Knowledge sharing among university students - a qualitative study of practices, attitudes and barriers

Knowledge sharing (KS) describes an active and dynamic process in which information and ideas are reciprocally exchanged, amended and reused within a group [2, 8]. Existing literature on this topic mainly focused on knowledge transfer within enterprises or between enterprises and knowledge-creating organizations such as universities. However, formal and informal knowledge exchange within the campus, specifically among students, is also gaining importance, since previous work investigated its value and various benefits. Thus, KS seems to have positive effects on leadership qualities [5] or teamwork skills [9], which are certainly crucial aspects for the future of students. In addition, universities are usually non-profit institutions and offer a trustworthy atmosphere in which the acquisition and exchange of knowledge takes place every day. Thus, it can be assumed that KS among students is different from KS among employees in a company. Previous studies have focused on various factors influencing KS among university students. For instance, it was examined how social media platforms or mobile social apps affect KS among students [1, 5, 9] or how trust within the group impacts KS behavior [2]. Although there have been post pandemic studies on online learning among students [4], research on the impact of the transition to digital university life on KS during the pandemic and its development in this period is very limited [3].

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how KS behavior among students was affected during online studying. Specifically, we want to investigate how the channels and practices, the barriers and the overall attitude and motivation towards KS have changed during the pandemic and how students can be supported. For this purpose, focus groups are conducted with students. In order to determine differences between the various fields of study, students from as many different faculties as possible are included [7]. The students will be split in two groups, one with students who started studying before the pandemic and one with those who have enrolled since the pandemic. This will also allow comparative conclusions to be derived using qualitative content analysis [6].

• Literature research and preparation
• Investigation of existing research methods related to (online) knowledge sharing
• Design and implementation of a focus group study
• Data preparation and analysis
• Discussion and interpretation of the results

• Desk research
• Design, implementation and evaluation of empirical studies
• Know-how in preparing and analyzing qualitative data

[1] Ahmad, A. R., Jameel, A. S., & Raewf, M. (2021). Impact of social networking and technology on knowledge sharing among undergraduate students. International Business Education Journal, 14(1), 1-16.

[2] Brouwer, J., & Jansen, E. (2019). Beyond grades: developing knowledge sharing in learning communities as a graduate attribute. Higher education research & development, 38(2), 219-234.

[3] Horáková, T., & Valentová, V. H. Knowledge Sharing Behavior among University Students during Covid-19 pandemic. In Liberec Economic Forum, 365-374.

[4] Horváth, D., Ásványi, K., Cosovan, A., Csordás, T., Faludi, J., Galla, D., … & Simay, A. E. (2022). Online only: Future outlooks of post-pandemic education based on student experiences of the virtual university. Society and Economy.

[5] Hosen, M., Ogbeibu, S., Giridharan, B., Cham, T. H., Lim, W. M., & Paul, J. (2021). Individual motivation and social media influence on student knowledge sharing and learning performance: Evidence from an emerging economy. Computers & Education, 172, 104262.

[6] Kuckartz, U. (2012). Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Methoden, Praxis, Computerunterstützung. Weinheim Basel: Beltz Juventa.

[7] Lazar, J., Feng, J. H., & Hochheiser, H. (2017). Research methods in human-computer interaction. Morgan Kaufmann, 187-228.

[8] Raza, S. A., Abidi, M., Arsalan, G. M., Shairf, A., & Qureshi, M. A. (2018). The impact of student attitude, trust, subjective norms, motivation and rewards on knowledge sharing attitudes among university students. International Journal of Knowledge and Learning, 12(4), 287-304.

[9] Wang, X., Zhang, R., Xu, D., & Tian, F. (2022). How Do Mobile Social Apps Matter for College Students' Satisfaction in Group-Based Learning? The Mediation of Collaborative Learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 795660-795660.