An Assessment of Student Selection and Satisfaction Factors With the Electronic Option of their Required Textboo

This paper examines student selection and satisfaction factors of the digital e-textbook and print textbook formats for the required textbook of one of their classes. By categorizing the e-textbook format as an information system, the study points out several tools that can be used to measure its effectiveness and acceptance. The study surveys several classes that represent a broad spectrum of college standing, from introductory-level to graduate-level. It is informed by prior research studies to establish selection determinants including age, gender, class standing, price, and format familiarity; and satisfaction factors centered around self-efficacy and Michalos's definition of satisfaction as a "perceived goal-achievement gap" (1980). Of the 685 students enrolled in the participating classes, 416 students completed the survey. The study reveals that students who were older, male, and have more college experience chose the e-textbook format more than their counterparts---which is not in agreement with recent studies that found that the gender gap in technology acceptance was diminishing or nonexistent, nor with assumptions that younger students are more likely to use technology than older students. Likewise, while market studies have found that students claim to like the perceived lower price of digital formats, our study found that cost was not a factor in their format decision. Familiarity with the e-book format had no significant difference when it came to format selection, which does agree with recent studies, as do our findings that there is no significant difference in student satisfaction between the users of print and the users of electronic textbook versions. It should serve as a jumping off point for further research into gauging the successful use of e-textbooks in the class room.