The chapter explained the concepts research methods and methodology, which are aimed at guiding the entire research process of any given research. It also explained the research paradigm, research design, the population of the study, sampling technique, sampling for the study, research instruments, data analysis techniques, ethical considerations, validity and reliability and pre-testing research instruments and the evaluation of research methodology.
Secondly, the chapter discussed the concept of research methodology, as a process and strategy through which the entire research was scientifically conducted to address the research phenomena under study. The research paradigm was presented and explained in the chapter. It was concluded that a research paradigm enables the researcher to deepen an understanding of the worldview through the research process. As such, several types of research paradigms were
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discussed, namely interpretivism, positivism, post-positivism and, finally, pragmatism, which was the paradigm adopted and used to guide the present study. It is the most appropriate and adequately addresses both the qualitative and quantitative elements of the research. The chapter also discussed the research designed. It was discerned that it is like an instruction manual, which guides the conduct of research and gives directions to the research from the initial steps to the methods to use and the presentations of the research findings, respectively. Similarly, under the research design section of the chapter were discussed various types of research designs, namely qualitative and quantitative methods and the mixed methods. Mixed method was used in guiding the current study. The approach was appropriate because of its multi- dimensional nature, the respondents and the research question being addressed, which involve a combination of quantitative and qualitative elements. Similarly, an explanatory sequential mixed method was used to analyse the data for the study.
The population of the study, sampling and sampling procedures were discussed. A total sample of 365students was used for the research drawn from four public universities, as well as four heads of the medical libraries at the same universities. The chapter discussed the methods of data collection for the research. The researcher used a triangulation, namely a survey for medical students with the help of assistants, semi-structured interviews with the heads of medical libraries conducted by the researcher and non-participant observation.
The chapter also discussed the data analysis techniques, namely NVivo and SPSS software.
The study used NVivo software and analysed qualitative data while the quantitative data was analysed using SPSS software accordingly. The validity and reliability of the research instruments were deliberated. The research instruments were validated by the academic librarians of the Renaud Cecil Library, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg Campus. The pretesting of the data collection instruments was undertaken at the University of Abuja, Nigeria with both the head of the medical library (interview schedule) and medical students (questionnaire).The chapter discussed the ethical issues about conducting research.
The ethical considerations as enshrined in the code conduct of the University of KwaZulu- Natal ethical requirements were adhered to for the process of doing the present study.
Finally, the chapter discussed the evaluation of research methodology. The next chapter analyses and presents data obtained on marketing to enhance the use of information resources and quality of services in Medical Libraries of Public Universities in North-West Nigeria.
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CHAPTER FIVE
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 5.1. Introduction
The chapter presents the analysis of the data drawn from the survey questionnaires, interviews and observations collected from students and the heads of medical libraries in the North-West Nigeria on the marketing of information resources and services in the medical libraries of public universities. The study findings are presented based on the broader questions first and in line with the more specific questions posed as presented in section 1.4 of Chapter One accordingly. Bhattacherjee (2012) asserts that data is analyzed and interpreted in order to draw conclusions on study questions of concern. Johnson (2011) noted that data analysis is a procedure used to change, rebuild and revise certain information (data) in order to reach a specific decision for a given circumstance or problem. Consequently, data analysis ought to be done through various strategies according to the necessities and prerequisites of various domains like science, business, social science and so forth. The main objective for this study was to explore marketing of information resources and services in the medical libraries of the public universities.
5.2. Response rate
Response rate is the proportion of people recruited into a survey sample and qualified to partake in the research (Johnson and Wislar2012). In the view of Kutu (2020) it is usually computed by dividing the total number of respondents by the number of questionnaires distributed.
According to Johnson and Wislar (2012) the level of an acceptable response rate in a survey is set at 60%. The reason is not far fetch as 60% is a reasonable percentage and can be use to generalize the result. Furthermore, as Babbie (2011) points out, the response rate of 70% of a questionnaire is a reasonable average for research data to be reflective of the total population.
According to Singleton and Straits (2005) it is necessary to pay attention to response rates.
They further added that a response of 85% is relatively adequate for data analysis in a qualitative survey and below 70% there will be a high possibility of bias. In a nut shell for a research response to be reasonable there must be a certain percentage of response of which the research will be rated as successful and at least not less than 60% unless if there is fundamental problem, because 60% is a reasonable percentage that the result will be generalize as a representation of the population.
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Therefore, 365 survey questionnaires were distributed among the four universities in this study.
A total of 277 copies of the questionnaires were completed and returned for quantitative data analysis, resulting in a response rate of 76%.Whereas a 100% response rate was attained for qualitative data analysis. Table 5:1 below shows the response rate of medical students at the universities surveyed. The data was analysed in the present study based on the research objectives and research questions. The section below discussed the presentation of the qualitative and quantitative data of the research.
5.3. Presentation of qualitative and quantitative data
This section explains how the data sets in this study were presented. Accordingly, the qualitative data from the interviews and observations were used to augment the quantitative data collected from the medical students. The qualitative and quantitative data collected were integrated, particularly those on the same theme, for consistency and to minimize unnecessary duplication. This is point of integration in explanatory sequential mixed methods. The section below discusses response rate of the instruments. The research addressed four Research Questions as presented in Chapter One (section 1.4).
5.4. Student response rate from the (365) questionnaires administered and the responses from the (4) heads of medical libraries who were participants.
This section analyses the response rates for the study from each of the selected medical libraries of the public Universities in the North-Western geopolitical zone and presents the data in Table 5.4.The percentages are rounded off to the nearest whole number. The Tables show the number of questionnaires administered, completed and returned from each of the four medical libraries at the public universities. A total of 365 were administered 277 (76%) of the total number were filled in and returned.
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Table 5.4: Distribution of the questionnaires according to the individual medical libraries of the public universities in the North-West Nigeria (n= 277)
Name of institutions Total administered
Total returned
Perc.
%
Total not returned
Perc. %
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
92 79 86 13 14
Bayero University Kano 171 126 74 45 26
Kaduna State University Kaduna
14 14 100 0 0
Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto
88 58 66 30 34
Total 365 277 76 88 24
Table 5.4 shows the number of questionnaires returned and those that were not returned. Out of 6644 medical students, 365 were sampled and each university was represented proportionately. As such, 365 questionnaires administered to the four Universities understudy, 171 being the highest number administered to medical students of Bayero University Kano of which, 126 (74%) were successfully completed and returned. Fourteen were administered to Kaduna State University, which is the lowest and all were completed and returned. Thus, the overall response rate of 76%, explicate that the study results indubitably provided valid information on marketing of information resources and services in the medical libraries of the Universities.
Furthermore, out of the 365 questionnaires administered to the respondents in the four universities, 88 (24%) were not returned. In addition, of all the Universities involved in the research, only Kaduna State University recorded a 100% return rate. Non-responses reduced the sample size but did not in any way affect the findings of this study. Non-responses affect the validity of a study and should therefore be reported accordingly. Bryman (2012) advises that one way to address non-response rates is to send out reminders to participants. In this case, the researcher did not remind the respondents directly. However, he reminded them through research assistants to ensure that the questionnaires distributed were satisfactorily administered instead. The next section discusses the descriptive analysis of their socio-demographic characteristics.
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5.5. Descriptive analysis of the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents