(An) empirical study of academic knowledge sharing via social media platforms

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is encouraged in universities because it enhances learning and builds a knowledgeable workforce. This dissertation identifies factors influencing undergraduate students' academic knowledge sharing on social media platforms. The dissertation is divided into two essays: factors influencing social media acceptance and use and knowledge-sharing behavior on social media. We used a web-based crosssectional survey questionnaire to collect data from undergraduate students at four Ethiopian public universities to achieve the study's objectives. We received 437 responses, 400 valid for analyzing factors influencing social media platform acceptance and use and 346 for assessing factors influencing knowledge-sharing behavior via social media platforms. The study employed UTAUT2 (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) to examine factors influencing social media platform acceptance and use. The integrated social psychology model of TAM ( Technology Adoption Model) and TPB (Theory of planned behavior) TAM-TPB were used to examine factors influencing knowledge-sharing behavior via social media platforms. Both models, which included all constructs, were empirically tested with PLS-SEM (Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling) using SPSS 26, smart PLS 3.2, and SEMinR. The study findings show that undergraduate students' acceptance and use of social media platforms for academic knowledge sharing are influenced by social media self-efficacy, lecturer support, willingness to share knowledge, performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, and habit. The study results also revealed that effort expectancy and facilitation conditions had no effect. Furthermore, this study shows that trust in knowledge sharing, contribution to knowledge, knowledge seeking, perception of behavioral control, and intention to share knowledge affect undergraduate students' academic knowledge-sharing behavior via social media. According to the findings of the study, subjective norm had no influence. This dissertation aims to add to knowledge management studies by exploring factors influencing academic knowledge sharing via social media platforms from the perspective of undergraduate students.