Adoption Patterns of E-Newspapers by the Faculty of Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya: A Case of United States University - Africa, Main Campus, Nairobi

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Science and Technology in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in Communication StudiesThis study investigated the adoption patterns of e-newspapers by institutions of higher learning in Kenya. It focuses on the faculty of United States International University, Main Campus, and Nairobi. The specific objectives of the study were to: examine the relationship between demographic characteristics; cost of e-newspapers in contrast to print newspapers and; ease of access of e-newspapers and adoption of e-newspapers by faculty of institutions of higher learning. The study adopted two theoretical foundations namely: Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Technology Acceptance Model. Based on the descriptive research design, the study obtained data from 119 members of staff of the university drawn from 29 departments (26 academic departments as well as 3 other departments (administration, library services and, sports). Data was collected by use of a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. The regression model adopted shows that there was overall significant relationship between all the independent variables and the dependent variable of the study. As such, all the variables affected the adoption patterns of e-newspapers. The findings show that demographic characteristics age, income, level of education and the place a person lives (rural or urban areas) are key determinants to the adoption of e-newspapers. All in all, the findings show that cost is a key determinant of adoption of e-newspapers and, that the more newspapers can be afforded, the more universities could adopt them. Furthermore, the support offered by media houses would go a long way in enhancing adoption and vice versa. Evidently, ease of access influenced adoption of e-newspapers. This is more so due to the fact that they can be searched easily, quickly and more comprehensively than the print versions. In the backdrop of the study findings, several recommendations were made based on the study variables. Since the sample size for this study was relatively small, future studies should adopt stratified sampling and incorporate a larger sample size. This is likely to give a more comprehensive overview of adoption of e-newspapers by the faculty of institutions of higher learning. A comparative study in other institutions of learning divided by calibre of the institutions to gauge the strength of the factors influencing adoption of e-newspapers would also give more insight to adoption patterns of e-newspapers. Seeing that ease of access of e-newspapers affected the level of adoption of these newspapers, it is vital for media houses to make these newspapers ease to search and access through most devices that have internet connectivity