Global Journal of Human Social Science, G: Linguistics and Education, Volume 22 Issue 4

Journal Usage among Aesthetic Studies Undergraduates during the Preparation of Projects Reports Mr. B. Prashanthan Abstract - Journals are essential information sources for research to obtain current and relevant information in any field of stu dy. Journals play an en ergetic role in academ ic activities especially in the research process. This study discusses the level of usage of journals articles among undergraduates during the preparation of the final year research report at Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies Eastern University, Sri Lanka. The study uses semi-structured questionnaires and evaluates (observation) the reference list of research reports as the data collection instrument. Hundred and sixteen undergraduates were attached during the academic year 2014/15 to the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, and their research reports formed the study population. Usage of journals during the research report writing was evaluated separately for print and e-journals. Rendering to the result, there are some similarities and differences in using the journals during the final year of research report writing in four fields of study. According to the result, Drama and Theater undergraduates (24.59%) highly used journals as references for their research activities. However, overall only 15.11% of the undergraduates used journals as a reference. The study indicates that all categories of undergraduates used print journals compared with e- journals during the research report writing. Keywords: journals, research report, undergraduates. I. I ntroduction he undergraduates are different from Secondary Education Students in their learning due to the experience that they have gained from their independent student-centered learning. This method should have the opportunity to develop intellectual abilities and learning styles based on resource-based learning. Therefore, many universities include research as one of the essential and partial activities in postgraduate and undergraduate curriculums. This academic research activity is called research report writing at the undergraduate level. As Etzkowitz (2003) discussed, universities are transforming from teaching Institutions to one that combines teaching with research. The research output can be considered a useful and valuable tool in the evaluation process of University performance. However, the quality of academic research depends on the information the undergraduates gather through information or reference sources. Since the current development technologies provide a tremendous amount of information sources within minutes, it is always difficult for users to select appropriate information. “The reasons users select specific information sources have become great importance because of developments in the field of information in the past decades, the information explosion, and the availability of contemporary information technologies for the effective use of information resources. (Jenny Bronstein, 2010) An academic requires information resources for his or her learning and further research processes. When comparing the information resources, the usage of the journal is identified as an important information resource, especially the information found in research journals which are contemporary studies and are based on research findings. Moreover, research journals play a significant role in academic society and have been used in numerous academic disciplines. Thus Higher Education Institutions are expected undergraduates to have sound knowledge in seeking information from academic journals. Most institutions of higher learning had made frantic efforts to enforce journal usage among undergraduates. “Many internship courses also require the student journals are helpful to researchers or learners for utilized their academic knowledge in their fields” (Alm 1996). Similarly, Liverpool Hope University in 2016 described, “as issues of Journals are published more frequently, they are the best way of keeping up to date with the latest research in the field. Rallison (2015) also pointed out that a “Huge number of journal articles play a vital role in the performance and output of researchers, and where they appear. Journals have become deeply embedded in academic infrastructure as they are central to career paths”. Seeking information from research journals generally allows undergraduates to organize ideas, recognize research problems, describe concepts analyze arguments, etc. Thus, journals have been extensively used in the research process and identified one of the existing aspects of research report writing. Ellen (n.d) stated in his study that publishing a journal for interested researchers, academics and practitioners benefits the advancement of knowledge. To be recognized as having an academic subject, a discipline must publish a peer-review journal. Moreover, Victor and Diaa (2018) mentioned that T © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue IV Version I 57 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 G Author: Senior Assistant Librarian, Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University Sri Lanka. e-mails: prashanthanb@esn.ac.lk , prashsh3y@gmail.com