Final Year Project Report

Final Year Project Report

Chapter 1. Introduction

• BackgroundE-books have been predicted to have a high influence on higher education. However, the using rate of e-books adoption in higher education has been lower than expected in Hong Kong. Research on the perception of higher education students has been done to illustrate the reasons that might lead to a low using rate of e-books.
• Research Question

1. Do university students have a positive attitude and behavioral intention toward E-books?
2. Which characteristics drive students’ perceptions towards e-books?
   • Aim & Objective
     The aim of the study is to investigate Hong Kong students’ perceptions of e-books in higher education.
   • Project Scope
     In this project, we focus on identifying how university students in Hong Kong perceived about e-books in higher education. Perception is a subjective matter, which may not be changed easily but could be affected by various factors, such as gender, reading mode, or more other factors. To narrow our scope, the differences between universities, computer habits, and the perception of the past experience would be compared.
   • Significance of the project
     The significance of the project is to help the universities to recognize the perception of the students toward e-books. Thus, the universities and scholars can use this as a reference for university course design and for the improvement of the recent developed e-books technology as well.
   • Project Outline This paper would be divided into five parts. The introduction is the first part, which gives a brief background of the paper and also clarifies the aim and objectives, the scope, the significance of the study, and the outline of the whole project. Second is the literature review, which reviews the history of e-books, students’ perception in the use of e-books, the background of e-books in Hong Kong. The third is the research methodology, which indicates the research method used, the reasons, and the advantages of using that method. Fourth is a summary of the data collected and the background information about the respondents as well as the analysis and discussion of the result. Finally, is the conclusion and recommendation

Chapter 2 Literature Review

2.1 E-Book

2.1.1 What is E-book?

The E-book is a modern electronic mode of accessing book publication, which consists of literature, and text information through computers or other electronic devices. An E-book which is also written as eBook reads on devices that e-book dedicated or on desktop computers, tablets, smartphones, and laptops.

2.1.2 History

The E-book was first invented in 1946 by Roberto Busa (Battershill et al., 2017). It was a highly marked electronic directory to the work of Thomas Aquinas. The E-book was originally stored in a lone computer and later distributed via CDs in the CD-ROM version in 1989. Later in 1949, a Spanish school teacher name Angela Ruiz Robles devised a prototype e-reader, which could help her students access the information through a single device (Ribas et al., 2018). This followed after she watched her students struggling with heavy books to and from school daily. That is when she was inspired to invent a way her students would be relieved from carrying heavy books to and from school each day.  Angela named her invention the Enciclopedia Mecanica or in simple terms mechanical Encyclopaedia.   Her book contained printed texts which were operated by the use of compressed air. She redesigned her book, where she included audio, magnifying glass, calculator, and an electric reading light.   In the 1960s, Douglas Englebalt, together with Andries Van Dam, invented their electronic book, of which numerous people believe that e-book started in this era. This was after the File Retrieval and Editing Systems (FRES) documents started running on IBM mainframes. They were structured-oriented instead of line-oriented as it was before with other e-book invention. However, numerous publications state that after all the earlier invention, Michael S Halt was the discoverer of the e-book. Michael generated his fist online file by capturing the United States Affirmation of Unconventionality using the computer in plain text.

2.1.3 Implementation of E-book

After Michael Halt’s first electronic document on the independence declaration for the U.S IN 1971, A PROJECT NAMED Gutenberg was later launched with the aim of creating the electronic copies of numerous books (Chiarizio, 2013).  In the 1970s, another implementation of the e-book on the notebook computer was implemented to display books for reading (Tse et al., 2017). The U.S Department of defense started a conception advancement in 1980 for a portable electric delivery device for maintaining a technical information project known as portable electronic aid for maintenance (PEAM) (Cline, 2019). The U.S Department of defense completed on the detailed information in the financial year 1981/82, and they started on the prototype development using Texas instruments in the same year.   In 1986, they produced the four protocols and tested them in the same year (Cline, 2019).

Data Discman (electronic reader) was launched by Sony Corporation in 1992, with the aim of helping in reading the e-books that were kept on the CDs (Jesse, 2014). The library of the future was one of the electronic publication that is played on the Data Discman. The early eBooks were only written for small groups that were devoted to reading. The availability of the internet, which was launched in most countries in the 1990s, made the transfer of the e-book easier and quicker (Cook & Polgar, 2014).

