Investigating the interplay between social presence, motivation, and knowledge sharing behaviour in virtual learning environment

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between social presence, motivation, and knowledge sharing behaviour in the virtual learning environment. Sample for this research were 150 university students participated in online class sessions. A quantitative analysis was conducted by Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Partial Least Square (PLS) methods. The result showed that (1) there are positive effects between social presence on intrinsic motivation and knowledge sharing behaviour, (2) there is a positive effect between intrinsic motivation and knowledge sharing behaviour, (3) intrinsic motivation partially mediated the relationship between social presence and knowledge sharing behaviour, and (4) extrinsic motivation acts as predictor moderator on the relationship between social presence, intrinsic motivation, and knowledge sharing behaviour. These results implied the importance of students’ motivation and social presence perception to foster knowledge sharing in the mediated learning environment.