Chapter 7: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations
2.5 Gaps and Summary of the Chapter
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Web 2.0 technologies aid simultaneous (occurring at the same time) communication between sender and receiver; Web 2.0 technologies enable me to give and receive rapid feedback on the communications; and Web 2.0 technologies allow me to communicate using various symbols.
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Figure 2d: Conceptual Framework for the Use of Web 2.0 Technologies for TAL
Selected constructs from the three models namely D&M model, TAM and MST were used in this study. The constructs of the D&M model namely system quality, information quality and service quality is directly related to the study‟s research Question Three which stated that
“How does system quality, information quality and service quality influence attitude towards the use of Web 2.0 technologies for TAL in the federal universities?” (See appendices 1 and 2, section C) and also sought to answer research Question Six which stated that “What net benefits can be derived from the use of Web 2.0 technologies for TAL purposes?” (See appendices 1 and 2, section G). Attitude towards use construct in TAM also relates directly with the study‟s research Question Four that stated that “How does attitude influence intention to use Web 2.0 technologies for TAL in the federal universities?” (See appendices 1 and 2, sections E and F) Similarly, the constructs of MST relate to the study‟s research Question Five which stated that “How does media synchronicity influence intention to use Web 2.0 technologies for TAL in the federal universities?” (See appendices 1 and 2, section D)
This study incorporated the D&M model as the main theory underpinning the research work due to its importance, usefulness and significance in explaining technology use (Petter,
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DeLone and McLean 2008; Kim et al. 2009; Udo, Bagchi and Kirs 2010; Urbach and Muller 2011; Edlund and Lövquist 2012 and Onyedimekwu and Oruan 2013). Since this research is aimed at investigating the use of Web 2.0 technologies, selected constructs of the D&M model, TAM and MST were considered. The proposed conceptual model showed the relationships that exist between the variables of this study. The key variables of the study include System Quality, Service Quality, Information Quality, Intention to Use, Attitude towards Use and Net Benefits. Based on these constructs the research hypotheses (as indicated in section 1.3.3) were proposed for empirical testing.
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CHAPTER THREE LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 Introduction
Literature review in research presents a critical synthesis and/or and evaluative report of previous research or studies found in the literature related to the study under investigation (Boote and Beile 2005). The review of literature provides a general overview of the topic of interest to enhance understanding of the topic under study. Hart (1998:13) highlights the purpose of literature review to include the “selection of available documents (both published and unpublished) on the topic” of interest, gathering “information, ideas and evidence written from a particular standpoint” and the “effective evaluation of these documents in relation to”
proposed theme. Along this line, Baker (2000) stated that reviewing of existing literature relating to a topic is vital and should be the first step and foundation when undertaking a research project.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent of use of Web 2.0 technologies for TAL in selected federal universities in south-west Nigeria. The study addresses the following research questions: (1) What kinds of Web 2.0 technologies are used by academics and students, and for what purposes? (2) To what extent are Web 2.0 technologies integrated into TAL in Nigerian universities? (3) How does system quality, information quality and service quality influence attitude towards the use of Web 2.0 technologies for TAL in the selected federal universities?
(4) How does attitude towards use influence intention to use Web 2.0 technologies for TAL in the selected federal universities? (5) How does media synchronicity influence intention to use Web 2.0 technologies for TAL in the selected federal universities? (6)What net benefits can be derived from the use of Web 2.0 technologies for TAL?
This chapter is organized around themes of research questions, key variables of the underlying theory and broader issues on the research problem. Thematic areas from the research questions include Integration of Web 2.0 technologies into TAL in universities; Use of Web 2.0 technologies by academics and students; Influence of system quality, information quality and service quality on attitude towards use of Web 2.0 technologies; Attitude and intention to use of Web 2.0 for TAL; Media Synchronicity and Net benefits of using Web 2.0 technologies in TAL. Moreover, the broader issues around the research problem in this study include
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technology acceptance and use; diffusion of innovations and applications; e-learning and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in TAL. Within each theme, international context followed by African and Nigerian contexts were examined.
The empirical and theoretical literature was reviewed on the above thematic areas. Kothari (2004) pointed out that there were two types of literature – the conceptual literature concerning the concepts and theories; and the empirical literature which discusses studies related to the variables of the current study. The literature reviewed in this chapter was obtained from books, conference proceedings, databases (such as Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Emerald Insight, WorldCat and Web of Science), scholarly journals, theses, etc., in both print and electronic resources from international and African sources.