HyperCard stack is a freeware released in 1993 by Paul Baim, known as Ebook, which made it easier for the transfer and receiving text file to generate the pageable form, which was similar to an electronic paperback book (Kirschenbaum, 2013). A feature was designed to automatically help the reader of the EBook to the top page that was previously read.

The usage of the e-book has increased as more reader software and tools are invented worldwide, and the awareness, as well as the perception of the users, have also evolved accordingly (D’Ambra et al., 2013). The definition of the e-book has so far evolved due to the changes in structures of the e-book as the time goes. Researchers have come up with a different definition, and they believe there is a distinctive definition of the e-book. Some researcher views an e-book as a script or a manuscript the can be read over electronics such as a desktop computer, smartphone or tablet, while others see it a designed text to be read over technological devices, distancing itself from published books through the provision of some additional structures that permits the user to interrelate with texts via sounds, visual as well as links. Despite the numerous views of what is an e-book, they all agree that technology is involved in viewing and reading books (Cook & Polgar, 2014).

Students have started using e-books due to the advancement of technology and devices (Martin & Quan‐Haase, 2013). The advancement has offered numerous advantages over printed books. To the students, the e-book is cost-effective. The E-book has numerous advantages, some of them being; convincing and portability (Micozzi, 2014). In terms of mobility, the e-book is very convenient since readers do not worry about heavyweight carrying the digital library in their pockets. The accessibility of e-book has benefited both the teachers and the students since they can easily access them online at any moment, whenever they require them (Simonson et al., 2019). In terms of searching, e-book tools allow the readers to quest for them straightforwardly to enhance their education as well as the teachings (Straus et al., 2018).

However, despite having numerous advantages globally, it also has some drawbacks. In some cases, the e-book has no universal standards, as well as the compatibility of the software and the hardware (Mune & Agee, 2016). Some e-books are not easily accessible since they are not globally accessible due to their formats as well as location restrictions. Some of the e-books cannot be accessed in some areas due to security issues and are only available within some countries. E-books require a longer time when downloading, depending on the storage volume and the download speed (Muir & Hawes, 2013). Another disadvantage is that numerous students and users do not have enough skills to use the e-book, and therefore, they need more training, which might cost them (Connor et al., 2019). Additionally, heavy usage of e-books might lead to health issues such as headaches and eyestrain (Liaw & Huang, 2016). Besides, numerous e-books are copy and paste, and thus they do not have features that are interactive and help the students with materials required for studies out of the classroom, in which the learners will not be in a position to share face-to-face discussion (Schugar, Smith & Schugar, 2013).

According to Peng et al. (2015), the e-book has the ability to annotate and share that promotes the scholars’ studies via replication as well as the distribution of the concepts.  The E-book has some key feature that enables it to be very useful in learning and teaching. Some of the features include; navigation software, content management, as well as a search tool. According to Hwang et al. (2018), e-books can support learners’ education by letting them have a good interaction with each other in discussion and knowledge construction.

In numerous schools, the e-book has started being embraced through their libraries, through the assumption that since the learners have evolved with expertise, they might be interested in abandoning the application of printed books (Walters, 2013). However, the assumption has botched to some degree since the use of e-book has not progressed as swiftly as projected irrespective of the growing technology. The slow movement of the way schools and the learners have embraced the usage of the e-book might be a result of a lack of resources as well as knowledge to use it. According to Muir & Hawes (2013), numerous students prefer using printed books over e-books since the printed book s are easy to navigate compared to e-books.

Another challenge of using an e-book is that the publishers of the e-books do not issue them for free, but the sale e-books to the libraries and only a limited license of accessing the title will be given to the libraries (Chiarizio, 2013). Once the library buys an e-book license, its cost is at least three times what it would be for the individual user. The reason why e-books are very costly compared to printed setup is that the editors of an e-book are concerned that e-book that is sold could be read or be sold to multiple people, theoretically ruining the sales (Gutknecht, 2013).

