EXAMINING FACTORS AFFECTING KNOWLEDGE SHARING BEHAVIOUR ON SOCIAL MEDIA OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is crucial for students’ learning process, yet can be an issue for some reasons, as students often refuse to share their knowledge with others. There are various personal, social and technological factors that can affect students’ knowledge sharing behaviour on social media. Hence, this study aims to investigate the factors affecting knowledge sharing behaviour among postgraduate students in Malaysia through the lens of Theory of Planned Behaviour Model and Social Cognitive Theory. This study adopted a quantitative research design and used a survey questionnaire via Google Form as its data collection technique. Simple random sampling was used, and data was collected from 406 postgraduate students in Malaysia, including from Sabah and Sarawak. Data were analysed using SPSS to construct the findings. The findings demonstrate that all independent variables (usefulness, ease of access, reputation enhancement, enjoyment in helping, sense of belonging, social interaction, trust and reciprocity) significantly affect postgraduate students’ knowledge sharing behaviour on social media. Sense of belonging and reciprocity have a strong positive relationship with knowledge sharing behaviour. Whereas, usefulness, ease of access, reputation enhancement, enjoyment in helping, trust and social interaction have a moderate positive relationship with knowledge sharing behaviour. The findings of this study may have various implications for higher education institutions (HEI) and corporate organisations, where knowledge sharing behaviour is essential for academic performance and organisational success. However, this study only used the questionnaire given to obtain data from the respondents without asking for further clarifications or any additional comments from them. Although it is convenient and easy to analyse, the questionnaire does not allow researchers to gain a deeper understanding of respondents’ motivations to share their knowledge on social media. Therefore, future studies may include qualitative research such as structured observation and interviews. A longitudinal study is also recommended for this future study.