Is Price Why Students Don't Get Their Books? Undergraduate Acquisition Of Class Materials

A study of the acquisition of assigned textbooks and materials was conducted among 1,333 active undergraduates, exploring the widely reported phenomenon of two-thirds of students not getting all the books and materials assigned to them in their college classes. Current research focuses on high textbook & materials prices as the reason why students do not get assigned materials, and government policies are focused on bringing down these prices. This study’s major focus was investigating whether it is true that high prices explain why undergraduates do not get their assigned class materials. The findings suggest that price is not the reason students do not get their books and that lower textbook prices will not lead to higher acquisition rates. The utility of the assigned materials appears to be the major predictor of whether or not students acquire the materials. The study confirmed that most students do not get their books and materials before the start of the semester; they delay the purchase until after the class begins, as they decide whether to get the materials or not. The longer these students delay, the less likely it is that they will acquire their assigned materials. Recommendations are offered for schools and other stakeholders in higher education.