Integrating the Internet into Cambodian Higher Education: Exploring Students' Internet Uses, Attitudes & Academic Utilisation

This article looks at the issue of Internet adoption in Cambodian higher education by examining the general uses and attitudes toward the Internet, and its academic utilisation by Cambodian university students. A survey of over 1500 undergraduate students at four Cambodian universities showed that the main usage motivations amongst the students were: information seeking, entertainment, and, to a lesser extent, socialisation. Students' overall attitude toward the Internet was generally positive in three distinct but interrelated aspects: comfort, optimism and enthusiasm. Their actual use, motivations and attitudes were relatively differentiated by gender and experience with the Internet. We found that utilising the Internet for academic purposes was currently marginal among the students. We argue that the cost of technological adoption and establishing a pragmatic approach to adjusting pedagogical vision and practice are the main challenges in integrating the Internet into Cambodian higher education. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]