Computer literacy and student demographics: a study of select Indian universities

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the present study is to determine levels of computer literacy adequate for searching academic information from electronic resources and databases. The study also examines whether or not student demographics influence this level of computer literacy in a university scenario in India, a developing nation.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary data were collected through a questionnaire-based survey on a sample of 329 respondents from three major universities located in North India. The study focused on only postgraduate students and research scholars. The data, thus collected, were analyzed with the aid of the SPSS statistical software package. χ2 test was also applied to determine significant comparability among student demographics and their acquired computer usage competencies.

Findings

The study discovered that among the respondents less than half reported that they had acquired adequate computer competence to search for information from electronic resources or databases. However, no significant differences were found for computer skills with respect to students having different demographic characteristics. There were observed significant differences among academic majors and the use of internet and OPAC. Significant differences were also observable between academic use of internet and students varying age groups.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few research studies carried out to examine computer literacy among university students especially in relation to their demographics. The results of the study will prove useful for improving computer literacy in university library systems in India and other developing nations.

Citation

Kumar, S. and Mahajan, P. (2013), "Computer literacy and student demographics: a study of select Indian universities", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 30 No. 10, pp. 21-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-10-2013-0062