How does major source of funding affect where and when college students purchase textbooks?

Krey, Nina ; Clow, Kenneth E. ; Babin, Laurie A. 等

INTRODUCTION

Textbooks selected by professors or instructors are an integral element of the higher education process and account for nearly 90% of the classroom instructions (Stein, Stuen, Carnine, & Long, 2001). The average American college student now spends approximately $900 per semester on textbooks and other related course materials (Carbaugh & Ghosh, 2005). This number is predicted to continue to increase as revealed in a recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). According to the GAO, the average annual textbook price has risen nearly 6% annually since 1987, which is twice as fast as the annual inflation rate, leaving college students with the challenge of overcoming the financial burden of attaining a college education (Pollitz & Christi, 2006; Rabil, 2006).

On the other side of the textbook price issue are the publisher and authors competing for the adoption commitments from professors. Even though the publishing industry is highly competitive, the annual net sales of $1,473.3 million in 2007 entice companies to enter this industry ("College textbooks net sales rise 5.5% in July," 2007). Publishers also face challenges including the change in consumer preference, the often slow adoption process, and the changing legal environment. The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 was enacted to counteract rising textbook prices by requiring publishers to share information about prices with professors, to offer unbundled textbook packages, and for schools to provide students with International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) with enough time for students to shop around (Goral, 2010). Although this legislation is attempting to lessen the financial burden of college students, it has only gone into effect on July 1, 2010, so it is too soon to tell if it will have a substantial impact on textbook costs for students.

Prior to the legislative changes, this research sought to explore how students handle textbook purchases. Where and when do they purchase textbooks? More importantly, does the major source of personal funds affect their textbook purchasing behavior?

LITERATURE REVIEW

To bypass the high prices of textbooks, students can pursue more economical alternatives. Some of the more popular alternatives include renting the required textbook, purchasing e-books, or selecting cheaper online sellers (McNeill, 2007). In addition, an increasing number of students simply do not purchase textbooks or share books with peers. This trend enticed publishers to offer more features with the traditional book, such as CDs or access to online material, and to increase the number of available online versions. Both tactics are aimed at persuading students to continue to buy new textbooks while meeting the goal of lowering students' expenses (Carlson, 2005).

Another alternative for students on a tight budget is to purchase used textbooks instead of new ones. This has created the phenomena of used textbook wholesalers, who purchase textbooks from students, college bookstores, and professors at the end of a semester. These wholesalers then resell the used textbooks for 25% to 50% below retail price of new books, providing students with an economical alternative to new books (Clow, Stevens, & McConkey, 2006). Used textbook wholesalers often utilize the Internet to target price sensitive college students and to develop loyal customers by offering guaranteed buyback options. Generally, those resellers also offer cheaper international editions, which are reintroduced into the American market. All these developments suppress the demand for new textbooks, causing publishers to invest in more promotional tools to encourage professors to adopt their textbooks. Here, one method utilized by publishers to persuade professors to adopt their books for their lectures is sending out examination copies. However, these examination copies not only act as a promotional tool, they also end up in the used textbook market. Studies have shown that these books have driven up the price of new books as much as 15%, costing publishers an estimated $100 million in profits and authors roughly $10 million in royalties (Dunne, 1993). As a result, publishers are trying to determine new ways to recoup their investment dollars in textbooks. This has lead to even shorter new edition cycles, thus forcing students to purchase new books even sooner.

A few studies have been conducted about the adoption process of textbooks with a focus on selection criteria. Smith and DeRidder (1997) examined the publisher incentive and the general criteria in the adoption process. A follow up study a few years later analyzed the selection criteria used by professors and the promotional methods utilized by publishers (Clow et al., 2006). Clow, Babin, and Krey (2009) investigated the different sources students use to obtain textbooks, but the results were limited to one particular course and neglected to identify general trends within the buying behavior of college students. Additionally, while McNeill (2007) suggested that seniors are more likely to take advantage of more economical sources rather than purchasing textbooks from oncampus stores, Clow et al. (2009) contradicted those findings. Brooke and Scheufele (2002) evaluated the social and perceptual motivations for purchasing textbooks online and found that various factors, such as previous online purchase experience, professor support, and knowledge of online retailers, all influence the source that students use to purchase textbooks. While this particular study questioned a focus group consisting of students; it focused more on the implications of advertisers and online retailers rather than the student's perspective.

