Critical success factors for students’ knowledge-sharing behaviors: a comparison between undergraduate, graduate and professional course students

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Purpose The purpose of the research was to explore the critical success factors (CSFs) that enable knowledge-sharing behaviors (KSB) among students and to determine if there are differences in the CSFs that enable KSB among undergraduate, graduate or professional course students. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on primary data collection, surveying 281 students using a multiple-choice Likert-style scale. Findings Researchers found that factors such as knowledge culture (KC), perceived rewards (PR), quality of technology (QT), trust, networking ties (NT) and competitiveness were critical for KSB. In contrast, collective culture, subjective norms (SN) and the ability to share did not significantly impact KSB. The CSFs common among students at different educational levels were KC, PR, trust and competitiveness. KC was more important for undergraduates and professional course students but less significant for graduate students. Additionally, NT and the QT did not impact KSB among undergraduates. Originality/value While several studies have explored CSFs for knowledge-sharing behaviors among students at specific educational levels, there is a lack of comparative empirical research examining KSB and the CSFs affecting students at different educational stages. This study fills a gap in the literature by adopting a comparative approach and presenting common success factors for knowledge sharing among students at various educational levels.