Foreign Students’ Use of the Al-Azhar Electronic Portal and the Gratifications Obtained from It: A Field Study
, Vol.14
, Sixty-Third Issue
PP:11
Authors:
Dr. Saly Ahmed Ramadan El-Shami-Assistant Professor,Public Relations & Advertising Department,Faculty of Mass Communication - Girls,Al-Azhar University
Dr. Gehad Abd-Elmonem Mohamed Soliman-Assistant Professor,Press and Publishing Department,Faculty of Mass Communication - Girls,Al-Azhar University
Abstract:
This study aimed to examine the extent to which foreign students use the Al-Azhar Electronic Portal, reveal the motives driving this usage, and determine the gratifications obtained from such usage, through conducting the study on a sample of the foreign students at Al-Azhar University within the framework of the Uses and Gratifications theory.
The study depended on the survey methodology and utilized a questionnaire as a data collection tool, which was applied to a purposive sample of 400 foreign students from among the users of the portal.
The study revealed several results including: the level of exposure among the study sample to the Al-Azhar Electronic Portal was "moderate," with a mean score of 2.1825; the academic topics such as “admission requirements, scholarships, examination schedules and results, as well as curricula” ranked first among the topics relied upon by foreign students on the Al-Azhar Electronic Portal (with a mean score of 2.2725); and the findings revealed a generally positive attitude among the respondents toward the content presented on the study website (with a mean score of 2.5675).
The findings demonstrated that foreign students’ use of the Al-Azhar Electronic Portal website generated a clear and considerable positive impact. The cognitive dimension which ranked first in terms of impact force, followed by the affective dimension then the behavioral dimension.
The study also indicated a statistically significant correlation between the motives for using the Al-Azhar Electronic Portal website and the gratifications obtained from it.
Key Words:
Foreign Students, Al-Azhar Electronic Portal, Uses and Gratifications, Electronic Services, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.
Research Language:
Arabic
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