2.2 Technologies of E-books Used in University

Technologically, there are numerous e-book readers in the market globally. Besides, there are numerous e-book formats available on the market and the devices specifically designed to read e-books or designed for extra uses. Both the tablet computers and the e-reader are becoming relevant, and the publishers are trying to utilize these tools for e-books (Gilbert, 2015). The technology behind e-book is relatively new, and different e-book readers use different formats of e-book files. To access an e-book, the user must use technology-based tools such as computers, e-book readers, or any other form of electronic hardware (Cook & Polgar, 2014). Despite the revolution in e-book technology, the ultimate inter-reliant connection between texts and the text-bearing devices will never change, though the connection nature will change. This section discusses the technology Hong Kong University students apply to access e-books.

2.2.1 Hardware

E-book requires electronic devices as hardware. The hardware is where the e-book is stored. These devices are such as e-reader, smartphones, personal computers, and tablets.

2.2.1.1 Personal computer

A personal computer is an electronic device that enables people to access, store, and read e-books.  87 % of the Hong Kong students own personal computers such as laptops and desktop computers (Woo et al., 2016). The ability of the Hong Kong students owing personal computers enables them to easily access e-books whenever they feel like.  Through personal computers, Hong Kong University students can read e-books by online streaming or by downloading or sharing and storing it for future uses (Dukic et al., 2015).

2.2.1.2 E-reader

An E-reader is a single device dedicated to reading—there numerous types of e-readers in the market. The introduction of Kindle 1 e-reader in 2007 by Amazon caused an increase in the interest of Hong Kong university students in using e-books (Waheed et al., 2015). In 1998, there was another e-reader known as Rocket e-reader but did not attract much attention for the students to use it for e-learning as it was the case with Amazon’s Kindle 1. E-readers have advanced over the years, and new versions keep on being introduced in the market (Miller, 2016).

2.2.1.3 Smartphones

Smartphones are digital portable devices that enable people to read e-books whenever they at their own preferred time (Shimray et al., 2015). A good smartphone with a good display, large screen as well as an ample storage a student can carry the whole library with him or her. 9.9% of Hong students own smartphones (Chow & Ma, 2018). These smartphones motivate them to read an e-book at the comfort of their premises without carrying physical printed books.

2.2.1.4 Tablet

In 2010, Apple Company released its first iPad tablet, which caused another in interest from Hong Kong University students and the readers worldwide (Baron, 2015).  This tablet had almost new features that Kindle and Rocket e-reader did not have. Other mobile companies like Samsung, Motorola, and Google also followed suit by releasing their own tablets. The tablet’s release motivated Hong Kong university students to comfortably read the e-books (Chou, 2016).

2.2.2 Software

For the hardware to read the e-books, there must be an application installed to allow the readability of the e-books.

2.2.2.1 Kindle app

Kindle App is a product of Amazon Company, which is smart and stylish e-book reading software (Xu, 2020). Kindle App is used in personal computers, tablets, and mobile devices with Windows, Mac, and Android operating software. For the users who already have an Amazon account, there is no setup required since the user just need to log in to their Amazon Account (Hale, 2013).

2.2.2.2 Adobe Digital Edition

Adobe Digital Edition is software used in formatting, proofreading, and reading e-books (Palmieri, 2015).  It is compatible with personal computers, MAC, tablets as well as smartphones. It is used to purchase, download, and read digital content such as e-book (Churchill, 2017). Hong Kong University students have installed adobe digital edition software on their electronic devices to read the e-book comfortably.

2.2.2.3 Calibre

Calibre is a software used to read e-books. It is the university students’ preferred software due to its compatibility in all popular e-book file types. One of the features that attract the Hong Kong University students is its reference mode, which displays the current chapter and the paragraph number in the top left (Cyzyk, 2014). Additionally, the text is displayed as a continuous scrolling stream devoid of page breaks (Kamble & Amoji, 2019).

Chapter 3 Research Methodology

3.1 IntroductionThe aim of this study is to investigate students’ perceptions of e-books. In another way, it would estimate how well do the university students adapt to e-books in Hong Kong’s universities. It may help in telling the attitude of university students toward e-books. In this study, a questionnaire survey has been conducted to collect the data in order to evaluate Hong Kong students’ perceptions of e-books in higher education.

