Low, W W and Wong, K S (2023) The status quo of facebook usage among young generations in civil engineering education. International Journal of Construction Management, 23(9), pp. 1471-1483. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is known to be slow in technology adoption. Higher education is an industry that well-placed to assist the AEC industry to move towards digital transformation. Given the popularity of Facebook among generations Y (ages 28–42 years old) and Z (ages 13–27 years old), Facebook could be an innovative learning and teaching platform in higher education. Although research on Facebook usage has been studied extensively in the past, users' behaviour tends to evolve with the emergence of new social media and new features. Hence, this study aims to explore the current state of Facebook usage among civil engineering undergraduate students. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey. Results of questionnaire discovered that Facebook usage among civil engineering students could be categorized into four groups, namely: 'Fulfill basic needs of psychological health', 'Personal enhancement/life long learning', 'Maintaining social connectivity' and 'Engaging for academic achievement'. In conclusion, Facebook is a viable and preferable choice of a learning and teaching platform among younger generations. Educators can consider exploring further the benefits and limitations of using Facebook in improving students' learning experience and collaborative skills in civil engineering programme in the digitalization era.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | e-learning; engineering; Facebook; higher education; social media |
| Index terms: | emergence, psychological health, questionnaire, e-learning, programme, survey, digitalization, connectivity, academic achievement, technology adoption, learning experience, social media, undergraduate, higher education, engineering education, transformation, platform |
| Subjects: | learning methods, data collection methods, business, curriculum development, technology adoption, innovation and technology management, digital technology, digital design, educational technology, educational resources, systems engineering, project controls, networking, educational institutions, health conditions and diseases, professional education |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Education, Time Control, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here