Using Social Media for Research: The Role of Interactivity, Collaborative Learning, and Engagement on the Performance of Students in Malaysian Post-Secondary Institutes

Abstract

A great deal of research has been conducted regarding the effect of social media on research. However, only a few of these studies have examined the collaborative use of social media as a way to improve the performance of students. Both students and supervisors have expanded their use of social media and understanding how social media can be used to instigate improvements through collaborative learning must be investigated. We conducted a survey of two universities in Malaysia. The goal of this study was to identify the characteristics and factors of social media that improve the academic performance of post-secondary students and students through collaborative learning. Four hundred and twenty-six responses were received from the Malaysian universities surveyed. IBM SPSS and Amos were used to analyze the data. We used a constructivism theory to further explore the data. The results demonstrated that collaborative learning and engagement using social media had a significant and positive affect on the interactions and engagement of members and supervisors of research groups in Malaysian universities.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5s2p536