Finally, Krey, Clow, and Babin (2009) studied where students obtained textbooks. This study was descriptive and examined demographic differences, finding that younger students were more likely than older students to purchase textbooks at a campus bookstore. The study, however, did not address factors that might explain why students use a specific source, which is the focus of the current research.

OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the source of funding on textbook purchases and disposal of the textbook at the end of the semester. As a result, the research questions for this study include:

1) Who is providing the financial funds necessary to pay for the textbooks?

2) Does the source of funding influence the buying behavior of college students?

3) What do college students do with their textbooks at the end of the semester?

4) Does the source of funding for books impact what students do with the textbook when the semester is over?

METHODOLOGY

Survey Questionnaire

The survey was divided into two parts--one part included questions about students' past purchase behavior in general and the other part about what they did with the textbook at the end of the semester. Once the participants identified the level and the name of the course, they were asked if they purchased a textbook for this class. Additional questions were tailored towards where the students purchased the book and what they intended to do with the book at the end of the semester. The survey can be found in the Appendix.

Sample and Data Collection

The data were collected from a convenience sample of students within the College of Business and a university in the Southern United States. A total of 518 surveys were obtained from a variety of business classes. The majority were acquired from general business courses (38.2%), followed by accounting (26.3%), marketing (17.0%), and management (10.8%). The discipline with the lowest number of completed surveys was MBA (7.7%), due to the limited number of MBA classes and students present at the surveyed university.

About one third of all selected classes were taught at the sophomore level, 32.8%, while 26.1% of the courses were taught at the freshman level. The number of junior and senior level classes surveyed was nearly equal, with 16.6% and 16.8%, respectively.

The sample was comprised of 51.5% females and 48.5% males, and the majority was between 18 and 22 years of age (77%). To ensure a more evenly distributed sample, at least 100 respondents were surveyed within each classification group. As the result, the percentage of freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are relatively consistent and range from 19.9% to 24.8%. The only exception was the percentage of graduate students due to the limited number of enrolled students within the MBA program. Therefore, the total percentage of surveyed graduate students was considerably lower at 8.5%. The last two demographic variables were the ethnicity of the students and the status of being an international student. Only 10% of the respondents were classified as international students. With regards to ethnicity, Caucasians accounted for 62.5% of the sample, with the remaining 37.3% being minorities.

RESULTS

From the 518 surveyed students, only 3.9% did not obtain a textbook for their class. Where the remaining 96.1% purchased or obtained the textbook is presented in Table 1. Over half (53.7%) of the participants purchased a book from the on-campus bookstore. The second major source was the off-campus bookstore at 16%. Thus, approximately 70% of the students purchased a book at one of the two bookstores. The third source of textbooks, at 14.9%, was renting it. These three sources accounted for 84.6% of the textbook sources.

Online sources such as a hybrid packages, online versions, purchases from the publisher and purchases from online companies other than the publisher accounted for 6.8% of the purchases. Online companies other than the publisher were the primary online source with 5.6% (of the 6.8%). Approximately 5.3% were books purchased, borrowed, or shared with other students. Only 0.4% of the students used the textbook on reserve at the library.

Because research by Clow et al. (2009) indicated most students purchase books from the campus bookstore, students were asked why this is the case. The results are shown in Table 2. Since respondents could check more than one reason the percentages add up to more than 110%. The two major reasons were convenience (39.6%) and immediate need for the book (39.4%). The other major reason was that the book was only available on campus, 26.6%.

Approximately 11% of the students said they had to use the campus bookstore because a scholarship paid for textbooks and could only be used at the campus bookstore. Not comfortable purchasing textbooks online was cited by 9.7% and not aware of other sources was indicated by 6.4% of the respondents.

