Use Of Social Networking Tools Research Articles

Using latent variable analysis to capture individual differences in bilingual language experience

Abstract Bilingualism is an experience that varies across a continuum and can change across the lifespan. Psychometric research is an underexplored avenue with the potential to further our understanding of the mechanisms and traits underlying bilingual experiences. Here, we developed and validated a social network questionnaire to measure sociolinguistic features in 212 individuals via personal social network. Confirmatory factor analysis examined the measurement structure of the variables. Compared to a one-factor model, the best fitting model was a two-factor model in which the language experience of the individual (i.e., ego) and the language experience of the individual's network (i.e., alters) were correlated latent factors under which aspects of the bilingual experience loaded. Additional analyses revealed other potential ways to examine the data in future analyses. These results provide the first measurement model of bilingual experiences, and provide support for theoretical accounts suggesting differential neuropsychological outcomes based on individual bilingual variability. The results also support the use of social network tools to capture differences in bilingualism.

Information Sharing for Academic Purposes: A Mixed Method Investigation into the Use of Social Networking Tools for Learning among Undergraduate Students at Kuwait University

ABSTRACTThis study uses an exploratory, sequential mixed method design to explore how Kuwaiti students share academic information using social media. Phase I involved in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 12 undergraduates; in Phase II, 683 students completed online questionnaires. Extensive use of social media, especially WhatsApp groups, was discovered, and the main patterns were providing information, exchanging information, and non‐sharing. Before sharing, students evaluated information accuracy, provided instructions, and reviewed information with others. Motivations for sharing were enjoyment in helping others, mutual interest, enhancing one's reputation, and reciprocity; reasons for non‐sharing included self‐doubt, fear of information being used for cheating, and competition. Class news, summaries, class notes and materials were shared for group projects, written assignments, presentations, and exams. Online leering used during COVID‐19 accelerated sharing behaviors, and older students shared more actively and in more diverse patterns. A new conceptual model was drawn to explain these complex behaviors, and recommendations were provided for supporting them.

Structural Equation Modeling of Educational Use of Facebook among University Students in Pakistan

South Asia, the world's most populous region, has the highest number of young social networking site users. Pakistan has over 40 million young active Facebook users among them. As a result, there is a greater need to explain how young people, particularly students, can use social networking sites like Facebook for educational purposes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate Pakistani students' attitudes, perceptions, and behavior toward Facebook, as well as how they use the platform for learning purposes. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey at three Pakistani universities. The study included a sample of 1050 students who were Facebook users and were selected randomly. We developed a structural equational model to outline the relationships between different types of independent and dependent variables. We used appropriate fitting indices such as the goodness of fit index (GFI), comparative fit index (CFI), and non-normal fit index (NFI) to test our model. The proposed model's results confirmed the hypothesized latent structures as well as the theoretical validity of the probed factors. The study's findings may be useful in better understanding the educational use of social networking tools in Asian and non-western countries.

Structural Equation Modeling of Educational Use of Facebook among University Students in Pakistan

South Asia, the world's most populous region, has the highest number of young social networking site users. Pakistan has over 40 million young active Facebook users among them. As a result, there is a greater need to explain how young people, particularly students, can use social networking sites like Facebook for educational purposes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate Pakistani students' attitudes, perceptions, and behavior toward Facebook, as well as how they use the platform for learning purposes. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey at three Pakistani universities. The study included a sample of 1050 students who were Facebook users and were selected randomly. We developed a structural equational model to outline the relationships between different types of independent and dependent variables. We used appropriate fitting indices such as the goodness of fit index (GFI), comparative fit index (CFI), and non-normal fit index (NFI) to test our model. The proposed model's results confirmed the hypothesized latent structures as well as the theoretical validity of the probed factors. The study's findings may be useful in better understanding the educational use of social networking tools in Asian and non-western countries.

