scholarly journals Students’ Attitudes toward the Use of Technology in Online Courses

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Majed Alharthi
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
University Students ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Interactive Learning Environment ◽  
Students Attitudes

The learning environment in 21st century schools has become the focus of attention for specialists in the educational field by equipping them with the right technologies to create an attractive and interactive learning environment. The purpose of this study was to find out university students’ attitudes toward technologies used in online courses and how employing these technologies benefit the learning environment. This paper reports the results of a quantitative research study examining university students’ attitudes toward technologies used in online courses. A total of 496 eligible students (268 male and 228 female) participated in the online survey through Social Networking Sites (SNS). This study found that, because of the complexity of the technologies used in these online courses, university students experienced difficulties using these tools and needed additional experience prior to their use in the online courses. The findings revealed that the most activities used in online courses in universities have largely focused on reading materials and online discussion forums, unlike other activities such as audio, social networking, online conferencing and games has not been widely used.

Social Media A Tool for Social and Political Inclusion among Youth: A Study of Indian University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-89
Author(s):  
Satish Kumar ◽  
Amit Sharma ◽  
Varinder Verma
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
University Students ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Survey Method

Social Media is an important tool for sharing information and communication among the people. Mobile Applications enable these social networking sites (SNS) to send and receive info-content to the target audience. Especially, University students in the country today use SNS extensively for information and entertainment needs. Social media is playing a crucial role in social and political awareness for inclusive development. The study focuses on how social networking apps help in fulfilling the social needs of youth? What are the effects of social media on studies of university students? How do political parties use SNS apps for youth? And how mobile apps are contributing to the Digital India movement? A survey method was used for quantitative research methodology with a stratified random sampling of 100 university students of two state university of Haryana. The study reveals that students consider mobile apps help in socially connected with well known, to whom they are meeting personally and they feel happy for sharing their thoughts. It also explains the use of social media can create a negative effect on studies. Political parties and political leaders are targeting youth for their propaganda and agenda-setting through mobile apps. In the Digital India movement mobile apps are empowering youth for inclusive development.

scholarly journals Could Smart Tourists Be Sustainable and Responsible as Well? The Contribution of Social Networking Sites to Improving Their Sustainable and Responsible Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiwei Shen ◽  
Marios Sotiriadis ◽  
Qing Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Responsible Behavior ◽  
Tourism Destinations ◽  
Smart Technologies ◽  
Smart Tourism

A key strategic aim of tourism destinations within the smart tourism paradigm is to achieve efficient, responsible and sustainable use of tourism resources. This aim can be achieved by promoting the appropriate practices and making tourists co-managers, co-designers and co-creators of tourism experiences. This paper argues that smart tourism destinations should manage their resources in a sustainable way and that smart technologies can make their contribution. Could a smart technology such as social media/social networking sites make a contribution to sustainable tourism within the smart tourism paradigm? To address this research question, a project was carried out to explore the perceptions and attitudes of Chinese tourist consumers about the contribution of social networking sites to adopting a sustainable and responsible behavior within the context of a smart tourism framework. First a research framework encompassing three hypotheses related to the influence of social networking sites at the three main stages of the travel cycle/tourist journey was designed. An exploratory quantitative research was then carried out using the online survey technique. The study’s findings indicate that the use of social networking sites influences the smart tourists at all three stages on adoption of sustainable and responsible behavior, the most significant influence is at the first two stages. The article is completed by discussing the related conclusions and management implications in the smart tourism management framework.

scholarly journals To post or not to post? Exploring the motivations behind brand-related engagement types on social networking sites

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevil Yesiloglu ◽  
Juliet Memery ◽  
Chris Chapleo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Media Channels

PurposeThis study aims to investigate consumer motivations behind brand-related engagement on social media by exploring three different engagement types: consuming, contributing (to) and creating. Previous research suggests that many brands seek to engage with consumers via communications on social networking sites; however, most focus on quantitative metrics and measurement tools to evaluate such behaviour and so offer limited understanding and guidance. To address this gap, the current study utilises a mixed-method approach to investigate the motivations behind each brand-related engagement type to provide deeper insight into what motivates consumers to engage with brand-related posts on social networking sites. This study also aims to investigate whether the motivations between different engagement types exist and whether these vary between brands and other people's brand-related posts.Design/methodology/approachA two-phase integrated qualitative–quantitative research design was utilised. Twelve semi-structured interviews explored the range of consumers' brand engagement motivations before an online survey (N = 225) identified and confirmed the motivational similarities and differences between the three brand-related engagement types.FindingsDifferent motives influence each brand-related engagement type, bar the “enjoyment” motive, which triggers all three engagement types. Of particular interest is the identification of a new motive for engagement-seeking compensation that influences negative brand-related engagement.Practical implicationsThrough understanding what motivates consumers to consume, contribute and create, brands can tailor their marketing messages to each different brand-related engagement type. This will increase their engagement with consumers on social networking sites, as specific segments can be created by the brand to enhance their targeting strategies based on consumers' differing motivations within social media channels.Originality/valueThis study contributes a much-needed framework of motivations for brand-related engagement on social media, recognising variations in motivations by type of engagement (consume, contribute (to), create).

scholarly journals The Potential for Facebook Application in Undergraduate Learning: A Study of Jordanian Students

10.28945/2283 ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 081-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman Alarabiat ◽  
Samer Al-Mohammad
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Higher Institutions ◽  
Potential Use