What do students do with the textbook at the end of the term? As reported in Table 3, about one fourth (23.2%) plan to keep it. Approximately 45.5% plan to sell it back to a bookstore (oncampus or off-campus store), 4.1% plan to sell it online, and 2.9% plan on selling it directly to another student. Returning textbook rentals accounted for 15.3% of the responses. The remaining responses (5.3%) were divided up between giving the book to another student or letting another student borrow it.

Informal discussions with students about textbook purchases revealed that students on athletic scholarships had to purchase textbooks from the on-campus bookstore. This comment prompted the researchers to ask participants in the study what sources of funds they used to purchase textbooks. Students were asked to divide 100% among the various sources. These data were then divided into four categories based on the primary source of funds. The largest percentage of students used their own personal money, 34%. Scholarships and money from parents was about equal 25.5% and 26.1%, respectively. Other sources, such as relatives, friends, and companies accounted for the remaining 11%.

Analysis by Major Source of Funding

A summary of where students purchased textbooks and the major source of funding is depicted in Table 4. There was a significant difference in where students purchased textbooks and their major source of funding ([chi square] = 68.628, p-value = 0.000). As expected, the campus bookstore was used the most by students who used scholarships to purchase books, 68.7%. It was also used more if parents fronted the money for the books, 60.4%. Also, the campus bookstore was used considerably less if the money came from the student or from another source, other than scholarships or parents. The off-campus bookstore was used the most when students used their own money to purchase books, 19.4%, rather than if the money came from parents, 17.2%. It was used the least if money came from scholarships or other sources (11.5% and 11.7%). Non-publisher online sources were more likely to be used if the source of funding is something other than scholarships or parents.

Table 5 shows the analyses of why students use the campus bookstore and the source of funding. Three of the six reasons were significantly different based on the source of the student's funding. As was expected, 35% of the students whose textbook funding derives from scholarships said that is the reason they use the campus bookstore. That reason was given by a much smaller percentage for each of the following groups.

Need the book immediately was significantly different. The highest percentage was for students who paid for their own books, 55.1%, while students with scholarships contributed the lowest percentage with 32.5%. The convenience of the campus bookstore was cited mostly by students whose parents furnished the funds with 54%. The lowest percentages were expressed by students with scholarships and paying themselves.

When Table 5 is examined in terms of source of funding, unique patterns appear to emerge. Students whose funding came from scholarships said they used the campus bookstore because it was required by the scholarship, they needed the books immediately, and it was more convenient. If parents were the source, convenience was a primary driving force with needed book immediately and only available on campus as strong secondary reasons. If the student purchased books with their own money, the primary reason was that they needed the book immediately. Secondary reasons given were it was more convenient and only available on campus. If the source of funding was "other," then convenience and needing the books immediately were most important, followed by it only being available on campus.

As shown in Table 6, the intention of the respondents regarding their textbook at the end of the semester also reflected a significant difference ([chi square]= 40.689, p-value = 0.018). Overall, the majority of the students intended to sell their textbook at the end of the semester. Approximately 21% to 27% said they planned to keep the book.

The primary method of disposal regardless of the funding source was selling it back to the campus bookstore. The percentages did vary, however, from 45.5% of students that had scholarship funding to 27% of students who paid for books out of personal funds. Selling it back to the offcampus bookstore was highest when parents furnished the funds, 11.1%, or when the student used his or her own money, 11.5%. For selling the book back online, the percentages were around 5%, except when parents furnished the funds (1.5%). In terms of selling it to another student, it was more likely to occur if parents furnished money (5.2%). Giving books to another student was more likely to occur if scholarships were the source of funds, 4.5%, compared to around 3.5% for the other sources. Letting another student borrow the book was more likely to occur if the student paid for the books, but the percentage was only 2.3%.

