Abstract
Background: This scoping study examines the degree to which students use their personal computers to support their undergraduate academic practice in their daily study habits.
Methods: Three data sources were used in this study. Computer activity data was extracted from the personal laptops of 18 third-year undergraduate students who self-reported as being skilled computer users. The second data source consisted of video data captured by four third-year undergraduate students of their personal study activity within their homes. The third dataset represented secondary data sourced from two local student surveys looking at student technology use from 2009-2012 and internationally acclaimed research-based EDUCAUSE studies also from 2009 to 2012.
Findings: Three core themes: (a) Computer-based Approach vs Paper-based Approach; (b) Production Activity vs Consumption Activity; and (c) Self-reports of Practice vs Actual Practice emerged from these datasets. An analysis of these themes revealed that for the participants involved: 1] paper-based approaches to study were preferred over digital despite the high rate of personal computer ownership and internet access; 2] students were more likely to engage in production than consumption activities using paper-based approaches to study; 3] there was a disparity between students’ self-reports of their adoption of technology compared with their actual practice of both academic and non-academic use of computer technology. In addition, students’ computer use presented a low level of alignment when compared between their academic course demands and their assignment schedule.
Discussion: The findings of this exploratory study illustrate a considerable disparity that appeared between what students thought they used computers for and what they actually did use them for. While the students’ preference for paper-based approaches could be linked to unease or lack of awareness regarding academic software, evidence suggested that dependence on paper-based approaches in undergraduate education was due to an inherent focus on paper-based ethos. At the same time, the primary paper-based approach to production and consumption activities indicated that personal computers were not as crucial to undergraduate academic study as expected. This was supported by the lack of any clear pattern regarding students’ daily computer use plotted against their course assignment schedule.