Development of a mobile Web library application for an institutional repository and investigation of its influences on learning
ISSN: 0264-0473
Article publication date: 2 August 2023
Issue publication date: 6 September 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of the proposed mobile Web library application (MWLA) on the search experience and its impact on learners’ engagement, interaction and overall learning outcomes within an institutional repository. Furthermore, the study investigates learners’ acceptance of the MWLA system.
Design/methodology/approach
The study suggests implementing an MWLA with Algolia’s search service to improve the institutional repository and enhance learners’ access to reliable information. It involved an experiment with 85 undergraduate students divided into experimental and control groups (CGs), where the experimental group (EG) used MWLA for search tasks, and the CG used the traditional library website. The study evaluated the acceptance and learning behaviours of the EG towards MWLA, considering factors such as usefulness, ease of use, mobility, accessibility, satisfaction and intention to use.
Findings
The findings of this study provide empirical evidence that the EG, which used the MWLA, demonstrated superior performance compared to the CG across all institutional repository collections, resulting in improved learning outcomes. Participants were highly satisfied with MWLA and found it user-friendly and beneficial for improving search skills. MWLA’s portability and accessibility motivated active learner engagement.
Originality/value
The powerful search bar of MWLA significantly enhanced learners’ search efficiency, resulting in more effective retrieval of relevant materials. Moreover, learners who actively engaged with previews and full-text content, using appropriate keywords and syntax, achieved higher scores and were more likely to access previews, abstracts and full texts of documents using the sorting-by-year or by-advisor feature.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study is partly funded through 109-2511-H-008-009-MY3 and 111-2410-H-008-061-MY3, National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan. This study is partly funded by Can Tho University, Vietnam. This study is partly funded by National Economics University, Vietnam. The authors want to say “Thank you so much” to Pitchayakit Pahamak, lab members, classmates, and staff members of the National Central University for their suggestions for this study.
Corrigendum: It has come to the attention of the publisher of the Electronic Library that the following article by Nguyen, H.T.T., Hwang, W.-Y., Pham, T., Truong, T.T.T. and Chang, H.-W. (2023), “Development of a mobile Web library application for an institutional repository and investigation of its influences on learning”, Electronic Library, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-03-2023-0062, Funding acknowledgement was partially incorrect as published, showing as ‘This study is partly funded through 109-2511-H-008-009-MY3 and 111-2410-H-008-061-MY3, National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan’. This research is partly funded by National Economics University, Vietnam. The correct Funding acknowledgement is: ‘This study is partly funded through 109-2511-H-008-009-MY3 and 111-2410-H-008-061-MY3, National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan. This study is partly funded by Can Tho University, Vietnam. This study is partly funded by National Economics University, Vietnam’.
The authors sincerely apologise to the readers for any inconvenience caused.
Citation
Nguyen, H.T.T., Hwang, W.-Y., Pham, T., Truong, T.T.T. and Chang, H.-W. (2023), "Development of a mobile Web library application for an institutional repository and investigation of its influences on learning", The Electronic Library, Vol. 41 No. 5, pp. 578-616. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-03-2023-0062
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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