University student social media use and its influence on offline engagement in higher educational communities

Karen E Sutherland; Cindy Davis; Uwe Terton; Irene Visser

doi:10.5204/ssj.v9i2.400

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University student social media use and its influence on offline engagement in higher educational communities

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

University student social media use and its influence on offline engagement in higher educational communities

Karen E Sutherland, Cindy Davis, Uwe Terton and Irene Visser

Student Success, Vol.9(2), pp.13-24

2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.v9i2.400

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Abstract

Communication and Media Studies

Specialist Studies in Education

Previous research has emphasised social media adoption by students and the implementation of social media by educators, yet few studies have explored whether students are using it to facilitate engagement in offline environments with peers within university communities. Studies suggest engagement in educational communities and extra-curricular activities can reduce student attrition. This study surveyed 106 undergraduate students to investigate whether students using social media to interact online with their university felt: (i) connected to the broader university community, and (ii) social media helped them engage offline by meeting up with peers and attending university events. The results indicated that the majority (82%) never or rarely used the technology to facilitate offline engagement within their academic communities. Fourth year students were most likely to use social media to engage offline (66.7%). However, more than half of students (52.8%) felt that university social media profiles helped them to feel part of their academic community.

Details

Title: University student social media use and its influence on offline engagement in higher educational communities
Authors: Karen E Sutherland (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Cindy Davis (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Uwe Terton (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Irene Visser (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Publication details: Student Success, Vol.9(2), pp.13-24
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
Date published: 2018
DOI: 10.5204/ssj.v9i2.400
ISSN: 2205-0795
Copyright note: Copyright © 2018 The Author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. As an open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Creative Industries - Legacy; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450991702621
Output Type: Journal article

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