Computer access and use: understanding the expectations of Indian rural students

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-03-2014-0012
Published date01 February 2016
Date01 February 2016
Pages56-69
AuthorB T Sampath Kumar,M T Basavaraja
Subject MatterEducation,Curriculum, instruction & assessment,Educational evaluation/assessment
Computer access and use:
understanding the expectations
of Indian rural students
B.T. Sampath Kumar and M.T. Basavaraja
Department of Studies and Research in Library and Information Science,
Tumkur University, Tumkur, Karnataka, India
Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to understand the expectations of rural students with respect to their
computer access and use. It also made an attempt to learn the expectations of rural students from their
schools and local government in providing the information and communication technology (ICT)
infrastructure.
Design/methodology/approach – Interview schedules were used to collect the necessary data from
the rural students. The interview schedules consisted of various questions that were designed to elicit
the expectations of rural students in terms of their usage of computers. A total of 300 interview
schedules were collected from the students, and data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (Windows 19.0 version) to test the formulated hypothesis.
Findings – This study clearly showed that 72 per cent of female and 63.33 per cent of male students
have not used a computer. Most of the students opined that lack of support from teachers (91.57
per cent Male, 94.25 per cent Female) and non-availability of computers at home and schools (82.10
per cent Male, 80.55 per cent Female) were the main reasons for not using the computer. A notable
nding of the study was that 93.68 per cent of male and 95.37 per cent of female students were interested
in using a computer. Most of the students opined that the state/local government should establish
computer laboratories and provide Internet facilities in rural schools.
Originality/value – This paper has provided useful empirical data regarding the expectations of
rural students with respect to their access and use of computers. The results of this study will be
more helpful to school authority and government in providing necessary ICT infrastructure to
rural schools.
Keywords Students, Technology, Rural schools
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the rapid development
technological elds in the global society (Stiemen, 2007). According to International
Telecommunication Union (2014), by the end of 2014, the number of Internet users
globally will have reached almost 3 billion. Two-thirds of the world’s Internet users are
from the developing world. This corresponds to an Internet-user penetration of 40 per
cent globally, 78 per cent in developed countries and 32 per cent in developing countries.
More than 90 per cent of the people who are not yet using the Internet are from the
developing world. In Africa, almost 20 per cent of the population will be online by
the end of 2014, up from 10 per cent in 2010. In the Americas, close to two out of the three
people will be using the Internet by the end of 2014, the second highest penetration rate
after Europe. Europe’s Internet penetration will reach 75 per cent by the end of 2014, the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0968-4883.htm
QAE
24,1
56
Received 17 March 2014
Revised 20 July 2014
12 November 2014
Accepted 6 July 2015
QualityAssurance in Education
Vol.24 No. 1, 2016
pp.56-69
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/QAE-03-2014-0012

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