Major Source of Funding and Demographic Variables

Since major source of funding did have a significant impact on how textbooks were purchased, an analysis was conducted to see if there were any differences in source of funding based demographic variables. There were no significant differences based on gender, but there were based on age (see Table 7). Over half of the students 23 and older supported themselves. Scholarships declined from 29.3% for 18-22 year olds to 16.1% for students 30 and older. Parent support declined from 29.3% to 3.2%.

Ethnicity was also factor in source of funding as indicated in Table 8. Minorities were more likely to have scholarships and less support from parents, 32% and 18.8%, respectively. The opposite was true for Caucasians. Scholarships were indicated by 23.1%, but parents were selected by 31.2%. The percentage who indicated the primary source of funds was themselves was about equal.

When it came to classification, the results were very similar to age. Results are shown in Table 9. As students progressed from freshmen to seniors, the percentage of students who had scholarships declined as did parent's support. Scholarships declined from 35.2% to 20.7%. Parent support showed less of a decline with the highest 31.4% for sophomores and the lowest 26.4% for seniors. Students indicating self-support increased from 23.1% for freshmen to 43% for seniors. Very few graduate students had scholarships or parental support.

CONCLUSIONS

One of the most important aspects of attending college is obtaining the required textbook for each class. This can often lead to a financial burden for college students as they try to maintain a balance between acquiring the necessary book and minimizing their expenses. As a result, publishers are starting to offer more alternatives for obtaining textbooks in order to overcome the effects of the decreasing demand for traditional textbooks.

The overwhelming majority of college students obtain a textbook for their class with over 90% of the respondents indicating their access to a textbook. In general, about 53% of those textbooks are purchased in the campus bookstore at the beginning of the semester. Another 16% are purchased from an off-campus bookstore. Thus, these two sources account for almost 70% of all textbooks purchases.

The two primary reasons for purchasing textbooks at the campus bookstore were convenience and the immediate need of the book. Thus, it would appear that students purchase books at the beginning of the semester, usually either on the first day of class or during the first week. In addition, the campus bookstore appears to be the most convenient source as it allows students to purchase their books immediately. The same is true for using the off-campus bookstore.

In general, students today are very comfortable purchasing goods and services over the Internet. With the rising costs of textbooks, it was expected that the Internet would be a valuable source of textbooks purchases. Surprisingly, only 6.8% of all textbooks were purchased online. Based on the underlying reason why students use the campus bookstore, it appears that students wait until the beginning of the semester to make a purchase. As purchasing over the Internet would require students to make purchase decisions in advance, it conflicts with the convenience of waiting until the beginning of the semester. Making an online purchase is not as convenient as using the campus bookstore since it would require obtaining the textbook information from the instructor and then locating the book at one of the online sites. Moreover, students are assured to purchase the correct book if purchased from the campus bookstore compared to other stores.

Renting the textbook was the third most popular source of textbooks, next to the campus and off-campus bookstores. Approximately 15% of the students rented the required textbook. Although students were not asked why, it is very likely the same reasons of convenience and needed the book immediately. In addition, the cost was considerably lower than a new or used text from one of the bookstores. The lower percentage in comparison to buying books in bookstores could also be related to the limited amount of rental books available.

This study also examined the student's source of funds to see if that impacted where students purchased their textbooks. The hypothesis behind it was that if students used their own money, they would shift purchases to a more economical source, such as renting or online. Both alternatives were higher when students had to use their own money. Online purchases accounted for 8.5% of purchases compared to 3.1%, if the primary source of money was scholarships and 4.5% if the source was parents. If it came from another source, however, it was much higher with 16.7%. A similar pattern was seen for renting textbooks. If the source was the student or "other," then 20% of the students rented textbooks. If the money came from scholarships or parents, then it was only around 11%. Based on this study, it appears that if students use their own money they do shift some of their textbook purchases to more economical sources, such as online and renting.

Scholarship funds did have a significant impact on where students purchased books. Over two-thirds (68.7%) of students who said that books were purchased from scholarship funds used the on-campus bookstore. Another 11% used the off-campus bookstore. Thus, these two sources accounted for 80% of the textbook purchases.

