STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING
THROUGH CLASS PARTICIPATION
Shaheen Majid, Aye Aye Mon, Chan Myae Soe and Soe Min Htut
Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University
Singapore, Republic of Singapore
Keywords: Students, Knowledge sharing, Class participation, Benefits, Barriers.
Abstract: Knowledge sharing is a key to effective learning. Students with positive attitude towards knowledge sharing
are likely to take this behaviour to their workplace which could help achieve organizational knowledge
management goals. The main objective of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of class
participation and its benefits, barriers to their participation, and the motivational factors that may improve
their knowledge sharing. A pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection, and 188 post-graduate
students from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore participated in it. A majority of the students
were aware of the benefits of knowledge sharing in their learning process as it provides an opportunity to
listen to and appreciate diverse viewpoints, develop social and communication skills, and learn how to
organize and present their ideas. The major barriers to class participation were: low English language
proficiency, cultural barriers, shyness, and lack of confidence. This paper also provides some suggestions
for improving effectiveness of class participation, particularly in the Asian context. It also highlights the
role of instructors in helping and motivating students to overcome their fear of public speaking as well as to
use this avenue for refining their communication skills.
1 INTRODUCTION
Many institutions of higher education use innovative
pedagogical approaches for imparting knowledge to
their students. Collaborative learning, also called
peer learning, is one of the popular techniques, and
active knowledge sharing is considered an essential
element of this technique. As compared to other
approaches, collaborative learning creates a more
conducive learning environment which makes
learning more interactive, interesting and engaging.
Many class participation and knowledge sharing
activities, such as expressing personal opinion on
the topic under discussion, answering instructor’s
questions, sharing work-related or personal
experiences, participation in small group
discussions, and student presentations, contribute to
their learning process. Active class participation
also helps students develop certain useful skills such
as better communication skills, social skills,
presentation skills, and thinking and reasoning skills
(Gilliam, 2002). Some other benefits of peers
learning include higher student motivation and
achievements, greater comprehension and retention
of knowledge, critical and innovative thinking, and
encouragement for knowledge sharing (Boud,
Cohen and Sampson, 2001).
Knowledge sharing and collective learning also
enhance confidence and motivation level of students
as they realize that they can contribute to the
learning of others, and they also feel a sense of
responsibility, pride and accomplishment. It also
helps them to learn how to present their ideas
logically, effectively, and in a convincing manner
(Majid and Tina, 2009).
Through in-class knowledge sharing, students
can be stimulated to learn from each other’s real life
experiences, instead of just memorizing certain facts
and recalling them during examinations (Wilson,
Pollock and Hamann, 2007). Students can present
their thoughts and viewpoints, and in return, receive
feedback from the instructor as well as classmates to
assess the usefulness of their ideas (Jones, 2008).
Weaver and Qi (2005) found that those students
who actively participate in class discussions are
likely to learn more than those who do not.
250
Majid S., Mon A., Myae Soe C. and Min Htut S..
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING THROUGH CLASS PARTICIPATION.
DOI: 10.5220/0003685002500257
In Proceedings of the International Conference on Knowledge Management and Information Sharing (KMIS-2011), pages 250-257
ISBN: 978-989-8425-81-2
Copyright
c
 2011 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

It is understandable that the full benefits of peer
and interactive learning can only be achieved if
students fully understand and appreciate the role and
value of knowledge sharing through class
participation. Some studies suggest that Asian
students participate in class discussions less
actively, particularly if the medium of instruction is
other than their mother tongue. Chu and Kim (1999)
claimed that culture plays an important role in
determining the way students perceive class
participation. Some reasons given for limited class
participation by Japanese and Chinese students were
respect for hierarchy and authority, perception of
humility and conformance as virtues, and “face
protection”. Tani (2008) felt this attitude among
Asian students was due to strict student-teacher
behavioral norms, where students were not expected
to ask questions or present a different viewpoint.
Majid, et al (2010) reported that the knowledge
sharing barriers faced by local and overseas students
in Singapore were: low English language
proficiency, cultural barriers, shyness, and lack of
confidence.
Some studies have also investigated the impact
of certain factors on knowledge and information
sharing by students. Megan (2001) noted that male
students put forward their opinions and ideas more
frequently than females. However, Fritschner (2000)
reported that female students are more likely to
participate in senior classes. Similarly, older and
more mature students usually participate more
actively in class than younger students (Howard and
Baird, 2000). Two other factors that can possibly
influence the level of class participation are
student’s personality and level of confidence.
