| dc.description.abstract | Knowledge is important in current society, and that is why this is called the
information age. There is so much information in different forms. Information
materials are now available in print and in electronic formats. The Ellen G. White
(EGW) writings are also available in both print and electronic formats. It has not,
however, been empirically established whether the electronic format is affecting the
print format in any way. The aim of this study was to find out whether the electronic
format of EGW writings has had an impact on the purchase and use of print materials.
The study was a cross-sectional causal design, conducted in a non-contrived
setting. Seventh-day Adventist Church members, 196 in total, selected from five
randomly English churches located in Nairobi CBD participated in the research. From
this number, 184 were used for this research. Eighty percent of those who participated
in the study were aged 40 and below. Fifty-one percent of all respondents were male,while 49% were female. More than 70% of the respondents had a Bachelor’s Degree
and above. In terms of the level of income, the highest category, 43.8%, was that of
people who earn more than Ksh 50,000, on the other hand, the second-highest
category, 23.1%, was of those who earn less than Ksh 10,000.
The data collection instrument for the study was a survey questionnaire that
underwent several tests to ensure its reliability and validity. The data collected was
then analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis to generate results
for the study.
The findings revealed that readers in Nairobi County prefer to read EGW
writings in both print and electronic formats. It was also found that individual
characteristics of age and level of income have an impact on the purchase and use of
EGW print materials, while the level of education and gender have no impact. Four
other factors were tested: accessibility, readability, belief in authenticity and cost. Of
these factors, three of them: accessibility, readability and belief in authenticity
showed an impact, while cost came out as having no impact on the purchase and use
of EGW print resources.
Based on the findings, this research concluded that we cannot confidently say
that the electronic format of EGW materials has come to phase out the print format. It
is true there is an impact, but it is not big enough to replace the print books entirely.
The same study can be done in different settings to compare the results and produce a
wider perspective on this matter. | en_US |