The purpose of this paper was to explore the current and potential use of Facebook for learning purposes by Jordanian university students. The paper attempted to compare such use with other uses of Facebook. Further, the paper investigated Jordanian university students’ attitudes towards using Facebook as a formal academic tool, through the use of course-specific Facebook groups. To that end, quantitative data were collected from a sample of 451 students from three Jordanian public universities. Findings indicated that the vast majority of Jordanian students had Facebook accounts, which echoes its popularity amongst Jordanian youth compared to other types of online social networking sites. While both “social activities” and “entertainment” were the primary motivators for Jordanian students to create and use Facebook accounts, a growing number of them were using Facebook for academic purposes too. Further, Jordanian students had a positive attitude toward the use of “Facebook groups” as an educational tool for specific courses, and under specific conditions. Based on its findings, the paper provides suggestions for Jordanian higher institutions to invest in the application of Facebook as a formal academic tool.

scholarly journals The Interplay of Online Network Homogeneity, Populist Attitudes, and Conspiratorial Beliefs: Empirical Evidence From a Survey on German Facebook Users

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Cargnino
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Process Information ◽  
Negatively Associated

Abstract Social networking sites are suspected to impede the communication between members of different political camps and thereby increase network homogeneity. This homogeneity can be a result of humans’ tendency to process information in confirmatory ways—a characteristic which is also ascribed to populist citizens and those who hold conspiratorial beliefs. It is hypothesized that populist views and conspiratorial beliefs are associated with higher exposure to like-minded information within Facebook. An online survey with German Facebook users (N = 469) revealed that populist attitudes are positively associated with conspiratorial beliefs but negatively associated with homogeneity. Conspiratorial beliefs are unrelated to homogeneity. Findings are discussed in the light of extant research.

scholarly journals #SocialMedia: Exploring the Relationship of Social Networking Sites on Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Eating Disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630511770440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Santarossa ◽  
Sarah J. Woodruff
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Dependent Relationship ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study was to investigate whether problematic social networking site (SNS) use (i.e., degree of dependent relationship with SNSs), total SNS time/day, total SNS friends, and specific SNS activities were related to body image (BI), self-esteem (SE), and eating disorder (ED) symptoms/concerns. A sample of young adults ( N = 147) completed an online survey which measured SNS usage, problematic SNS use, BI, SE, and ED symptom/concerns. The findings revealed that females and males spent 4.1 ± 3.9 and 2.9 ± 2.8 hr on SNS, respectively, with the majority of time spent lurking (i.e., looking at another users’ profile but not actually communicating with them). Furthermore, problematic SNS use was found to be related to BI, SE, and ED symptoms/concerns. Moreover, SNS activities, such as lurking and posting comments on others’ profiles, were found to be related to BI, whereas SNS total time was found to be related to ED symptoms/concerns. Overall, this study demonstrates the possible correlational influence of SNSs on BI, SE, and ED symptoms/concerns.

Connecting and being connected: investigating friending practices across multiple social networking sites

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien Wen Yuan ◽  
Yu-Hao Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Relationship Maintenance ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bonding Social Capital ◽  
Amazon's Mechanical Turk

PurposeSocial networking sites (SNSs) offer people the possibility of maintaining larger networks of social ties, which also entails more complex relationship maintenance across multiple platforms. Whom to “friend” and via which platform can involve complex deliberations. This study investigates the relationships between users' perceived friending affordances of five popular SNSs (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and LinkedIn) and their friending behaviors concerning strong ties, weak ties (existing and latent ties) and parasocial ties.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey using Qualtrics was provided to participants (N = 626) through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The survey asked their SNS use and their friending behaviors with different ties on each of the sites.FindingsUsers' friending decisions are dependent on an interplay of socio-technical affordances of each SNS and specific needs for the ties. The authors found that the affordances of bridging social capital and enjoyment are aligned with friending weak and parasocial ties, respectively. The affordances of bonding social capital were not valued to friend strong ties.Originality/valueThe study extends the affordance and social capital literature by assessing users' perceived, contextualized SNS affordances in relation to actual communication behaviors in friending different social ties. This approach provides contextualized insights to friending decisions and practices on SNSs.

scholarly journals Perceived value of social networking sites (SNS) in students' expressive participation in social movements

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan D. Borrero ◽  
Shumaila Y. Yousafzai ◽  
Uzma Javed ◽  
Kelly L. Page
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
University Students ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine the beliefs that influence university students to use social networking sites (SNS) for expressive participation in social movements. Design/methodology/approach – The original technology acceptance model (TAM), a quantitative methodological approach, and a survey were used to collect responses from 214 university students in Spain. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed relationships. Findings – Results confirm that the perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of SNS significantly affect a student's intention to use SNS for expressive social participation in social movements, with use intention significantly affecting actual participation. There was no significant moderating effect of students' gender on these relationships. Originality/value – Although there is much discussion in the popular press about how people use SNS, there is no published empirical research on the determinants that contribute to a person's intention to use and actual use of SNS in the context of social movements. This paper is one of the first studies to investigate young people's perception of the SNS usefulness and ease of the use for participation in social movements.

scholarly journals University Students’ Learning Disruption and Affordance in a Contested Learning Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-44
Author(s):  
Siti Nur'Aini
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
University Students ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Social

This study investigates how university students engage with their learning affordances in a contested environment due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This qualitative research employed a case study approach involving 136 participants. Data analysis was conducted using qualitative analysis as a circular process to describe, classify, and perceive the phenomenon and how the learning, affordances, and society were interconnected. The main framework of the research was the theory of affordance and how it was available for university students in their learning environment that changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in the first semester of 2020 through an online survey on Google form. The findings indicate the importance of the social environment to provide affordance for the students to adjust with them. Four kinds of affordances emerged from the study; internet affordance, assignment affordance, domestic affordance, and distance learning affordance. The role of the social environment is definitive in changing how students manage their affordances.

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