Застосування інструментів соціальних мереж для розвитку туристичної індустрії

The article is devoted to the study of social network tools and their application for the development of the tourism industry. The service sector was one of the first to actively and successfully use social networks for commercial purposes in order to increase the number of consumers of services and, accordingly, receive income from the main activity. Content creation and its expansion, brand recognition and authority; Information channels and integration with state digital services have created special conditions for the tourism and hospitality sectors for their development. The rapid development of the digital economy and information society gives impetus to the development of various spheres and branches of the national economy. The spread of various social communication networks has changed the approaches and tools of doing business. It has been confirmed that the advantages of using digital technologies for conducting business, including tourism, are: accessibility, speed, simplicity, productivity, lower cost, etc. Identified trends in the development of tourism in Ukraine due to digitalization in the tourism industry. The dynamics of the volume of digital tourist services during 2015-2020 were studied. It has been established that the most common social networks are Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and others. Each of these social networks has its own set of tools and methods of contact with consumers. It has been studied that the most popular and widespread tools of social networks are: uploading photos, video and text; commenting and labeling of publications; tracing of traces; messenger (direct message, personal messages, etc.); ppyami efipy; "Stories"; "reels". The article highlights the main advantages of social networks for the development of the tourism industry. Thanks to the use of social network tools, there is a prospect of constant and rapid growth of the audience of potential groups

Characterizing the Digital Culture of Prospective Primary School Teachers

This article aims at characterizing the digital culture of prospective Moroccan primary school teachers during their training. The study was conducted as a survey on a sample of prospective primary school teachers from Morocco. A descriptive frequency analysis was performed using SPSS. The results show that this digital culture is rooted more considerably in their personal use of different technological tools or resources. The article analyzes the resources of digital culture through the objectives of digital practices of prospective teachers and the motivations underlying their choice of a specific digital tool and practice. The digital practices of prospective teachers are marked by frequent use of social networks and a low tendency to make use of institutional platforms and their trainers’ blogs. The analysis highlights the nature of the environments, services, and digital resources manipulated by prospective teachers during their training. It also sheds light on the role of this digital culture in the content preparation activities of these potential teachers, as well as the resources produced by them and by their trainers. The preparation of pedagogical content often makes use of social network tools, while educational tools are in average use. Finally, the results show that these exchanges are dominated by WhatsApp, Google Drive, and e-mail; however, the use of the WhatsApp application is more prevalent when interacting with trainers.

School Libraries and Social Networks

After a brief introduction to social networks, considered as one of the key tools of web 2.0, the paper deals with the possible uses of social networks and social network applications by school libraries. Social networks are widely used by students, and the range of tools available (or to be implemented) within social‐networks is steadily growing. Among them, of special interest for school libraries are 'social reading' and content sharing applications. The paper advocates an active use of social network tools and applications by school libraries, and contrasts such an active use with the simple ‘placeholder’ pages usually implemented both by school and by university libraries. Web 2.0, social networks, social reading, school libraries

Social Web Applications as Means to Enhance Lifelong Learning and Professional Development of Teachers: A Tool to Support Assessment of Their Impact

The application of new technologies in classroom has made the need for constant professional development more important for teachers. They should be able to keep up with the technological development in the classroom. Their professional development includes constant upgrade of their skills and knowledge on how they can meet the needs of their students or address issues derived from ICTs application in classroom. Social Web applications are providing new opportunities to build and gain such professional development by assisting to remain current on skills and issues important for a professional role. Aim of the present work is to contribute to the assessment of impact of Social Web applications for teachers’ professional development by presenting specific case studies and proposing an ICT tool to be used for the collection of useful quantitative indicators supporting this impact assessment. The assesment derived from a specific showcase of its application, provided real case results on the usage of Social Web tools from teachers which could be a useful asset towards the design of teacher training programs for the effective use of social networking tools.

Assessing Faculty’s Use of Social Network Tools in Libyan Higher Education via a Technology Acceptance Model

