2. METHODOLOGY
2.1. Population and sample
Population of interest is all students from Foundation Studies Department (FSD) and sample size is n = 100
2.2. Questionnaire design:
The questionnaire includes 4 multiple choice questions as follows:
1. Do you have difficulty in finding materials for your subjects?
2. Have you ever heard about Open Library? And have you tried it before?
3. Open Library is a useful software for your study, yet you need know little computer skills. Would you like to use it?
4. To use this software, all students are required to pay fee. In this case, do you want to use it?
The purpose of the first question is to assess if the lack of learning materials is a big problem for FSD students. Based on it, we may know whether or not introducing Open Library, software that provides various study resources is really necessary for students. Meanwhile, in the next questions, we evaluate the level of concern of FSD students about Open Library through their knowledge on it and their willingness to apply Open Library in their study as they know it is useful. The last question, also the most important aims to determine the real proportion of supporters using this software when the fee for Open Library is required. Through it, we can find out whether money is a problem in applying Open Library in Hanoi University or not.
2.3. Sample size:
In order to reach the most accurate results, 100 students from FSD departments in Hanoi University were taken into account.
Because this project is a public opinion survey and time is limited, this sample size (n = 100) is considered to be suitable and representative for the population. As the data is qualitative and the population is assumed to be normally distributed, one sample z-test is taken to estimate the proportion population.
2.4. Sampling method and data collection
This survey is carried out in order to investigate whether more than half of FSD students want to use Open Library software or not.
Because FSD students are a large number for researchers to make survey so we choose the simple random sampling without replacement as our sampling method. To be specific, a sample of 100 students was picked at random to test and make inferences and decisions about population characteristics. The way of choosing sample size is accidental and is described as following: Firstly, the list of all FSD students was downloaded from the Website of Hanoi University. After that, we use excel to generate a random number with sample size of 100 students.
To collect data, 100 questionnaires were distributed in the morning of Tuesday and Thursday November 9 and 11. This is the time in which most students from FSD are required to be in university.
After the data had been collected, our group sat together to record the figure. One of us was responsible for drawing table and organizing the data. Another member put figures into the table. Also, during this process, other members saw and checked whether there are mistakes in recording data or not. Lastly, we had the complete table that is attached in the Appendix of the report.
In the process of collecting data, it is fortunate that most of respondents are willing to fill in the questionnaires. However, some students refused to cooperate at first, thus we tried to explain gently that their cooperation is highly important to our report. As a result, they understood and answered the questionnaire for us.
2.5. Data processing
After the data had been collected, we have to compute by hand the figures because in statistics software like Excel or Minitab, solving the qualitative data is high complicate. However, in order to draw charts for describing the figures, we still use excel.
2.6. Significant level of test:
The main purpose of the project is to carry out a public opinion survey about FSD students towards buying Open Library software. The project is quite important. Hence, we choose the level of significant to be 0.05 (α = 0.05)
3. RESULTS AND FINDINGS
3.1. Do you have difficulty in finding materials for your subjects?
▢Yes ▢ No
Results:
Findings: In our survey, approximate 70% of FSD students have difficulty in finding their learning materials. Therefore, introducing Open Library to students is really necessary because this software will provide them with various online study resources and thus helps them learn more effective.
3.2. Have you ever heard about Open Library? And have you tried it before?
▢ Never heard bout it
▢ Yes, but haven't give it a try
▢ Yes I have used it
Results:
.
Findings: 74% students of sample data say that they haven't heard about Open Library even once. The result indicates that applying new technology in study is not highly popular in Hanoi University.
3.3. Open Library is an useful software for your study, yet you need know little computer skills. Would you like to use it?
▢ Yes ▢ No
Results:
Findings: As shown in the figure, almost respondents are willing to apply computer skills in using Open Library when they know that it would help them study better. Therefore, it is expected that this software will be used widely when it is introduced in Hanoi University.
3.4. To use this software, all students are required to pay fee. In this case, do you want to use it?
▢ Yes ▢ No
Results:
Findings: There is a fairly decrease in the number of students using Open Library when knowing that they have to pay fee. However 62% in favor still is a support for our hypothesis that more than 50% students want to buy Open Library.
4. HYPOTHESIS TESTING
4.1. Research question:
Is the claim that more than 50% of FSD students want to buy Open Library true?
4.2. Assumptions:
In this test, the proportion population is assumed to be approximately normal. This assumption is met if the population satisfies both following conditions:
- The population is shown to be binomial distribution
- It has np >= 5and nq >= 5
n: the number of trials
p: The probability of success
q: the probability of failure
Solving the conditions:
Firstly, the experiment is binomial as it possesses the following properties:
- The experiment consists of 100 trials.
- The result of each trial can be classified into two outcomes: success (Yes) and failure (No).
- The probability of a success (Yes) remain constant for each trial p=0.5.
- The respondents are selected randomly for testing, thus the trials are independent.
Secondly, the binomial experiment meets the condition:
- np = 100(0.5) = 50 > 5
- nq =100(0.5) = 50 > 5
Thus, we can conclude that the sample proportion p-hat is approximately normal distributed with mean p=0.5 and standard deviation is 0.05.