Chapter 4 Analysis of Result & Discussion

4.1 Introduction

This chapter shows and discusses the questionnaire/ structured interview results of the survey information. In this paper, the data analysis consisted of the administration of a questionnaire survey as a way the interviewer can gain a broad spectrum of opinions from students in various collages from different majors. The results are presented systematically to resolve the study’s objectives and aims and to reply to the research questions. The demographic statistics will be used to measure the changes to or characteristics of the students. Records of gender, age, the university they attend, grade, major, mode of study, and time spent on e-books per week, on every session, daily on non-educational and education of population provide statistics important to creating sound decisions about the study. After the descriptive statistics will be presented, and this will give a summary of the entire factor applicable in measuring Hong Kong students’ perception of e-Books in higher education. Sections 4.4 will discuss the results of the findings.

4.2 Demographic Information of Respondents

Gender

Gender

Table 4.0: Percentage of Respondents’ Gender

Fig 4.0: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Gender

Among the respondents, 50% of the respondents are male, and about 50% are female.

Age

Age

Table 4.1: Percentage of Respondents’ Age

Fig 4.1: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Age

Participants were with 2% aged <18, with 83% aged 18-22, with 13% aged 23-27, with 3% aged 28-31, and with 0% aged >31.

University

University

Table 4.2: Percentage of Respondents’ Studying University

University

Fig 4.2: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Studying University

42% were City University of Hong Kong students, 7% were Hong Kong Baptist University, 10% was The Chinese University of Hong Kong students, 18% was The Hong Kong Polytechnic University students, 3% was The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology students, and 8% were The University of Hong Kong students, 3% was The Open University of Hong Kong students, and 4% were Lingnan University students, 1% were Hong Kong Shue Yan University students, and 5% were students from other universities.

Grade

Grade

Table 4.3: Percentage of Respondents’ Grade Level

Fig 4.3: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Grade Level

24% were Year 1 students, 24% were year two students, 23% were year three students, 22% were year four, or above students, and 7% were postgraduates.

Major

Major

Table 4.4: Percentage of Respondents’ Major

Fig 4.4: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Major

33% have majored in Art/Social Science/Education, 22% have majored in Business, 3% have majored in Creative Media, 24% have majored in Engineering, 4% have majored in Law, 9% have majored in Pharmacy/Medicine, and another 9% have majored in Science.

Mode of Study

Mode of study

Table 4.5: Percentage of Respondents’ Mode of Study

Fig 4.5: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Mode of Study

About the respondents’ mode of study, 98% were full-time students, and 2% were part-time students.

Time Spent on E-books per Week (hours)

Time Spent on E-books per Week (hours)

Table 4.6: Percentage of Respondents’ Time Spent on E-books per Week (hours)

Fig 4.6: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Time Spent on E-books per Week (hours)

From the respondents, 42% spent <0.5 hours on E-books per week, 15% spent 0.5-1hours, 18% spent 1-2 hours, 13% spent 2-5 hours and another 13 % spent >5 hours.

Time Spent on every session (minutes)

Time Spent on every session (minutes)

Table 4.7: Percentage of Respondents’ Time Spent on every session (minutes)

Fig 4.7: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Time Spent on every session (minutes)

From the respondents, 30% spent <5 minutes on every sessions, 9% spent 5-10 minutes, 16% spent 11-20 minutes, 14% spent 21-30 minutes and another 31 % spent >30 minutes.

Time Spent on E-books per Day for Non-Educational Purposes (Minutes)

Time Spent on E-books per Day for Non-Educational Purposes (Minutes)

Table 4.8: Percentage of Respondents’ Time Spent on E-books per Day for Non-Educational Purposes (Minutes)

Fig 4.8: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Time Spent on E-books per Day for Non-Educational Purposes (Minutes)

From the respondents, 54% spent <5 minutes on E-books per Day for Non-Educational Purposes, 9% spent 5-10 minutes, 12% spent 11-20 minutes, 6% spent 21-30 minutes, and another 19 % spent >30 minutes.

