Social Networking Sites in Education: Information Sharing Behavior of HEI Faculty in Pangasinan

Abstract

This study sought to discover the information sharing behavior of the faculty members in the selected higher education institutions in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan. The data were analyzed using frequency and percentage, average weighted mean, chi-square, and thematic analysis. It was found out that majority of the respondents are dominated by millennials aged 18-38 years old, male in sex, working under the College of Education in public Higher Education Institution who open or visit Facebook accounts 1-3 times a day. Majority of the respondents were motivated by information retrieval through liking in the areas of education and instruction, news and current events, entertainment, health, and love and family. The study revealed that the age, type of higher education, course group, and frequency of social media usage affect the information sharing behavior of the respondents. Facebook is the most commonly used SNS as a tool for education and instruction. Also, the chatting feature, information sharing feature, and the page feature are the preferences of the respondents that can contribute to the collaboration of teachers. Nevertheless, ethics were the issues raised in the use of Social Networking Sites.