Facebook intensity, community factors, academic performance and social capital: the moderating role of individual differences

• Main Author: Ahmed, Mohamed Idries
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English; English; English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: LB2300 Higher Education
• Online Access: https://etd.uum.edu.my/8825/1/Depositpermission_not%20allow_s93749.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/8825/2/s93749_01.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/8825/3/s93749_02.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/8825/4/s93749_references.docx; https://etd.uum.edu.my/8825/

Academic Performance and Social Capital of the undergraduates are two interrelated and critical issues which can define the efficacy of social and academic activities of students at their universities. Additionally, Individual Differences are personal traits that are believed to be the determinants of individuals’ dispositions to participate in relationships and engagements. However, few studies have adopted a holistic approach to determine the direct role of online social network activities such as Facebook Intensity, and Community Factors on both Academic Performance and Social Capital of university students. Thus, this study attempted to conduct a crosssectional survey using self-administered questionnaires which were distributed to 518 undergraduate students at the University of Sirte, Libya. The data was analyzed using various analytical techniques including descriptive statistics, preliminary and inferential analyses by using SPSS and PLS-SEM. The results revealed that Facebook Intensity and Community Factors significantly relate to Social Capital. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between Facebook Intensity, Community Factors and Academic Performance. The findings also revealed that Individual Differences significantly moderated the relationship between Facebook Intensity, Community Factors and Academic Performance. However, the findings of the study could not establish a significant moderating role of Individual Differences on the relationship between Facebook Intensity, Community Factors and Social Capital. This study concludes that the intensity of Facebook Usage among university students and the interactions maintained by students can be used to develop Social Capital. Also, university students with good social communications skills and high self-esteem will benefit from interactions with lecturers and peers and these benefits will certainly enhance their Academic Performance. In sum, this study implies that, Facebook despite being a social media platform can enhance students’ Individual Differences and leaves a positive impact on their Academic Performance.