Time Spent on E-books per Day for Educational Purposes (Minutes)

Time Spent on E-books per Day for Educational Purposes (Minutes)

Table 4.9: Percentage of Respondents’ Time Spent on E-books per Day for Educational Purposes (Minutes)

Fig 4.9: Pie Chart of Respondents’ Time Spent on E-books per Day for Educational Purposes (Minutes)

From the respondents, 52% spent <5 minutes on E-books per Day for Educational Purposes, 11% spent 5-10 minutes, 11% spent 11-20 minutes, 9% spent 21-30 minutes, and another 17 % spent >30 minutes.

4.3 Descriptive Statistics

The descriptive statistics allow the researcher to present the data in a more meaningful technique, which permits simpler data interpretation, and this is shown in table 4.10. The table uses several abbreviations where N symbolizes frequency, M symbolizes mean, and s symbolizes standard deviation. The 5-point Likert-scale was used during the survey (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree), and this will be used during the descriptive statistics.

Table 4.10: Descriptive Statistics along with Items

From the table above, the reports were applicable to measure Hong Kong students’ perception of e-Books in higher education. The perception factors include a description of E-books, attitude about E-books, behavioral intention toward E-books, and characteristics determining perceptions towards e-books. Items 11 to 14 measured the perceived description of E-books; items 15 to 22 measured the attitude about E-books; items 23 to 31 measured behavioral intention toward E-books, and items 32 to 38 measured students’ characteristics are determining perceptions towards e-books. There was a summary of the items’ general figures, and the representative items associated with each factor were analyzed separately.

4.3.1 Perceived Description of E-books

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.11: Description Statistics of the perceived description of E-books

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.12: Description Statistics of each item in the perceived description of E-books

From table 4.11, the overall mean of the perceived description of E-books was around 3.445. It signifies that the respondents rated the perceived description of E-books positively, meaning they agreed with the given definitions. From the five-point scale in the questions, the third point indicated “NEUTRAL.” For that reason, the students come to an understanding that E-book is using electronic devices to read books which are in digital version, a dedicated device for reading electronic versions of printed books, text in digital format and information on the digital format with embedded multimedia. However, the mean of item PD3 “I think E-book is text in digital format” was slightly lower than 3 (neutral), it was still an optimistic report, and it showed that most university students were confident with the description given of E-book.

4.3.2 Attitude about E-books

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.14: Description Statistics of each item in Attitude about E-books

From the above table, the overall mean of attitude about E-books was 3.235. It shows that the respondents ranked attitude about E-books positively. As seen in the five-point scale in the questions, point 3 showed “NEUTRAL.” As the mean 3.235was greater than 3, for that reason, the respondents agreed to the questions. It revealed that students’ attitudes toward E-books tend to be positive. However, the mean of item AE8, “I have the experience to use handled devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.),” was 0.92, and it was much lower than neutral. It means that despite the fact that students’ perception and attitude about E-books were positive, they were not good at using a handled device such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, among others.

4.3.3 Behavioral Intention toward E-Books

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.15: Description Statistics of Behavioral Intention toward E-Books

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.16: Description Statistics of each item in Behavioral Intention toward E-Books

From the above table, the overall mean of behavioral intention toward e-books (BI) was 3.5611. It is a clear indication that the respondents ranked behavioral intention positively. From the five-point scale in this factor, point 3 showed “NEUTRAL.” Item BI1 “I use E-books for in-class reading resources.” had the highest mean value 3.8, which means that most learners had positive attitudes to E-books usage for in-class reading resources. However, the mean of item BI7, “I am encouraged to use E-books during my study,” was the lowest, which was 3.21. Even though the score is higher than 3, and is slightly less compared to other items in this factor, it is above point 3 (NEUTRAL). The mean showed that respondents had a positive attitude and behavioral intention toward E-books.

4.3.4 Characteristics Determining Perceptions towards e-books

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.17: Description Statistics of Characteristics determining perceptions towards e-books

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.18: Description Statistics of each item in Characteristics Determining Perceptions towards e-books

From the table above, the overall mean of characteristics determining perceptions towards e-books attributes was 3.6971. It means that the respondents rated the characteristics determining perceptions towards e-books positively. Based on the five-point scale in the questions, point 3 showed “NEUTRAL.” As the mean 3.6971was higher than 3, for that reason, the respondents agreed to the questions. They also had a positive attitude and behavioral intention toward E-books.

