
This questionnaire integrating university students collected information on printed book
reading habits, e-book reading habits (methods of obtain, aim of usage etc.) and technological
knowledge (e-book related tools and file formats etc.) as well as demographic information of
students with 10 questions (including demographic information). The questionnaire presented
online to the attention of Dhaka university students. A particular portion of questionnaire has
distributed in printed format.

5.4 Analysis of Data

Acquired data in research were analyzed using Google survey form responses analytical
tools. To evaluate the data, descriptive statistical methods (Number, Percentage) were used.
To compare the quantitative data with the relationship between two groups, chi-square test
was used.
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6.0 Findings
According to the responses of students to the questions in the data collection tool, the
following conclusions are reached:

How often do you use print books?- 66% of the students answered Daily , 14% of the
students answered Rarely, 8% of the students answered Monthly, 10% of the students
answered Weekly and 2% of the students answered Never.

Responses

How often do you use e-books?- 45% of the students answered Rarely, 18% of the students
answered Daily, 13% of the students answered Monthly, 10% of the students answered
Never, 14% of the students answered Weekly.

Responses

Daily
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Do you prefer e-books or print books? - 79% of the students answered Printed books and
21% of the students answered E-books.

Responses

21%
E-books
79%
Printed books

If your answer is printed books, what are the reasons you prefer reading printed books to
e-books? (Can select more than one option.)- 43% of the students answered To protect my
eye health, 37% of the students answered I like holding the book in my hands, 36% of the
students answered I get more pleasure, I understand better when I read the book in my hands
and Because it is portable and easier to read, 33% of the students answered Cannot give up
the habit of reading printed books, 2% of the students answered No reason.

No reason
Cannot give up the habit of
To support authors of printed
Printed books are more cost
I do not have the technology to
I understand better when I read
I like the smell of the book
I get more pleasure
More realistic
Because it is portable and easier
To protect my eye health
I like holding the book in my hands
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Responses

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For what purposes have you used printed? (Can select more than one option)- 44% of the
students answered Reference, 41% of the students answered Instruction, 36% of the
students answered Leisure and 29% of the students answered Research.

45
40
35
30
25 Responses
20
15
10
5
0
Research Instruction Reference Leisure

What discourages you from using e-books? (Can select more than
one option)- 48%
of the students answered Preference for print books , 46% of the students answered
Difficulty finding them, 30% of the students answered Relevant e-books are not
available, 27% of the students answered Limitations on copying and printing, 23%
of the students answered Difficulty using interface, 21% of the students answered
Limitations for viewing images, graphs, and illustrations,15% of the students
answered Not aware that e-books are available and 8% of the students answered
Insufficient training in how to use them.

Responses
Page |
8
If your answer is e-books, what are the reasons you prefer reading e-books to printed
books? (Can select more than one option.)- 24%of the students answered Available from
anywhere at any time, 18% of the students answered Ability to save to desktop, 13% of
the students answered Ability to highlight text and Ability to print, 11% of the students
answered Full text search capability and Cut and paste capabilities, 10% of the students
answered Environmentally friendly and More efficient and 7%of the students answered
Ability to make annotations.
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7.0 Assessing Hypothesis

H1: There is a significant relationship between the status of reading E-books

and Printed books.

Table 1: Chi-square test: the relationship between the status of reading e-books and printed
books

Responses

Yes

No

There is a significant relationship between the preference of e-books and printed books.
2 2
Notice that the x value is 67.28 and this value exceeds the table value of 3.841 (at 1 degree
of freedom and a significant level of 0.05). This means that < 0.05 and we reject the null
hypothesis in favor of the alternative hypothesis. When < 0.05 we generally refer to this as
a significant difference.

So, there is a significant relationship between the status of reading E-books and Printed books.

1
For a 2 x 2 contingency table the Chi Square statistic is calculated by the formula:

2
Appendix 2

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 H2: There is a significant relationship between students genders and reading printed
books/e- books preference.

Table 2: Chi-square test; relationship between students genders and reading printed books/e-
books preference

Preference

E-books

Printed books
Total

2 3
We now have our chi square statistic (X = 4.86 ), our predetermined level of significance
(0.05), and our degrees of freedom (df = 1). Entering the Chi square distribution table with 1
2 3
degree of freedom and reading along the row we find our value of X (4.86 ) lies between
4 4
3.841 and 5.412 The corresponding probability is between the 0.05 and 0.02 probability
levels. That means that the -value is below 0.05. Since a -value is less than the
conventionally accepted alternative hypothesis, we have to reject the null hypothesis.

So, there is a significant relationship between students genders and reading printed books/e-
books preference.

3
For a 2 x 2 contingency table the Chi Square statistic is calculated by the formula:

4
Appendix 2
Page |
11
8.0 Conclusion
From the questionnaire data, it is apparent that Printed books continue to be the preferred
reading format for both university study and recreational reading by students of Dhaka
University. According to research findings 80% of Dhaka university students state that they
use Printed books. The findings reveal that a large part of students do not read e-books. 69%
of the students use printed books Daily whereas 14% of the students use e-books Daily.

Even if e-books may negatively influence certain aspects of the learning experience at
present, these will likely diminish over time. Considering the increase of e-book literacy, it is
observed that recently published books should have an electronic format and the books in
hard-copy format should be transformed into e-book format. Moreover, when it is considered
that making research and reading course materials are the most important purposes for
students reading e-book, it is clear that it has become necessary for academicians to present
lecture notes and resources in electronic format.