Students with limited confidence usually feel
intimidated when they are asked to participate in
class discussion. Speaking up in class is often a
frightening experience for introvert and shy students
as they do not like to be at the centre of attention.
They may also feel that their understanding and
knowledge of the topic is insufficient, and class
participation may expose them to criticism
(Sixsmith, Dyson and Nataatmadja, 2006). Majid, et
al (2010) reported that students are more likely to
participate in challenging and interesting topics for
which either there are no fixed answers or no prior
preparation is required. Certain other factors that
may influence class participation are language
competence (Man-Fat, 2005), class size (Finn,
Pannozzo and Achilles, 2003), and instructor’s
gender, style and personality (Crombie et al., 2003).
1.1 Knowledge Sharing by Students
Most of the previous studies on information and
knowledge sharing had focused mainly on cooperate
and public organizations. Only recently some
studies on knowledge and information sharing
behavior of students have started appearing. Yuen
and Majid (2007) found that although students
exhibited a positive attitude towards information
and knowledge sharing, it was restricted to certain
individuals and situations only. They noted that
students avoided sharing knowledge with their peers
if the individual or group projects were to be graded.
In another study on the knowledge sharing behavior
of graduate students, Majid and Mong Wey (2009)
found that the main motivating factor for knowledge
sharing by students was to build relationships with
their peers. However, competition among students
to outperform their classmates and lack of in-depth
relationship were the two most important factors
hindering the knowledge sharing activity. The
authors suggested that academic institutions should
review their instruction approaches to make the
learning process less competitive, which would help
improve knowledge sharing among students.
Chiu, et al (2010) reported that students may
not be willing to share their knowledge as it is
critical to their academic performance. Wolfe and
Loraas (2008) studied knowledge sharing by MBA
students and concluded that proprietary knowledge
sharing occur when students’ competitiveness is
team-oriented. A cross-culture study of American
and Chinese undergraduate students revealed that
students were more willing to share their personal
knowledge with in-group members than out-group
members (Zhang et al., 2006). He (2010) identified
factors influencing knowledge sharing among
Health Services Administration students and found
that mutual influence and team cohesion were two
major factors directly influencing knowledge
sharing within virtual teams.
Despite numerous benefits of knowledge
sharing among students, many previous studies
suggested that Asian students felt less motivated to
participate in class discussions. Wee Kim Wee
School of Communication and Information,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, has
put a lot of emphasis on developing soft skills
among its students, and class participation is
considered as a useful platform for developing such
skills. Based on the nature of the course, different
class activities are planned to encourage peer
STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING THROUGH CLASS PARTICIPATION
251

learning through knowledge sharing. The main
objective of this study was to investigate students’
perception of knowledge sharing and its benefits,
the impact of language competency on class
contribution, and factors likely to create barriers or
motivate students to share their knowledge.
2 METHOD
Students from four Master’s programs of Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore participated in
this study. The four programs were MSc in
Information Studies, Knowledge Management,
Information Systems, and Communication Studies.
A combination of quantitative and qualitative
approaches was used for data collection. For the
quantitative approach, a pre-tested questionnaire
was used. The first section of the questionnaire
collected demographic information about the
participants such as their age, gender, nationality,
and English language competency. The second
section, containing multiple statements, investigated
the impact of various factors on knowledge sharing
such as nature of courses, students’ language
proficiency, cultural concerns, confidence level,
gender of the instructor, and the learning
environment. The areas covered in the third section
of the questionnaire included the perceived benefits
and barriers to class participation. In total, 320
copies of questionnaire were distributed with 188
filled-in questionnaires received, yielding a response
rate of 58.8%. The data collection work was
completed in April 2010. In the second phase of the
study, interviews were conducted with 7 post-
graduate students to understand some of the trends
emerging from the quantitative data analysis.
3 FINDINGS
The following sections present the key findings of
this study. For the sake of simplicity and avoiding
repetition, responses for some statements as ‘agree’
and ‘strongly agree’ will be presented collectively
as ‘agreed’.
3.1 Profile of the Respondents
A total of 188 post-graduate students participated in
this study, and nearly 58% of the participants were
either overseas students or expatriates working in
Singapore. A majority of the overseas students were
from China, India, