Awareness and Utilization of General Search Engines (GSE) by Students of Federal College of Education Technical Ekiadolor, Benin, Nigeria

Education

The study investigated the awareness and utilization of general search engines (GSE) by students of Federal College of Education Technical Ekiadolor, Benin, Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design; and the research population was the 302 students of the College, and total enumeration was used because of the manageable size. The e-questionnaire was the instrument for data collection and collected data were analysed using percentages and mean. The research findings showed that the students’ awareness of general search engines is extremely low, with the exception of Google and Yahoo. However, utilization of general search engines is extremely low with the exception of Google, as Google is the only general search engine used by the students. The purposes for which the students use general search engines are for leisure, for business and because of the ease of use. The challenges to use include high cost of subscription and inconstant power supply. The study recommends among others that students be exposed to learning about general search engines through General Studies Course, and be provided with favourable environments, facilities and equipment in order to utilize general search engines for their academic advantage.

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