If parents furnished the money, the study indicated purchase patterns were somewhere between funds being furnished by students and by scholarships. The campus bookstore was used more than if students paid for the textbooks out of their money, but less than if it was paid for by scholarships. Online purchases followed the same pattern. Renting textbooks, however, was the lowest of any of the categories, but only slightly less than when scholarship funds were used.

In analyzing disposal of textbooks at the end of the semester, about one-fourth (23.2%) kept the textbook. The remaining students tended to sell it back to where they purchased it or returned it to the rental facility. As would be expected, the analysis by source of funding followed almost the same exact pattern as was evident in where students purchased the textbook. This would indicate that they disposed of the text at the source where it was purchased.

IMPLICATIONS

Our results suggest that textbook purchases are driven by convenience and the immediate need for the textbook. It would also appear that students who use their own money do utilize lowercost sources, but not to a great extent. Students who use their parent's money tend to be a little more conservative, but not as much as if they used their own money. If funds came from scholarships, it would appear that cost was not a determining factor.

While this study describes where, how, and why students use various sources for procuring textbooks, it holds several implications for publishers and campus bookstores. First, publishers should work closely with university bookstores where a high percentage of students receive scholarships to ensure proper inventory levels at the beginning of a semester or quarter. Second, schools with a large freshman and sophomore population need to have well-stocked bookstores for these students as our results indicate they purchase their books from this source. Finally, schools with a concentration of non-traditional students (i.e., 23 years of age and older) either need to stock books at lower levels or do something to better meet the needs of these students, such as longer and weekend hours or online purchase of textbooks.

There are several developments in the textbook industry that could change the results of this study and offer directions for further research in student textbook purchase behavior. Textbook rental is becoming more popular (Goral, 2010). The newly-enacted Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 could alter these results as students are provided with pricing information as well as ISBN numbers, enabling them to search for alternative sources. Furthermore, while electronic textbooks are still not widely adopted, holding only single-digit market share (Young, 2009), and students still prefer print (Snyder, 2010), with the rapid adoption of electronic book readers like Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iPad, educators could move more in this direction. In California, they must move in this direction because new legislation requires that, by 2020, publishers selling textbooks to universities in that state must make them available electronically (Cowden Moore, 2010). Six universities participated in an e-textbook experiment sponsored by Amazon in 2009 (Young, 2010), five textbook publishers founded CourseSmart, which offers thousands of books online for about half the cost of print (Snyder, 2010), and Princeton University students were given Kindle devices pre-loaded with course material (Snyder, 2010). These new developments will likely influence students' purchase behaviors and merit further research.

APPENDIX

Your Major: Accounting-- Aviation-- CIS--

(Check One) Computer Science-- Construction Mgmt-- Economics--

Risk Mgmt & Insurance-- Finance-- General Business--

Management-- Marketing-- Entrepreneurship--

What is the name of the course for which you are completing this

survey:--

At what level is this course taught?

100-Level: -- 200-Level: -- 300-Level: -- 400-Level: -- 500 -- Level: --

1. Do you have a textbook for this class? Yes--
2. (Please skip to question 2) No--

If you do not have the textbook, what was the primary reason behind not
obtaining one? (Choose one)

-- Too expensive                     --Not available

-- I did not think I would need it   --Not required for this class

-- I have the book                   --Other (specify: --)

2. How did you obtain the textbook for this class
(Choose only one response)?

-- Purchased from the campus bookstore

-- Purchased from off-campus bookstore

-- Purchased online from publisher

-- Purchased online from a company other than the publisher

-- Purchased hybrid package (book plus online version)

-- Purchased online version / e-book only

-- Purchased from another student

-- Borrowed from another student

-- Share with another student

-- Share online version with another student

-- Rent book

-- Use the book available in the campus library

-- Do not have or use book

-- Other (specify: --)

3. What do you intend to do with this textbook at the
end of the semester?

-- Keep it                        -- Sell it back to the campus
                                     bookstore

