The impact of perceived enjoyment, perceived reciprocal benefits and knowledge power on students' knowledge sharing through Facebook

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between perceived enjoyment, perceived reciprocal benefits, perceived status, outcome expectation, and the power of knowledge, and how each of these factors affect knowledge sharing between students via Facebook. The effects of using Facebook on students' knowledge sharing was measured among 170 undergraduate university students and tested using structural equation modeling. The results showed that outcome expectation is the main factor effecting students sharing knowledge, followed by perceived reciprocal benefit, and perceived enjoyment. Students shared knowledge and helped others due to the expected outcome i.e. respect received from other members and lecturers, good comments from friends, the opportunity to enrich their knowledge, and recognition. The power of knowledge and perceived status are not strong motivators for students to share knowledge in a Facebook group. The factors affecting students' knowledge sharing can differ between different people and context, therefore, future research could examine the differences in social media participation based on gender, age, or subject matter. The findings of this study helped us understand why students choose to engage in social media, specifically Facebook, to share knowledge within a specific learning context, which will be useful for educators.