9.0 Suggestions
In the context of expanding this research, suggestions listed below should be considered by
researchers and practitioners interested in the areas of this study:

1. This study can be expanded by including all department and institution of university
of Dhaka.
2. This study can be done by including all university students.
3. E-book reading habit of the students can be assessed, by considering the following
variables;

a. Whether they have e-book reader and e-book reading software,

b. Presence or absence of their own computers,
c. E-books type they read,
d. Whether they have the financial capability to buy e-books,
e. Whether they buy licensed or pirated e-books,
f. If they have information about e-books copyright law,
g. If there is e-books reader in their family.

4. The attitudes and opinions of the teaching staff on reading e-books can be explored.
5. In line with requests and needs, co-operation between institutions on e-books designs
and typography can be improved.

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10.0 References
Annand, D. (2008). Learning efficacy and cost-effectiveness of print versus e-book instructional
material in an introductory financial accounting course. Journal of Interactive Online
Learning, 7(2), 152-164.

Cassidy, E. D., Martinez, M., & Shen, L. ( 2012). Not in love, or not in the know? Graduate student
and faculty use (and non-use) of e-books. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 38(6),
326332.

Christianson, M. (2005). Patterns of use of electronic books. Library Collections, Acquisitions, &
Technical Services, 29, 351-363.

Evans, J. R. & Mathur, A. (2005). The value of online surveys. Internet Research, 15(2), 195-219.

smail, R. & Zainab, A. N. (2005). The pattern of e-book use amongst undergraduates n Malaysia: A case
of to know is to use. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, 10(2), 1-23.

Letchumanan, M. & Tarmizi, R. A. Utilization of e-book among university mathematics students.

(2010). Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 8, 580587.
Mischo, W. H., Norman, M. A., Shelburne, W. A., & Schlembach, M. C. (2007). The growth of
electronic journals in libraries. Science & Technology Libraries, 26(3/4), 29-59.

Muir, L. & Hawes, G. (2013). The case for e-book literacy: Undergraduate students' experience with
e-books for course work. The Journal of Academic Librarianship (Articles in press).
Available at: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib/2013.01.002

Nicholas, D., Rowlands, I., Clark, D., Huntington, P., Jamali, H. R., & Olle, C. (2008). UK scholarly
e-book usage: A landmark survey. Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, 60(4),
311-334.

Shelburne, W. A. (2009). E-book usage in an academic library: User attitudes and behaviors. Library
Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services, 33, 5972.

Slater, R (2009). E-books or print books, big deals or local selectionsWhat gets more use?,
Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services, 33, 31-41.

Sprague, N. & Hunter, B (2009). Assessing e-books: Taking a closer look at e-book statistics. Library
Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services, 32, 150157.

Szapkiw, A. J. R., Courduff, J. C., Carter, K., & Bennett, D. (2013). Electronic versus traditional print
textbooks: A comparison study on the influence of university students learning Computers &
Education, 63, 259266.

Vasileiou, M., Rowley, J., & Hartley, R., (2012). The e-book management framework: The
management of e-books in academic libraries and its challenges. Library &
Information Science Research, 34, 282-291.

Woody, W. D., Daniel, D. B., & Baker, C. A. (2010). E-books or textbooks: Students prefer
textbooks. Computers & Education, 55, 945948.

Zhang, Y. & Beckman, R. (2011). E-book usage among chemists, biochemists and biologists:
Findings of a survey and interviews. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship,
65. Available at: http://www.istl.org/11-spring/article2.html

Page | 13
 Appendix 1

Questionnaire on

E-Book versus Printed Books: Dhaka University students Preference

1. Department:
2. Batch :
3. Your Gender- a) Male
4. How often do you use print books?
a) Never
5. How often do you use e-books?
a) Never
6. Do you prefer e-books or print books?
a) E-books
7. If your answer is printed books, what are the reasons you prefer reading printed books to e-
books? (Can select more than one option.)
a) I like holding the book in my hands
b) To protect my eye health
c) Because it is portable and easier to read
d) More realistic
e) I get more pleasure
f) I like the smell of the book
g) I understand better when I read the book in my hands
h) I do not have the technology to read e-books
i) Printed books are more cost effective
j) To support authors of printed books
k) Cannot give up the habit of reading printed books
l) No reason
8. For what purposes have you used printed? (Can select more than one option)
a) Research b) Instruction c) Reference d) Leisure
9. What discourages you from using e-books? (Can select more than one option)
a) Not aware that e-books are available
b) Relevant e-books are not available
c) Difficulty finding them
d) Difficulty using interface
e) Limitations on copying and printing
f) Insufficient training in how to use them
g) Preference for print books
h) Limitations for viewing images, graphs, and illustrations
10. If your answer is e-books, what are the reasons you prefer reading e-books to printed books?
(Can select more than one option.)
a) Available from anywhere at any time
b) Full text search capability
c) Ability to highlight text
d) Ability to make annotations
e) Cut and paste capabilities
f) Ability to save to desktop
g) Ability to print
h) Environmentally friendly
i) More efficient

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey!

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 Appendix 2

Critical values for the Chi Square Distribution

Significance Level

df 0.5

1 0.455

2 1.386

3 2.366

4 3.357

5 4.351

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