-- Sell it back to off-campus     -- Sell it back online
   bookstore

-- Sell it directly to other      -- Give it to another student
   students

-- Let another student            -- Return it to the rental store
   borrow it

-- I do not have a textbook for
   this class

PLEASE ANSWER QUESTIONS 4-8 WITH REGARDS TO TEXTBOOKS IN GENERAL

4. Consider all of your past textbook purchases. What percentage
of those purchases was made in each of the
following categories? (The total should add up to 100%)

-- New books

-- Used books

-- International Editions

-- Older Editions

== Online Versions
100% Total

5. In terms of obtaining textbooks, please indicate how often
you use each source.

Purchase from the campus bookstore                Never    Always

Purchase from off-campus bookstore                Never    Always

Purchase online                                   Never    Always

Purchase hybrid package or online version         Never    Always

Purchase, borrow, or share with another student   Never    Always

Rent                                              Never    Always

Use a text available in the campus library        Never    Always

6. If you have purchased textbooks from the
campus bookstore, why? (Check all that apply)

-- My scholarship requires me to   --Book only available in campus
                                     bookstore

-- Needed book immediately         --Not comfortable purchasing book
                                     online

-- Campus store convenience        --Not aware of other sources

-- Other (specify: --)

7. When do you generally obtain your textbooks?

-- A week or longer before the semester starts

-- 2 to 7 days before the semester starts

-- First day of class

-- First week of the new semester

-- Later than first week into the new semester

-- Other (specify: --)

8. Last year, what percentage of textbooks was financed by each of the
following source? (Please allocate 100% among
the provided choices)

-- Scholarship Money

-- Parents

-- Other relatives/friends

-- I pay for them

-- Employer Reimbursement

-- Other (specify: --)

100% Total

9. Please provide the following demographic information about yourself

Gender:   Female --  Male --

Age:      18-22 --   23-29 --   30-39 --   40+ --

Classification: --Freshman  --Sophomore  --Junior  --Senior  --Graduate

International Student:   Yes--  No--

Your ethnicity is: -- African American  -- Asian-American  -- Hispanic

--Caucasian

--Other: (specify: --)

REFERENCES

Brooke, E. F., & Scheufele, D. A. (2002). Web vs. campus store? Why students buy textbooks online. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 19(5): 409-423.

Carbaugh, R., & Ghosh, K. (2005). Are college textbooks priced fairly? Challenge, 48 (5): 95-112.

Carlson, S. (2005). Online textbooks fail to make the grade. Chronicle of Higher Education, 51 (23): A35-A36.

Clow, K. E., Babin, L. A., & Krey, N. (2009). Textbook purchases by college students. International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines (IABPAD) Conference Proceedings, Orlando, FL, 386-393.

Clow, K. E., Stevens, R. E., & McConkey, W. C. (2006). The textbook adoption process by marketing professors. Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education, 8, 44-55.

College textbook net sales rise 5.5% in July. (2007). Educational Marketing, 38 (19): 6-7.

Cowden, M. J. (January 12, 2010). State law requires digital college textbooks by 2020. Ventura County Sta.

Dunne, P. (Summer 1993). The selling of 'complimentary' textbooks: Boom or bust for marketing education? Marketing Education Review, 3, 9-15.

Goral, T. (April 2010). A new chapter for campus bookstores. University Business, 13, 41-43.

Krey, N., Clow, K.E., & Babin, L.A. (2009). Where do college students purchase textbooks? International Journal of Education Research, 14(3): 1-9.

McNeill, B. (August 24, 2007). At UVA, a new textbook option: Rental bookstore also offers ebooks, guaranteed buyback. Daily Progress.

Pollitz, J., & Christie, A. (2006). The high cost of textbooks: A convergence of academic libraries, campus bookstores, publishers? Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship, 7, 2.

Rabil, S. (2006). Yikes! That textbook costs what? Students hunting bargains find many alternatives to traditional bookstores. Charlotte Observer, (July 30).

