INFLUENCE OF CLOUD-BASED RESEARCH TOOLS ON RESEARCH WRITING OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN AL HIKMAH UNIVERSITY, ILORIN, KWARA STATE

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the effects of cloud-based research tools on the research writing practices of postgraduate students at Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. One major research question and four hypotheses guided the study. The study employed non-experimental survey design. The population for the study focused on all postgraduate students of the department of educational management and counselling, encompassing 532 postgraduate students. The researcher opted for convenience sampling, which was the method utilized for selection of the students that participated in the study which comprised 30 postgraduate students. Data collected were analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA to test the hypotheses, and frequency count and percentage for the demographic data. The instrument used was Utilizing Cloud Computing Application Scale (UCCAS) which stands as a robust metric adapted to capture the nuances of the research. Data was collected through the convenience of online platforms like Google Form, a cloud-based computing tools which was distributed through WhatsApp, a social media messaging mobile application majorly for sharing messages across mobile contact, maximizing reach within a targeted population, in this case, Al-Hikmah postgraduate students. The results revealed that there was a relatively uniform adoption of cloud-based research tools among postgraduate students at Al-Hikmah University, regardless of age, gender, level of study, or years of experience.  This aligns with the growing trend of ubiquitous adoption observed in other research settings. Based on the finding, it is recommended that cloud-based research tools should be encouraged and improved upon through workshops, encouragement of the exploration of more advanced and sophisticated features.