An Examination of the Underutilization of Scholarly Electronic Resources and the Quality of Academic Writing among a Group of Undergraduate Students at a Community College in Western Jamaica

Abstract

Scholarly resources play a vital role in advancing knowledge across academic disciplines. Although scholarly resources are still available in academic libraries, the digital space has expanded access. Nevertheless, the underutilisation of these resources remains a challenge. Our research focuses on the underutilisation of scholarly electronic resources and the quality of academic writing among undergraduate students at a Community College in Western Jamaica. The researchers aimed to understand the students’ views on contributing factors and recommend strategies to enhance resource utilisation through the survey. A few lecturers were also interviewed for their perceptions of the research question. The results from the study were analysed and presented using a table and graphs. The interview results were presented using the thematic analysis approach. Key findings revealed that lack of awareness and limited access to scholarly electronic resources hindered utilisation. Additionally, the usage statistics of the databases within the institution being studied underscored the need for an increase in usage to maximise the Return on Investment (ROI) and ultimately contribute to improving academic writing among undergraduates. The findings from the interviews revealed the following themes: (a) lack of awareness and knowledge; (b) preference for easy learning; (c) role of lecturers in the underutilisation of scholarly electronic resources; (d) impact of scholarly electronic resources on academic writing quality and; (e) institutional support. Finally, continuous training and easy access to these resources would effectively increase student utilisation and improve academic writing quality.