Although the mean of item CDP4, “using E-books help me easier to finish coursework,” was 3.46 and was higher than neutral, it is slightly lower than the other attributes of the characteristics determining perceptions towards E-books. It means that students’ perception of the E-books usage to help easier to finish coursework was not as positive as their perception of other factors of the characteristics that determining perceptions towards E-books.

4.4 Discussion of the Results

4.4.1 Perceived Description

We live in the age of electronic everything because people love the idea of doing everything from virtually anywhere on any device. Having said that, it is no surprise that people began revolutionizing the way people do just about everything. EBooks have been introduced as a result. Recently, electronic resources have gain acceptance quickly among students, especially those of higher learning. Reading among pupils is a vital feature of their learning procedure and ought to be encouraged. An innovation or effort that improves the students’ reading motivation is worth supporting.

Students have perceived the E-book’s description positively. It is clear that an EBook is a text presented in a format allowing it to be read on a device that is handheld or a computer. EBooks simply consist of the electronic text or possibly will contain extras, for example, video, audio, or hyperlinks. From the survey, we find out that most students think E-books are information on the digital format with embedded multimedia; they are a dedicated device for reading electronic versions of printed books, text in digital format, and using electronic devices to read books, which are in digital version. All this has positively defined EBooks.

4.4.2 Usage of EBooks

The affordability and versatility of several technologies and access to the internet have contributed greatly to the mobile technology usage by youths. As a result, they can use them to access E-books, both in school and outside school. This is clear in the survey as a higher number of students have responded that they spend time on E-books per Day for Educational and Non-Educational purposes every day. And while using E-0books for education purposes, we see rom the survey that students spend time in every session where 98% were full-time students, and 2% were part-time students. This is evident that for students to access E-books on a daily basis, it is quite evident that they have a positive attitude and perception towards E-books.

Moreover, the positive perception of E-books is also clear because, as seen in the survey, students from all grades use E-books across all the majors and universities studied. Several technologies, such as phones, can hold hundreds of textbooks on one device, plus quizzes, homework, and other files eradicating the necessity for books’ physical storage. EBooks save space since it allows students to store a lot of books on a single device. No more looking for storage space for new books. We also see that both males and females equally feel comfortable accessing E-books from the age of 18 to 31.

4.4.3 Attitude about E-books (convenient)

From the outcomes of the survey, many participants have positive attitudes on e-books. We see that more than half the participants are good at using computer technologies. They have a positive attitude towards technology, enabling them to easily access EBooks. While human brains can hold a lot of information used to make a decision, they understand that computer technologies can contain a lot of information and data, reliant on the storage space it is connected to. A lot of information is incorporated into the computer leading to better results. As a result, E-books always lead to a predicted result, as seen in the survey.

From the survey, we see that students also have positive attitudes towards EBook because they believe that the digital text organization on the E-books is clear; they have visually appealing materials, and E-books present the appropriate format. It is because students can establish bookmarks allowing them to jump straight to a page when students open the book. Also, this is because they are not limited to stationary pictures, and they can as well include video, animation, audio, and interactive simulation.

Students also have positive attitudes because many students believe that E-books provide relevant information for their course, and the information content on the E-books is very good despite most students not having knowledge of using a handled device such as the tablets, laptops, smartphones among others.  It is because the content is impossible to find. In case there is a little information that ought to be incorporated in the syllabus, authors would perhaps have to reprint new books. However, through eBooks, every learning material is put in storage on the cloud. Students depend on technology to access information. Computer technology enables learners to study more about different topics.

4.4.4 Behavioral Intention toward E-Books

Students have a positive perception of the behavioral intention toward E-Book. It is because, from the survey, we see that E-books are on their reading lists or handouts. They use E-books for in-class reading resources for research, learning, and in designing resources. EBooks enhance and simplify the whole learning experience. They make the learning procedure more engaging and interactive. Moreover, from the survey, there is a positive perception of E-books, and hence they are included in the course materials and are encouraged to use E-books. Rather than listening to an individual uninterruptedly talking, students participate actively in the learning procedure. EBooks integration into schoolroom education makes education fun, and they have an engaging experience. Gone are the days when learners used to carry a bag full of books on a daily basis. With eBooks, one device is sufficient to consist of the whole year’s syllabus. The digital books are presented to learners, making sure that education is not boring.

We find out from the questionnaire there is a positive perception because students access other interests like Entertainment. An effective learning scheme ought to make sure that pupils are involved actively in the education process. EBooks have introduced educational reform helping pupils to study faster and better. Additionally, from the survey, there is a positive perception of the behavioral intention since students easily get the E-books that are relevant to the studying area. EBooks are stored in their mobile phone or on cloud drives making easily accessible.

4.4.5 Characteristics Determining Perceptions towards e-books

The characteristics determining perceptions towards e-books have been perceived positively. Recall the times when individuals only went to the library to look for books or to do research? Then, with advanced technology, there has been the introduction of computer access for online reading resources and eBooks. The reading material can be sent to technology devices such as phones, iPods, and computers with no charge. It is the reason why students have concluded that E-books are easy to access, useful, user friendly, easy for students. These characteristics show the positive perception of students. They are helpful tools in academic teaching and learning, particularly in this digital era, where numerous technologies are developed and created in promoting education.

From the survey, it is also clear that students use E-books to help them easily finish their coursework, and they enjoy using E-books, which contribute to their positive perception. EBooks have all the right tools and not just plain reading materials to aid learners in making notes and highlighting content. EBook reading devices contain numerous interactive features, such as pen tools, annotations, read aloud, page zoom, and search options. The most favored tool is the search tool because of the capability of searching for topics and words instantly.

Chapter 5. Conclusion & Recommedation

With the advancement of technology, students and teachers have embraced e-book as part of education necessity. The E-book is accessible to everyone unless the user has an internet and a reader. The E-book is accessible via electronic gadgets such as desktop computers, I pad, e-reader, and tablet computers. The E-book was first innovated in early 1946 with the aim of eliminating the burden of carrying many books. A Spanish teacher by the name Angela Ruiz Robles was emotionally touched by the manner at which her students struggled with a heavy book to and from school and came up with prototype e-book which could help her students access the learning materials via a single device other than carrying heavy physical books to and from the school.  The inventors of the e-book have tried advancing it through the addition of numerous features to appear convenient for use by the students and the teachers as well as the researchers. These features are such as audio, magnifying glasses, calculator, reading light, and search tools, among others.

Numerous institutions have adopted the use of e-book since it made the research work easier than it was with perusing the pages of a physical book in search of data. Colleges, Universities, as well as military institutions have embraced e-book technology. The advancement of e-book features have attracted many users and offered numerous advantages over physical printed books. The E-book is very convenient in terms of mobility since the readers do not require carrying heavyweight; they just carry a digital library in their pockets. The accessibility of the e-book is why numerous institutions have adopted it since all the readers can access them anytime, whenever they want as long as the internet is available.

The usage of the e-book has increased as more reader software and tools are invented worldwide, and the awareness, as well as the perception of the users, have also evolved accordingly. The changes in e-book’s features have caused the definition of the e-book to evolve over time. In the current world, the e-book can read through smartphones, tablets, I pads, desktop computers, among other evolving electronic devices.

However, despite its merits, the e-book has drawbacks as well.  The E-book has no universal standards and the compatibility of the software as well as the hardware. Additionally, some e-books are not accessible in some continents due to their security features which are only accessible to the resident of that particular region. E-book requires longer downloading time depending on the size of the file and the speed of downloading. Numerous users do not have enough skills in accessing the e-book, and thus, there is a need for more training, which might be costly in terms of money and time. In addition, the use of e-book can contribute to health issues such as having a severe headache or eyestrain. This is because the readers spend a lot of time straining their eyes on the computer screens, which have a lot of light, which has the ability to cause headaches and eye problems. Some of the e-book copies lack interactive features, which hinders the students from sharing among themselves for discussion purposes.

E-book technology has been embraced by both the teachers and the librarians as a supplement to print text. Numerous libraries with learning institutions have continued investing in e-book collections. E-book technology has attracted numerous students to spend more hours online reading and conducting their academic researches, and therefore, learning has become easier and enjoying.

E-book innovators need to keep on adding features that will enhance the readability as well as the learning process. They need to add attractive features which are attracting more readers, especially the university students, so that their outcome might be good. Hong Kong students need to embrace the technology of e-book so that they can improve their academic results.

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