4.3. Hypothesis testing procedure
Because the sample proportion p-hat is shown to be approximately normally distributed, we continue with the hypothesis test for a proportion to determine whether or not more than half of FSD students want to buy Open Library. The data below is the result for the test
The step statistical inference process is as follows:
- Step 1: The null and alternative hypothesis
H0: the proportion of FSD students who want to buy open library equals 0.5
Ha: the proportion of FSD students who want to buy open library is more than 0.5
-
Step 3: Level of significance: α = 0.05
-
Step 4: Decision rule: Rejecting the null hypothesis (H0) if z > z 0.05 = 1.645
-
Step 5: Value of the test statistics: z = (0.62- 0.5) / 0.05 = 2.4
- Step 6: Conclusion
Reject H0 because z > z 0.05 (2.4 > 1.645) with α = 0.05
=> We can conclude that at 5% level of significance, more than half of FSD students want to buy Open Library software.
5. PROJECT EVALUATION
5.1. Limitations:
This project still has some shortcoming in some cases. Firstly, some respondents may find difficult to answer the questionnaire because they have little knowledge about Open Library. Secondly, during the survey, respondents may discuss answers with others before making their choice. Therefore, the accuracy of the results may be affected. Lastly, in terms of the hypothesis test, we can not make sure the test for assumption is 100 % correct even if the assumption of normal distribution is shown to be met. It means that when we reject the null hypothesis H0, we can not be 100 % sure that the alternative hypothesis (more than 50 % of FSD students want to buy Open Library) is true. Consequently, the accuracy of the survey may be biased.
5.2. Implications
The results of the survey reveal that lack of learning materials is becoming a big problem with approximately 70 % of FSD students. Therefore, buying Open Library, an useful software that provides online study resources is necessary to help students overcome the difficulty.
6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
This study was conducted to investigate the opinion of FSD students towards buying Open Library software. Some conclusions can be drawn as listed below:
Approximately 70% of FSD students have difficulty in finding learning materials. The reason for it may be their limited knowledge about software that helps them access online resources such as Open Library. In addition, after carefully analyzing the data, we conclude that at 5 % level of significance, there is enough evidence to believe more than half of FSD students want to buy Open Library. For future research, it would be beneficial if this study is performed over a longer period of times with a larger sample size so that more extensive conclusions can be drawn. As regards our recommendation after conducting the survey, it is believed that Open Library should be introduced to not only FSD students but also other ones in order to help them to learn better. However, the fee for using this software should be considered to be reasonable, so all students can gain benefits from it.
REFERENCES
‘Hypothesis testing for a proportion and for a mean with unknown population standard deviation”. Available at URL: http://www.ltcconline.net/greenl/courses/201/hyptest/hypprob.htm (Accessed 12 November 2009)
“Choosing the correct analysis”. Available at URL: http://www.stat.psu.edu/old_resources/Projects/ljs_03b.htm (Accessed 13 November 2009)
“Stats: Testing a Single Proportion”. Available at URL:
http://people.richland.edu/james/lecture/m170/ch09-pro.html (Accessed 13 November 2009)
“Hypothesis Testing”. Available at URL:
http://www.cob.sjsu.edu/anaya_j/HypTest.htm (Accessed 13 November 2009)
APPENDIX I
LIST OF RANDOM RESPONDENTS
APPENDIX II:
QUESTIONNAIRES
FSD student’s opinion towards buying Open Library
We are students from FMT Department of Hanoi University. We are doing a project on FSD student’s attitude towards buying Open Library, an useful software that helps students access to online learning materials. We highly appreciate your opinions which are apparently crucial to the completion as well as the quality of our paper. Thank you for your cooperation
Please choose the option that suits you best
1. Do you have difficulty in finding materials for your subjects?
▢Yes ▢ No
2. Have you ever heard about Open Library? And have you tried it before?
▢ Never heard bout it
▢ Yes, but haven't give it a try
▢ Yes I have used it
3. Open Library is an useful software for your study, yet you need know little computer skills. Would you like to use it?
▢ Yes ▢ No
4. To use this software, all students are required to pay fee. In this case, do you want to use it?
▢ Yes ▢ No
Please fill in some personal information in case we like to contact you later.
Name: Class..........
Contact details:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!
APPENDIX III
SURVEY RESULTS
1. Do you have difficulty in finding materials for your subjects?
Options Results
▢Yes 67
▢ No 33
2. Have you ever heard about Open Library? And have you tried it before?
Options Results
▢ Never heard bout it 74
▢ Yes, but haven't give it a try 15
▢ Yes I have used it 11
3. Open Library is a useful software for your study, yet you need know little computer skills. Would you like to use it?
Options Results
▢ Yes 92
▢ No 8
4. To use this software, all students are required to pay fee. In this case, do you want to use it?
Options Results
▢ Yes 62
▢ No 38
APPENDIX IV
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1: Whether students have difficulty in finding learning materials 4
Figure 3.2: Students’ knowledge on Open Library 5
Figure 3.3: Students’ willingness to apply computer skills in using Open Library 5
Figure 3.4: Students’ opinion towards buying Open Library 6
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