Background of the Study

Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in mental processing, emotional functioning, and/or behavior as a result of experience. It is the lifelong, dynamic process, by which individuals acquire new knowledge or skills and alter their thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions (Bastable, 2003). It focuses on what we learn or on how we learn. In addition, learning is about how we change, adapt, grow, and develop. In todays highly competitive and global economy, education is no longer limited to traditional ways of learning. It involves the ability of the learner to acquire new or modify existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values and preferences. Learning is how individuals adjust and adapt to ever-changing and demanding world. An individual is in charge of his learning by exploring his own learning process and determining his natural learning style so he can find the best ways for him to learn.

From time to time, students tend to adapt to available sources that will facilitate learning and gathering of information. One best example of learning sources is the use of traditional books. Since time immemorial up to the present, students, professors and clinical instructors are accustomed in relying on different kinds of traditional printed books or reading materials which serve as their primary source of information in a classroom setting or even in self studying. These books are designed to follow a standardized scope and sequence which are expected to be completed and mastered at a particular level within an academic school semester. Traditional textbooks are likely to have corresponding teacher's manuals, answer keys, tests, and workbooks, review materials, and provide suggestions for supplementary materials and enrichment activities. Some have been developed or modified in order to work effectively and efficiently in independent study learning situations.

Schools and individual educators have a responsibility to their students to stay abreast of learning technologies and integrate those that will aid the learning process. The end of the twentieth century gave way to advances in technology that have changed the face of education. The birth of the Internet and the World Wide Web, the

development of information technology, the wide scale production of computers, the development of user-friendly software, and the educational applications that followed have all had profound effects on the way we learn and the way we teach (Heller, Ortos, & Crowley, 2000). Educational technologies, once rare and highly desirable resources, have become commonplace, and both the on-site and distance learner now interact in a multidimensional learning environment (Bastable, 2003).

Computers become a part of the culture of education. Perhaps the most significant effect computers have on our society and on education are related to their capacity to assist in the collection, management, transportation, and transformation of information at high speed (Bastable, 2003).

Technology is dynamic and never static. It continues to develop for the purpose of convenience and accessibility of the many. A very famous example of the rising technology today is the Electronic books (eBooks). An electronic book is an electronic version of a conventional book that can be read on screen using a desktop computer or any portable device. This resource allows the rapid circulation and rapid updating of texts at comparatively low cost, particularly highly specialized texts and subjects that require to be frequently updated. In general, the e-book seems to be an ideal way of making scarce and expensive resources available to greater numbers of students at multiple locations. (Mason, 2008) The researchers had experienced buying huge number of books in their nursing subjects. When it comes to studying nursing subjects, the researchers need a lot of additional references to be able to acquire enough knowledge regarding the subject matter. But with the increasing cost of nursing books today, there is a tendency that financial problems arise and also a tendency that they cannot afford to buy all the books they needed. It also helps researchers to read a lot of updated nursing books without the need to buy them all since electronic books are considered simple and convenient. It is also viewed as one of the most useful tools on the internet.

Electronic textbooks have been around for a while but are still not widely recognized. Even with the rapid growth in technology, the acceptance of electronic textbooks varies at different educational levels. With this, the researchers became deeply interested in assessing the implication of utilizing eBooks as supplement to traditional learning. The evolving world and increasing demand for competitiveness in respond to globalization, offers and expose students for radical new ways to study create and learn. More so, the researchers are enthusiastic to collect more data to better understand how eBooks supplementation is implicated to the academic performance. Electronic textbooks should be seen as an extension of print books, not a replacement but a supplement for enhancement. Since reading from printed books is deeply rooted in our culture, switching from printed to electronic format requires a learning curve for adult learners, whereas young learners find it a lot easier to adjust. With this, health professionals and students come up with the perception that eBooks is an effective method of learning for they do not view eBooks as a replacement to traditional print books rather, in the near future; users will be rapidly adopting them as supplementary to printed books. Furthermore, the result of this study will serve as basis for academic programs to be proposed regarding the utilization of Electronic books as a means of enhancing the academic performance of Level III PLM Nursing students.