CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background to the Study

The fundamental principle of achieving superior student achievement through student-teacher interaction has remained at the heart of technology developments. Inevitably, education is taking its cue from how corporate organizations are deploying new audiovisual (AV) solutions. De Bernardes and Olsen (1948), pointed out that schools have been using AVs for decades which came in form of drawings and pictures with spoken narrations before the age of a TV and radio player. However, this has been improved use of computer technology which comes with plenty of advantages marking the period where AV aids are linked to multimedia. The age of internet has brought greater interactivity, connectivity, and flexibility enhancing creation and distribution of educational content on online platforms such as YouTube and Facebook to anyone using AV media and connected to the World Wide web. Ranasinghe and Leisher (2009) synonymously agreed that the complexity of teaching and learning aids is tightly tied to technological advancement, hence its apparent that traditional media technologies fail to satisfy the requirements of the classroom instruction1process. This has resulted into adoption of digitized AV resources which provides a learning environment that is self-paced, learner-controlled and individualized. Currently, it is becoming a regular practice for teachers to use AV aids in the teaching of various subjects and many studies have been conducted to examine their value in teaching and learning (Mathew & Alidmat, 2013; Oyesola, 2014). However, the numerous advantages of these aids can be assumed to apply in all areas but the nature and diverse content in the various learning area such as science, social sciences, and practically based subjects makes it necessary to carry out studies to investigate if Audio Visual resources can ease the instruction process in specific areas.

According to Aggarwal (2009), utilization of AV resources helps the teacher effectiveness in ensuring the learning is real, interesting, meaningful, as well as flamboyant. AV resources contributes to high learners recall and retention of knowledge, Proper reasoning and thinking ability, captures imagination and ensures smooth learning development_. Ashaver and Igyuve, (2013) also defines AV resources as materials with both auditory and visual presentation which enhance teaching and learning particularly in improving comprehension and retention making learning easier and more interesting. Asma, (2015) views audiovisual aids as devices helpful since they help in establishing and clarifying concepts which are accurate and provides proper interpretation. Through AV resources, the teacher is able to make more effective and concrete learning experience. Therefore, it’s agreeable that AV assumes more diverse presentations by combining pictures, animations, videos, words, sounds, and interactions which enhance theteaching and learning process.

AV materials play key roles in learning process. They include: basing learning on simulated interesting sensory experience, individualizes instruction and making learning permanent, (Omoniwa & Emmanuel 2019). Swank (2011) further stressed the importance role AV materials play in learning. This study estimated that about 40% of our concepts are based upon visual experience, 25% on auditory, 17% on tactile, 15% on miscellaneous organic sensation, and 3% upon taste smell. In the 21st century era, AV aids when conferred to the internet bring plenty of advantages such as creating a blended learning environment, improving collaboration skills, differentiated learning, and learning with a lot of fun (Harcourt, 2020). With the above declaration, the importance role played by AV materials in teaching and learning process is significantly very clear.

Countries in the western world such as Cuba and Canada and most of states in the USA have highly integrated advanced AV tools and Computer-aided instruction making it a common practice in the classroom at all levels of learning (Karehka,2013). The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (1997) published a report indicating that United States teacher education had been redesigned in a way that the new teachers are prepared on instructing with AV tools that are relevant in today’s classroom. This groomed emergence of virtual classrooms and learning going beyond the classroom, using various online platforms and making individualized learning popular among U.S.A schools. These facilities in the U.S.A. are properly utilized because of the availability of enabling resources such as internet connectivity, availability of electricity, education policies that support the use of AV tools, and available modern 21st Century AV resources across all levels of learning (Harcourt, 2020).

In Europe, Superior learning outcomes for every educational institution has been enables through adoption of AV technologies (Bussell,2019). Therefore, there is an increasing demand for up-to-date AV technologies that will realize the optimum achievement of instruction objectives. He further argues that staying abreast of today’s and tomorrow’s possibilities in a fast-moving environment is essential. This philosophy has pushed European countries to equip most of their schools‘ learning spaces with more current AV resources. Britain, has plenty of advanced AV tools in their learning spaces such as chalkboard recorders, catch boxes, smart boards, audio- video conferencing, projectors, and computers. Teachers and learners have advanced skills in these media creating a successful digital AV-oriented instruction process. Like the U.S.A, Europe learning spaces are well equipped with current AV aids that measure up to societal and technological demand and their teachers and learners have a vast knowledge of them (Harcourt, 2020).