Smith, K. J., & DeRidder, J. J. (1997). The selection process for accounting textbooks: General criteria and publisher incentives - A Survey. Issues in Accounting Education, 12 (2): 367-384.

Snyder, S. (February 16, 2010). Web not yet the answer to college textbook costs. Philadelphia Inquirer.

Stein, M., Stuen, C., Carnine, D., & Long, R. (2001). Textbook evaluation and adoption. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 17 (1): 5-23.

Young, J. N. (2009). This could be the year of e-textbooks. Chronicle of Higher Education, 56(3), A1-A12.

About the Authors:

Nina Krey graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with an undergraduate degree in Marketing in 2008 and an MBA degree in 2009. She has published in the International Journal of Education Research, International Journal of Business, Marketing, and Decision Sciences, and in several conference proceedings.

Kenneth E. Clow is a professor in marketing and holds the Biedenharn Endowed Professor in Business in the College of Business Administration at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1992. He has served as an MBA Director and the Dean of the College of Business. Clow has published a total of 200 articles and textbooks. Current textbooks include the 5th edition of Integrated Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Communications, 3rd edition of Essentials of Marketing, and 2nd edition of Services Marketing.

Laurie A. Babin is an associate professor in marketing and holds the Abell Endowed Professorship in Entrepreneurship in the College of Business Administration at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She was previously at the University of Southern Mississippi. She earned a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, an MBA from University of Central Florida, and a B.S. from Michigan State University. She has published articles in several journals and conference proceedings.

Nina Krey

Kenneth E. Clow

Laurie A. Babin

University of Louisiana Monroe

Table 1
Source of Book Purchase

Intention                Frequency   Percentage

Campus Bookstore         278         53.7%
Off-Campus Bookstore     83          16%
Online (Publisher)       3           0.6%
Online (Non-Publisher)   29          5.6%
Hybrid Package           1           0.2%
Online Version           2           0.4%
Buy from Student         4           0.8%
Borrow from Student      19          3.7%
Share with Student       4           0.8%
Rent Book                77          14.9%
Use Library              2           0.4%

Table 2
Why Use Campus Bookstore

Reason                          Frequency   Percentage

Scholarship money               57          11.0%
Only available on campus        138         26.6%
Needed book immediately         204         39.4%
Not comfortable buying online   50          9.7%
More convenient                 205         39.6%
Not aware of other source       33          6.4%

Table 3
End-of-Semester Disposal Intentions

Intention                           Frequency   Percentage

Keep It                             120         23.2%
Sell it back to campus store        185         35.7%
Sell it back to off-campus store    51          9.8%
Sell it back online                 21          4.1%
Sell it directly to other student   50          2.9%
Give it to another student          20          3.9%
Let another student borrow it       7           1.4%
Return it to rental store           79          15.3%

Table 4
Location of Textbook Purchase by Funding Source

Source                     Scholarship    Parents      Myself

Campus Bookstore           68.7% (90)     60.4%(81)    40.6%(71)
Off-Campus Bookstore       11.5% (15)     17.2% (23)   19.4% (34)
Online (Publisher)         0.8% (1)       1.5% (2)     0% (0)
Online (Non-Publisher)     2.3% (3)       3.0% (4)     7.4% (13)
Hybrid Package             0% (0)         0% (0)       0% (0)
Online Version             0% (0)         0% (0)       1.1% (2)
Buy from Student           1.5% (2)       1.5% (2)     0% (0)
Borrow from Student        3.1% (4)       3.7% (5)     4.6% (8)
Share with Student         0% (0)         0.7% (1)     1.7% (3)
Rent Book                  11.5% (15)     10.4% (14)   20.0% (35)
Use Library                0% (0)         0% (0)       0.6% (1)

                           [chi square]   df=33        p = 0.000
                            = 68.628

Source                     Other

Campus Bookstore           45.0% (27)
Off-Campus Bookstore       11.7% (7)
Online (Publisher)         0% (0)
Online (Non-Publisher)     15.0% (9)
Hybrid Package             1.7% (1)
Online Version             0% (0)
Buy from Student           0% (0)
Borrow from Student        3.3% (2)
Share with Student         0% (0)
Rent Book                  20.0% (12)
Use Library                1.7% (1)

