The motivators of students' behavioral intention towards online discussion forum participation

Abstract

Online discussion forum (ODF) has been touted to enrich the process of acquiring, sharing and exchanging knowledge among students and has increasingly being utilized to complement the conventional ways of teaching. Despite the widespread recognition of the benefits brought about by ODF, antecedent evidence indicates that the forum may not be utilized to its full potential due to lower than expected student participation. Drawing on the literature in social psychology and technology adoption and applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this research seeks to identify the motivational behavioral factors influencing the student's intention to participate in ODF. A two-phase research process was adopted: first of which involved the usage of qualitative survey data and extensive literature review to build the conceptual model of ODF participation intention. Subsequently, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to empirically test the model. Results were analyzed and implications were discussed.