Recently, many educational institutes are expanding their education delivery methodologies to incorporate online, remote, and flexible learning, which is a strategic response to facilitate and fulfil the increasing demand for access to higher education. Unfortunately, online education requires substantial investments in different online education platforms, technologies, and infrastructure, creating obstacles for realising the online education strategy for many developing countries. In this paper, we argue that we could use social networks as one of the delivery platforms for online education, due to their easy access and popularity among young generations. Therefore, we carried out this study to measure and analyse the acceptance of faculty and educational stakeholders for social networks adoption as an educational delivery platform. Hence, we adapted the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to determine and analyse the factors and variants affecting faculty's acceptance. We used the TAM as an internal variable, and we used privacy, infrastructure, institutional support and access devices as external variables to assess the faculty needs for adopting social networks into educational settings. The study examined 14 hypotheses corresponding to these factors using data collected from 382 respondents in six different universities within Libya, performing structural equation modelling, descriptive analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results show that privacy, institutional support, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were seen to have a significant effect on behavioural intention. Additionally, perceived ease of use and behavioural intention contributed significantly towards the actual usage of social networks. The results also show that faculty and educational stakeholders have not provided enough for institutions or encouraged the use of social networks within the context of educational institutions across Libya.

Do social networking applications support the antecedents of knowledge sharing practices?

Purpose Many organizations are struggling to achieve competitiveness due to lack of knowledge sharing (KS) practices. The sustainability of the service sector is linked to KS practices and creativity. Therefore, to survive in a dynamic business environment, universities have to formulate and implement such practices and innovative learning systems. This paper aims to highlight how social media networking apps can be used efficiently and effectively to support the antecedents of KS among the employees in public and private universities. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a positivistic approach and a quantitative research design. A survey was carried out with employees at public and private universities. The respondents were chosen based on simple random sampling with the purpose of increasing the validity and generalizability of the results in the context of university settings and for other sectors as well. Findings Certain individual and organizational factors have been found, which have been supported by social networking tools. These factors can enhance KS practices, such as informal relationships and social networking, effective communication and collaboration, mutual trust and the intention to share knowledge, the KS culture and new ideas. The results of this study reveal that social networking applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, Facebook, Research-gate, YouTube and personal blogs are more productive in supporting the antecedents of KS stated above in university settings. Research limitations/implications Social networking applications have received attention because executives and researchers are increasingly focusing on finding new ways to use social networking tools for business purposes. The effective and efficient use of social networking tools helps organizations to foster knowledge amongst employees to address various critical issues, such as knowledge hoarding, lower levels of skills and knowledge, lower levels of communication and employee involvement, a lack of the intention to share knowledge and resistance toward the adoption of new technology. Originality/value There is rare literature available on how social networking tools can support the antecedents of KS in university settings. Most of such literature has investigated the link between social media and KS using a systematic literature and qualitative research approach. This research is based on empirical study and it is unique as it investigates the hitherto under-researched issue of the adoption of social networking applications to foster the antecedents of KS in university settings.

THE LIBRARY IS A MULTI-VECTOR NAVIGATOR IN THE SOCIAL-COMMUNICATION SPACE OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The article reflects the use of information and communication technologies for the effective implementation of the tasks of the library of a modern higher educational institution. The emphasis is on the social and communicative aspect of the university library. The main directions of harmonization of the use ofsocial and communication technologies in the library user system are shown. The specifics and communication capabilities of the library are revealed in the context of widespread use of social networking tools. The experience of the library of Vinnitsa Pedagogical University is presented. The importance of the scientific activity of the library, the need to increase the presence of Ukrainian science in the global scientific information space and strengthen its influence in the world, the importance of studying the results of the implementation of innovative communication initiatives, the use of scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, analogy, comparison, forecasting are shown. Also shown is the relevance of the development of information and library services for research and development, improving the ranking of the university. The library provides effective information support for professional self-education, selfeducation and self-development. Innovative changes in the library are based on the project, personnel management, initiative activities of library staff and support from the administration and the rector. Particular attention is paid to the importance of mass events in the social and communication space of the university and the library, the introduction of new forms and methods of mass library activities, the expansion of partnerships and cooperation with various organizations, libraries, scientific and educational institutions.

Network dynamics in collaborative research in the EU, 2003–2017

ABSTRACTA key objective of the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation is the creation of cross-country research networks. We make use of Social Network tools to describe the evolution of the EU research network across countries on the basis of unique data covering collaborative projects launched during the first four years of implementation of Horizon 2020 and its predecessor programmes, the Sixth and Seventh Framework Programme. We describe the positioning of all EU-countries in the collaborative research network, the positioning of the older member EU-15 and the newer member EU-13 countries in particular, and to what extent the network has been subject to change during the period 2003–2017. EU-15 and EU-13 countries have become more integrated, and some organizations fulfil a bridging function in the EU research network. EU-13 countries are more heavily engaged in parts of the programme on lower complexity research activities.

Structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis of social media use and education

The objective of this study is to design a structural equation model and test confirmatory factor analysis system in order to better explain how students could utilize social networking system (Facebook) for educational purposes. Thus, this paper seeks to examine the attitude, perception and behaviour of Japanese students’ towards social-networking sites, and how students from non-English speaking backgrounds (especially Japanese students) at the University of Toyama perceive the use of Facebook for learning English as a foreign language. Our Structural Equation Modelling system based Facebook model outline the relations among different types of independent, dependent variables and constructs. We tested our model using adequate fitting indices like Goodness of Fit Index (GFI), Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Non-Normed Fit Index/Tucker Lewis index (NNFI/TLI) and Incremental Fit Index (IFI). The results of the proposed model confirmed the hypothesized latent structures and theoretical validity of probed factors. Conclusions drawn from this study might be useful to better understand the use of social networking tools in educational context.

PENGARUH PROFESIONALISME, KECERDASAN EMOSIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR TERHADAP KINERJA ANGGOTA DPRD KOTA SORONG

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji, menganalisis danmenginterpretasi : 1) Pengaruh profesionalisme terhadap kinerja kinerja; 2) Pengaruh kecerdasan emosional terhadapkinerja; dan 3) Pengaruh Organizational Citizenship Behavior terhadap kinerja anggota DPRD Kota Sorong. Desain dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kuantitatif dengan menggunakan metode survey dengan sampel 30 orang.Penelitian ini dianalisis dengan software SPSS 25.Kesimpulan dari hasil penelitian ini adalah : 1) Profesionalisme berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja Anggota DPRD Kota Sorong, semakin tinggi tingkat profesionalisme pegawai maka akan meningkatkan kinerjanya sebagai anggota DPRD khususya dalammelaksanakan tugas dan wewenang lain yang diatur dalam ketentuan peraturan perundang-undangan; 2) Kecerdasan emosional berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja Anggota DPRD Kota Sorong,anggota DPRD yang memiliki kecerdasan emosional dapat menggunakan perasaannya secara optimal guna mengenali diri sendiri dan lingkungan sekitarnya, sehingga dapat menyerap aspirasi rakyat dan 3)Organizational citizenzhip behaviorberpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja Anggota DPRD Kota Sorong.Secara umum Anggota DPRD memiliki sikap membantu sesame Anggota DPRD lainnya meskipun tidak menjadi keharusan, dengan cara seperti ini mereka saling membantu untuk meningkatkan kinerjanya dalam melakukan pengawasan terhadap pemerintah Daerah dan menyerap aspirasi rakyat

Uncovering the role of social media and cross-platform applications as tools for knowledge sharing

PurposeLeaders, consultants and researchers are increasingly focused on enhancing the adoption of social networking tools to increase knowledge sharing practices and the success rate of organizations. This study was conducted to explore the adoption of social networking applications in public and private sector universities. This paper aims to discover how social networking applications can foster knowledge sharing practices among employees of universities.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on an interpretivist, qualitative research design using grounded theory. Fifty-two semi-structured and non-directive interviews were undertaken with employees of public and private sector universities. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, and thematic analysis was performed using the NVivo 11-Plus.FindingsThe study highlights how social media networking applications can be used effectively and efficiently to foster knowledge sharing practices in the workplace. Five emerging themes are identified as follows. Social media networking tools can enhance new knowledge, increase employee skills, promote a knowledge sharing culture, foster effective communication and increase employee involvement in research activities.Research limitations/implicationsSocial networking applications have received attention because executives and researchers are increasingly focused on finding new ways to use social networking tools in business. The effective and efficient use of social networking tools helps organizations to foster knowledge amongst employees, and can address various critical issues such as knowledge hoarding, lowers levels of skills and knowledge, poor communication and employee involvement, the lack of desire to share knowledge, and resistance toward technology.Originality/valueA brief systematic literature review on social media and knowledge sharing highlights that only 11 per cent of studies found that examined the link between social media and knowledge sharing practices across the world. The study therefore represents an effort to shed new light on the adoption of social networking tools in the context of knowledge sharing among universities employees. Social media applications have become popular across the world, and the speed of their uptake is evolving rapidly. However, their contribution toward organizational change is not yet known.

