Digital transformation in learning among the tribal students of affiliated colleges of Ranchi university,Jharkhand (India): A study

Abstract

This study examines 350 tribal college students from state university connected colleges’ awareness, usage patterns, and preferences for traditional print and electronic resources. The goal is to comprehend views toward library resources generally, access concerns, and gender-based inequities. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square testing, correlation analysis, and Likert scale evaluation were among the methods utilized to examine the data from a structured questionnaire using SPSS. According to the results, 46% of students had an equal preference for print and e-resources, with 32.9% favoring e-resources and 21.1% favoring print. The greatest mean score of 3.90 (SD = 0.82) was found for library visits for printed materials, whereas the total mean score for e-resource familiarity was 2.38 (SD = 1.06), indicating modest understanding. Knowledge of e-resources was negatively correlated with knowledge of print resources (r = −0.208, p < 0.01). Lack of digital abilities (80.8%) and technical problems (82.7%) were frequent obstacles. In order to close the gap in tribal academic contexts, these findings emphasize the necessity of hybrid resource systems and focused digital literacy initiatives.