177
International
Review of
Research in
Open and
Distributed
Learning
Volume 16, Number 4
October – 2015
The Role of Social Media for Collaborative
Learning to Improve Academic Performance of
Students and Researchers in Malaysian Higher
Education
Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi, Mohd Shahizan Othman and Lizawati Mi Yusuf
Faculty of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Abstract
Social media is widely considered to improve collaborative learning among students and
researchers. However, there is a surprising lack of empirical research in Malaysian higher
education to improve performance of students and researchers through the
effective use of social
media that facilitates desirable outcomes. Thus, this study offers a review of the
empirical
literature, and its distinctiveness stems from the focus on collaborative learning and engagement
to understand the interactive factors relevant that affect academic performance. This study also
explores factors that contribute to the enhancement of collaborative learning and engagement
through social media. It is unique in that it highlights that the effective use of social media for
collaborative
learning, engagement, and intention to use social media" - a phenomenon that relies
on the theory of social constructivist learning. The findings showed that collaborative learning,
engagement, and intention to use social media positively and
significantly relate to the
interactivity of research group members with peers and research students with supervisors to
improve their academic performance in Malaysian higher education.
