Applying communication theory to structure and evaluate the social media platforms in academia

Abstract

The aim of this research was to reduce the dissimilarities in the literature regarding the use of social media platforms (SMPs) for training and its impact on students’ satisfaction and academic performance in higher education institutions. The main method of data collection for Communication Theory (CT) was a questionnaire survey. This research hypothesizes that CT applied to social media platforms for learning will affect online communication, motives to communicate, communication self-efficacy and attitude towards usethat in turn improve students’ satisfaction and students’ academic performance. The data collection questionnaire was conducted with 309 students familiar with social media platforms. Quantitative structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the results. A significant relationship was found between online communication, motives to communicate, communication self-efficacy and attitude towards usefeatures with TC for utilizing social media platforms for academic purposes that positively affected satisfaction and academic performance. Therefore, the study indicates that TC theory to use social media improve the collaborative learning of students and enable them to efficiently share knowledge, information, and discussions. We recommend that students utilize social media platforms in pursuit of their educational goals. Educators should also be persuaded to incorporate social media platforms into their classes at higher education institutions.