Students’ Perceptions & Preferences for
Knowledge Sharing
Shaheen Majid
1
Learning Approaches
Academic institutions use innovative
pedagogical approaches to make learning
more interactive, engaging and meaningful
Collaborative or peer learning is considered
one of the established, popular and effective
learning approaches
Active knowledge sharing is considered an
essential element of collaborative learning
2
Knowledge Sharing Activities
Includes activities such as:
Responding to instructors’ questions
Making a comment on the topic under discussion
Asking a question or seeking clarification
Sharing personal experiences
Participation in small group discussions
Making a class presentation
Sharing notes, articles, books and other studyrelated materials
3
Benefits of Students’ Knowledge Sharing
Better thinking and reasoning skills
Improved communication skills
Inter-personal and social skills
Appreciation for diverse viewpoints
Sharing of real-life experiences
Increased confidence and motivation
Satisfaction for contributing to the learning of
others
Better academic achievements
(Steel et al., 2013; Jones, 2008; Weaver, 2005)
4
Barriers to In-class Participation
Particularly among Asian students:
Low language proficiency
Shyness/ introvertness
Lack of confidence
Pressure to out-perform other students (academic
competition)
Respect for hierarchy and authority (instructors)
Lack of depth in relationship with classmates
Self-centeredness
Limited socialization opportunities
(Ong et al., 2011; Majid et al., 2010; Lee, 2009)
5
Study-based Online Discussion Boards
• 24/7 availability
• More effective for students:
(Majid et al, 2010)
– With limited language proficiency
– More time to gather and express ideas
– Less stressful for shy and introvert students
• A positive relationship between the frequency of
participation and final marks (Green et al., 2014)
• Encouragement by instructors can result in high
number of posts by students (Kim, 2013)
6
Motivation & Scope of the Study
Students are likely to develop and carry
knowledge sharing attitude & behavior
to their workplaces.
1.
To investigate students’ preference and
frequency of participation in F2F and
ODBs.
2.
Factors likely to either motivate or create
barriers to knowledge sharing.
7
Method
Study population: Post-graduate students
from two big public universities in Singapore
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Graduate students were preferred because:
More matured and likely to be involved in:
Class discussions, case study analyses, group
projects, and other collaborative activities.
Data collection: A pre-tested questionnaire
was used and 154 students participated
8
Demographics
University
Gender
• Female: 51.6%
• Male:
48.4%
• NTU: 59.7%
• NUS: 40.3%
Age Groups
•
•
•
•
< 26 years:
26-30 years:
31-35 years:
> 35 years:
26.0%
36.0%
24.0%
14.0%
Nationality
•
•
•
•
Singaporean:
Chinese:
Indian:
Others:
41.2%
28.8%
11.4%
18.6%
Subject Areas:
Communication; Information Studies; Business;
KM; Information Systems; Engineering
9
Preferred Communication Mode for KS
Equal
Likeliness
(23.4%)
Face-to-Face
(50.6%)
ODB
(26.0%)
10
Preferred Communication Modes by Country
Country
N
Preferred Communication Mode
F2F
ODB
Both
Singapore
63
42.9%
31.7%
25.4%
China
44
56.8%
22.7%
20.5%
India
17
70.6%
17.6%
11.8%
Myanmar
11
27.3%
63.6%
9.1%
Malaysia
6
33.3%
16.7%
50.0%
13
69.2%
7.7&
23.1%
Other countries
11
Frequency of Knowledge Sharing
Country
N
Singapore
F2F Participation
Postings in ODB
Mean
SD
Mean
SD
63
3.59
1.213
2.54
1.013
India
17
3.41
1.326
2.24
0.664
China
44
3.32
1.116
2.55
1.229
Myanmar
11
3.09
1.375
3.36
1.206
Malaysia
6
3.00
1.095
2.33
0.816
Other
countries
13
2.92
0.954
2.31
0.947
154
3.38
1.189
2.54
1.067
Total
12
Motivators for F2F Knowledge Sharing
S.
No.
Motivating factors
1 Allows immediate feedback on ideas
2 Helps capture body language and
facial expressions of participants
3 Contribution can easily be recognized
by professors
4 Encouragement from professors and
classmates
5 Helps build trust relationship with
classmates
6 Enhances spoken English proficiency
7 Helps students earn marks for class
participation
N
Mean
(1-5)
SD
154
4.21
.636
154
4.03
.800
154
3.97
.779
154
3.95
.717
154
3.95
.811
154
3.80
.903
153
3.72
.839
13
Motivators for Participation in ODB
S.
Motivating Factors
No.
1 More time to gather & conceptualize
ideas
2 Provides a tangible evidence for class
contribution
3 Students can interact conveniently on
24/7 basis
4 Easy to share URLs, documents and
references
5 Encourages to contribute in a
thoughtful manner
6 Students are more likely to utilize
critical thinking skills
7 Develop stronger class community
N
Mean
(1-5)
SD
154 3.96
.635
154 3.82
.751
154 3.77
.862
154 3.73
.776
153 3.67
.768
154 3.63
.855
152 3.24
.956
14
Barriers to F2F Knowledge Sharing
S.
Barriers
No.
1 Shyness and introvert personality
N
Mean
(1-5)
SD
153
4.21
.685
2
Poor language proficiency
154
3.95
.877
3
Poor communication skills
154
3.90
.864
4
Fear of giving opposing/wrong comments
153
3.84
.831
5
Talkative students dominate discussions
154
3.66
.998
6
Unable to understand professor or
classmates’ accent
154
3.51
.951
Limited time for class discussion
154
3.46
.957
Afraid of not getting enough attention
from classmates
154
3.37
.977
Lack of incentives (e.g. marks)
153
3.07
.971
7
8
9
15
Barriers to Participation in ODB
S.
Barriers
No.
1 Insufficient time to read multi-threads
before giving a response
2 Fear of criticism for posting wrong info.
N
Mean
(1-5)
SD
154
3.44
.914
154
3.23
.982
3 Discussion dominated by some students
154
3.19
.929
4 Lack of incentives (e.g. marks)
154
3.09
.999
5 Limited writing skills
153
3.01
.873
6 Fear of opposing comments from others
153
3.00
.960
7 Poor reading comprehension
154
2.99
.900
8 Unfamiliarity with the features of ODF
154
2.90
.991
9 Slow internet connection
152
2.48
.996
16
Suggestion for Improving F2F Sharing
S.
No.
Suggestions
No.
1
More incentives for participation (e.g. marks)
28
2
More encouragement from professors/ classmates
22
3
Create a friendly and supportive environment
20
4
Make class participation compulsory for students
17
5
More small group discussions
14
6
Give sufficient time for class discussions
13
7
Select interesting topics for discussions
13
8
Provide chance for everyone to speak in class
9
17
Suggestion for Improving Sharing in ODB
S.
Suggestions
No.
1 More incentives for online participation (e.g.
2
3
marks)
Make online participation compulsory for all
students
No.
28
20
Develop a user-friendly interface
18
4
Encourage in-depth discussion and follow-ups
16
5
Select interesting discussion topics
12
6
More encouragement from professors and
classmates
5
18
Conclusion
Students were well aware of the importance of
knowledge sharing through F2F and ODB.
Several barriers were limiting knowledge
sharing among students which should be
minimized.
Appropriate use of F2F and ODB can make the
knowledge sharing process more interactive,
interesting and engaging.
19
Students’ Perceptions & Preferences for
Knowledge Sharing
Shaheen Majid
asmajid@ntu.edu.sg
20