Table 5
Why Use Campus Bookstore by Funding Source

Reason                          Scholarship   Parents      Myself

Scholarship money               35.0% (43)    0.8% (1)     4.4% (7)
Only available on campus        24.4% (30)    32.3% (40)   31.6% (50)
Needed book immediately         32.5% (40)    37.9% (47)   55.1% (87)
Not comfortable buying online   14.6% (18)    9.7% (12)    6.3% (10)
More convenient                 39.8% (49)    54.0% (67)   38.9% (61)
Not aware of other source       5.7% (7)      7.3% (9)     8.9% (14)

Reason                          Other        Chi-Square (Sig)

Scholarship money               11.3% (6)    82.00 df=3 (.00) **
Only available on campus        32.1% (17)   2.45 df=3 (.48)
Needed book immediately         41.5% (22)   16.26 df=3 (.00) **
Not comfortable buying online   15.1% (8)    6.45 df=3 (.09)
More convenient                 45.3% (24)   7.65 df=3 (.05) **
Not aware of other source       5.7% (3)     1.29 df=3 (.73)

** Significant at .05 or lower.

Table 6
End-of-Semester Disposal Intentions Variable by Funding Source

Intention                 Scholarship    Parents      Myself

Keep it                   22.7% (30)     24.2% (33)   21.3% (37)
Sell back to campus       45.5% (60)     40.0% (54)   27.0% (47)
  store
Sell back to off-         6.1% (8)       11.1% (15)   11.5% (20)
  campus store
Sell back online          4.5% (6)       1.5% (2)     5.7% (10)
Sell to student           3.8% (5)       5.2% (7)     1.1% (2)
Give to student           4.5% (6)       3.7% (5)     3.4% (6)
Let student borrow book   0.8% (1)       1.5% (2)     2.3% (4)
Return to rental store    11.4% (15)     10.4% (14)   20.7% (36)

                          [chi square]   df=24        p = 0.018
                          = 40.689

Intention                 Other

Keep it                   26.7% (16)
Sell back to campus       31.7% (19)
  store
Sell back to off-         8.3% (5)
  campus store
Sell back online          5.0% (3)
Sell to student           1.7% (1)
Give to student           3.3% (2)
Let student borrow book   0% (0)
Return to rental store    21.7% (13)

Table 7
Major Source of Funding and Age

Funding Source   18-22         23-29        30+

Scholarships     29.3% (113)   16.3% (14)   16.1% (5)
Parents          30.6% (118)   18.6% (16)   3.2% (1)
Myself           28.5% (110)   52.3% (45)   67.7% (21)
Other            11.7% (45)    12.8% (11)   12.9% (4)

Chi-Square = 38.071, df = 6 (p=.000)

Table 8
Major Source of Funding and Ethnicity

Funding Source   Minorities   Caucasian
Scholarships     32.0% (58)   23.1% (74)
Parents          18.8% (34)   31.2% (100)
Myself           37.6% (68)   33.6% (108)
Other            11.6% (21)   12.1% (39)

Chi-Square = 10.728, df = 3 (p=.013)

Table 9
Major Source of Funding and Classification

Funding Source   Freshman     Sophomore    Junior

Scholarships     35.2% (38)   33.3% (34)   24.2% (31)
Parents          30.6% (33)   31.4% (32)   25.0% (32)
Myself           23.1% (25)   20.6% (21)   41.4% (53)
Other            11.1% (12)   14.7% (15)   9.4% (12)

Funding Source   Senior       Graduate

Scholarships     20.7% (25)   9.3% (4)
Parents          26.4% (32)   11.6% (5)
Myself           43.0% (52)   58.1% (25)
Other            9.9% (12)    20.9% (9)

Chi-Square = 42.17, df= 12 (p=.000)