ABSTRACT
Information is vital for agricultural research. Inadequate information resources in Agricultural Research Institutes (ARIs) led to utilisation of Research4Life (HINARI – Health Internetwork Access to Research Initiative; AGORA - Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture, and OARE - Online Access to Research in the Environment) databases. Literature identified low utilisation of the databases partly due to individual, institutional and system factors. This study therefore, investigated the influence of individual - Intention to Use (ITU), Task at Hand (TAH), Computer Anxiety (CA), Prior Experience (PE), Searching Skills (SS), Computer/Internet Self-efficacy (CIS) and institutional - Accessibility (ACC), Availability of Password (AOP), Fast Internet Access (FIA), Adequate Training (AT), Adequate Infrastructure (AI), Help/Technical Support (HTS) factors. It also examined system factors: Availability of Full-text Articles (AFA), Quality of Content (QOC), Currency of Content (COC), Free Download of Articles (FDA), Local Journal Content (LJC), Design Features (DF), Quick Access to Articles (QAA), Compatibility (COM), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) on utilisation of Research4Life databases in ARIs in Nigeria.
Diffusion of Information theory provided the framework. The descriptive survey design of the correlational type was adopted. A total of 744 scientists were sampled. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 60.0% of the scientists in 13 ARIs. Instruments used were ITU (r= 0.74), TAH (r= 0.91), CA (r= 0.87), PE (r= 0.84), SS (r= 0.85), CIS (r= 0.92), ACC (r= 0.89), AOP (r= 0.88), FIA (r= 0.81), AT (r= 0.89), AI (r= 0.92), HTS (r= 0.87), AFA (r= 0.90), QOC (r= 0.90), COC (r= 0.91), FDA (r= 0.88), LJC (r= 0.88), DF (r= 0.92), QAA (r= 0.91), COM (r= 0.95), PU (r= 0.97), PEOU (r= 0.97) and utilisation (r= 0.95). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation and Multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance.
Utilisation of Research4Life databases was 39.6%. Intention to use (r = .52), TAH (r = .57), CA (r = .65), PE (r = .61), SS (r = .63), CIS (r =.64), ACC (r = .72), AOP (r = .68), FIA (r = .68), AT (r = .65), AI (r = .64), HTS (r = .66), AFA (r = .72), COC (r = .72), COC (r = .73), FDA (r= .70), LJC (r = .75), DF (r = .75), QAA (r = .73), COM (r = .70), PU (r = .71), PEOU (r = .73) showed positive relationship on utilisation of the databases. There were joint contributions of individual, institutional and system factors F(22, 47)= 43.28, R2 = .67 accounting for 67.0% of their variances. Perceived Ease of Use (β = .30), ACC (β = .20), CA (β = .15), DF (β = .19) and LJC (β = .10) made significant relative contributions to utilisation of the databases.
High perceived ease of use, accessibility, local journal content with low computer anxiety and simple design features influenced utilisation of Research4Life databases in agricultural research institutes in Nigeria. Low utilisation of Research4Life databases can be eliminated if the factors identified are adequately addressed.
Keywords: Research4Life databases utilisation, Agricultural research institutes in Nigeria, Research scientists