Online social networking and subjective well-being: Mediating effects of envy and fatigue

The primary goal in this exploratory study is to test the theoretical relationships between social networking tools (i.e., Wechat), envy, fatigue and emerging adults' well-being. We conducted a survey of 503 Chinese university students who are regular Wechat users. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the extensive use of Wechat had both direct and indirect effects on their well-being and that the association between Wechat use and subjective well-being was mediated by envy. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms through which the use of online social networking tools is related to subjective well-being and suggest the need to attend to the psychological consequences of the extensive use of social networking tools.

A Novel Android Based Application for Collaborative Learning in Colleges

Technology has taken a long leap with the introduction of social platforms like instant messaging applications. The easy accessibility of smartphones and internet connectivity has drastically changed the way in which we communicate today. Apart from making instant communication possible, it also has an untapped potential of providing a platform for collaborative learning. Collaborative learning involves the use of social networking tools to enhance the learning process between teachers and students by enabling the sharing of valuable information, study materials, etc. In this paper, we propose a new Android-based application tailored to fulfill the needs of real-time information dissemination in our college as well as for effective sharing of study material between teachers and students by overcoming the drawbacks of the existing systems. Traditionally, all information pertaining to student’s academics are displayed on notice boards or carried out manually which is both time-consuming and laborious. Moreover, there is a lack of a proper channel for sending urgent updates to students. This paper discusses the design and benefits of the proposed Android application and how it successfully caters to the need of academic information dissemination in our college.

A Framework of Promoting Government Services using Social Media: Sudan E-Government Case Study

The world has seen in recent years a somewhat social communication among people in the virtual space. In addition, it has had a great influence on political and social conditions, especially in the Middle East and North Africa. It was necessary to take advantage of the potential of these technologies in the development of the services provided by the government to its citizen. The governments in the region began to adopt the use of social networking tools, concepts of community participation and collective solutions with the aim to support the countries’ development sustainability. As many countries have adopted the concepts of citizen involvement as a key element in the provision of government services, this paper presents a framework on how to use the social network to upgrade and optimize the government services. Sudan is selected as a case study as one of the least developed countries in the region where E-Government application is just beginning.

Use of social networking tools and services among research scholars at the University of Kerala

The study investigates the scholarly use of social networking tools and services by the doctoral students at the University of Kerala. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from a population of 649 full-time doctoral students from different departments of the university. The analysis revealed that most of the researchers were daily users of the internet for 'research purposes' and 'email' is the most preferred social networking services preferred by them. Statistical analysis shows that the majority of the social networking tools and services have no significant difference with the gender of researchers except in the use of blogging service. It was also revealed that there is a significant difference in the use of social networking tools and services by the researchers with respect to their faculty. The major obstacles faced by research scholars are 'overload of information' the study provides useful insight to promote the use of social networking tools and services among the research scholars in the University of Kerala.

Understanding the Role of Micro-Blogging in B-Learning Activities: Kelluwen Experiences in Chilean Public Schools

With the goal of incorporating the use of social network tools into the formal curriculum of public schools in Chile, Kelluwen developed a b-learning approach in which students work in groups and engage in peer review dynamics. To support such activities, the Kelluwen platform provides a complementary micro-blogging tool called Worklog. In this study, we analyze data collected from Worklog messages generated by 101 cohorts of students from different schools and different levels, who participated in Kelluwen activities. We first used machine learning techniques to discover three types of messages which coincide with three dialogic functions; referential, phatic, and emotional. We then analyze how different factors of the cohort and group setup relate to the presence of different dialogic functions in Worklog. Results show the positive effect of pairing groups of students from different schools, and the positive influence of teacher participation. Our work contributes to the discussion on the role of technological social tools on the implementation of complex b-learning activities in schools, as well as demonstrating how automatic and semi-automatic data analysis techniques can be used to better understand such complex interventions.