In Asia, a greater milestone in education technology has been achieved with the innovation and adoption of advanced AV resources in classroom instruction attained in countries such as Japan in the lead. Other Countries in this continent have strived to integrate advanced AV resources in class instructions that enrich their learners with advanced skills in technologies that ratio to their economic and social standards (Malaysia Tang and Intai, 2018). The study also indicated that, rural secondary schools in Asia were sufficiently equipped with LCD projectors and computers that enabled an AV integrated lesson. They further noted that teachers had the necessary technical competencies to utilize these audiovisual aids.

In African countries, AV resources that are commonly in use include chalkboards, charts, and models, most of which are regarded as ‗primitive technology‘ but a

majority of the developing countries are adopting new trends in education technology. Ibe and Abamuche (2019) noted that most secondary classrooms in Nigeria have remained ‗chalk and board‘ unlike the tertiary institution that has adopted new AV technology in the instruction. (De Souza & Richter,2017) noted that South African education training and system must respond to the information and technological revolution pressure. They further stated that training of teachers in South Africa has factored in the need for aspirant teachers to get enough exposure to the integration of educational technology to expand the wide use of digital AV media that creates an exciting learning environment. In Tanzania Mwakapina (2016), pointed out that most students in the country are technologically based generation, therefore, teachers should adopt a variety of AV tools offered by modern technology such as mobile phones, computers, and smart boards which enable the instruction process to happen in and outside the classroom. He further acknowledged that the government of Tanzania recommends student-directed methods of learning that utilize AV media and internet.

 1.2 Statement of the Problem

The preservation of audiovisual materials is a critical concern for academic libraries, including the University of Buea Library, as these resources play an important role in supporting research, teaching, and learning. Audiovisual materials, such as videos, audio recordings, and other multimedia formats, are highly valuable for enhancing students’ understanding of complex topics. However, these materials are often prone to deterioration due to factors like poor handling, environmental conditions, outdated storage systems, and lack of proper preservation techniques. These challenges affect the availability and usability of audiovisual resources, leading to dissatisfaction among library users who rely on these materials for academic purposes. Inadequate preservation practices can result in the loss of unique and irreplaceable materials, negatively impacting users’ ability to access information. Additionally, the absence of modern technological solutions for preservation, such as digitization, further worsens the problem by limiting users’ access to materials that could otherwise be available in digital formats. According to IFLA (2021), libraries must adopt effective preservation strategies to ensure that audiovisual resources remain accessible and functional for current and future generations. This study seeks to explore how the preservation of audiovisual materials at the University of Buea Library impacts users’ satisfaction, identifying the challenges and opportunities for improvement.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main Research Question

• How does the preservation of audiovisual materials affect user satisfaction at the University of Buea Library?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions

1. What preservation practices are currently employed for audiovisual materials at the University of Buea Library?
2. What challenges does the library face in preserving audiovisual materials?
3. How do users perceive the accessibility and quality of audiovisual materials in the library?
4. What impact does the condition of audiovisual materials have on user satisfaction?
5. What strategies can be adopted to improve the preservation of audiovisual materials in the library?

1.4 Objectives

1.4.1 Main Objective

• To assess the effects of audiovisual material preservation on user satisfaction at the University of Buea Library.

1.4.2 Specific Objectives

1. To examine the current preservation practices used for audiovisual materials in the library.
2. To identify the challenges faced in preserving audiovisual materials.
3. To evaluate users’ perceptions of the accessibility and quality of audiovisual materials.
4. To analyze the relationship between the condition of audiovisual materials and user satisfaction.
5. To propose strategies for improving the preservation of audiovisual materials at the library.

1.5 Hypothesis

1.5.1 Main Hypothesis

• The preservation of audiovisual materials significantly affects user satisfaction at the University of Buea Library.

1.5.2 Specific Hypotheses

1. Effective preservation practices positively influence the accessibility and usability of audiovisual materials.
2. Challenges in preserving audiovisual materials negatively impact their availability and quality.
3. Users’ satisfaction is directly linked to the condition and accessibility of audiovisual materials.
4. Improved preservation strategies will enhance user satisfaction with audiovisual resources at the library.