Utilization of Online Past Examination Papers and Academic Performance of Information Technology Students at Jomo Kenyatta University- Eldoret Campus

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of utilization of online past examination papers on academic performance of IT students at Jomo Kenyatta University. Methodology: Descriptive survey research design was used in this study. Respondents were the 105 undergraduate students in Information Technology Department and 2 librarians in Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology-Eldoret Campus. They were sampled using stratified sampling, while Head of library and the library staff in charge of e-resources in JKUAT Eldoret Campus were purposively included in the study. Primary data was collected from students using closed-ended questionnaires, while interview guide was used on librarians. To ensure validity and reliability, pre-testing of research instruments was done on 20 undergraduate students of Mount Kenya university-Eldoret Campus in the department of Information Technology. D Descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage, frequencies and standard deviation, SPSS (version 22) was used in analysing data. Univariate and multiple regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis and overall model respectively. The results were presented using tables and explanations. Results: There is a positive and significant relationship between online past examination papers and academic performance of IT undergraduate students of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology - Eldoret Campus. The study had a normal mean of 4.7 and standard deviation of 0.58. The online past examination papers had R estimation of 0.715. The P estimation of constant was significant (.000), consequently R square value was used. The R square estimation of 0.711 inferred that online past assessment papers anticipated 71.1% of the fluctuation in the academic performance. It had a beta of 0.504 at p<0.012 Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: This study reports positive and significant relationship between online past examination papers and academic performance. The study recommends that more policies be developed so as to enable students to access diverse examinations papers, not only from JKUAT library, but also government examination bodies such as Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC). This will improve university students’ research skills and enhance their academic performance. The study contributes to the theory by acknowledging that an undergraduate student will always weigh various online electronic resources available based on their applicability to the student’s academic needs. If they suit their needs, the student will continue to utilize them further but when the needs are not met, the student stops utilizing the online past examination papers.