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Report - Student views on the cost of & access to textbooks

journal contribution
posted on 2016-11-28, 20:38 authored by Richard WhiteRichard White, Sarah Stein, Philippa Keaney, Simon HartSimon Hart
Report on student views on the cost of & access to textbooks, from data collected in a survey conducted at the University of Otago, New Zealand, in 2015. (PDF and Word versions included.)

Findings:
43% of respondents buy required textbooks 'most of the time' or 'always' and 48% said they sell them with the same frequency. They are slightly more likely to buy a textbook than access it through the library.

20% said they spent nothing on required textbooks in the year of the survey and another 38% spent under $250; first and second year students tend to spend more than those in later years of study.

About one-third (34%) said when they don't buy a required textbook; they just do without, despite a clear sense from many that they thought they were beneficial in academic terms. There is a very heavy reliance on materials provided by lecturers via the Learning Management System (77% utilising these ‘most of the time’ or ‘always’). They will seek alternative sources, indicating a preference for freely available online sources above library resources.

Half of respondents indicated that they felt lack of access had had a negative effect on them academically. This was a result of them not having the textbook or not getting access through the library.

Respondents tend not to factor the cost of textbooks into course selection, and it is rare for them to withdraw from a course because of the cost of a required textbook. However, they frequently feel textbooks reflect very poor value, which is considered not only in purely financial terms but also in terms of the value to the course as a whole.

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