Reviews and practice of college students regarding access to scientific knowledge: A case study in two Spanish universities

Authors

  • José Manuel Sáez López Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED), Spain
  • Jose María Ruiz Ruiz Complutense University of Madrid
  • Maria Luz Cacheiro González Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED), Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v14i5.1609

Keywords:

ICT, Open Access, Educational Innovation, Training

Abstract

This study analyzes the concepts, attitudes, and practices of 327 pedagogy students from two major Spanish universities related to the process of finding academic information utilizing open access. A training program has been developed through an innovation project (PIMCD) to address the problem of the lack of university training designed to enable students to access reliable sources of scientific knowledge. A mixed questionnaire with a pretest-posttest design, applying a descriptive analysis, a factor analysis, and a Wilcoxon test was administered to students. The results show that it is essential to provide information and training to encourage university students to learn how to find and manage rigorous and reliable sources of information. While searching for academic information, Spanish students tend to focus on the use of Google and, to a lesser extent, Google Scholar. Although there are no significant limitations of access to Spanish language articles, students’ attitudes remain very positive towards the concept of open access. In short, in accordance with the study results, the promotion of educational activities relating to the search for and selection of information and the use of reliable and rigorous academic content is highly recommended in the university context.

Author Biography

José Manuel Sáez López, Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED), Spain

-          Dr. José Manuel Sáez López  (U.N.E.D.  Spain)

Professor in Educational Technology at the Faculty of Education. His articles are related to Educational Technology, ICT integration and Methods in Education. http://murcia.academia.edu/JoséManuelSáezLópez

Director in an Innovation Project in a primary school. Partner in the project “The policies of a "computer per child" in Spain. Visions and practices of teachers regarding the program escuela 2.0. A comparative analysis between regions. (investigator). http://es.scribd.com/doc/76401271/Informe-Escuela2-0-Espana ”. Lecturer in some e-learning training modules in Aguascalientes “México” and the Complutense School in Latinamérica. http://josemanuelsaezlopez.blogspot.com.es/p/cv-in-english.html

Published

2013-12-10

How to Cite

Sáez López, J. M., Ruiz Ruiz, J. M., & Cacheiro González, M. L. (2013). Reviews and practice of college students regarding access to scientific knowledge: A case study in two Spanish universities. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 14(5). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v14i5.1609

Issue

Section

Research Articles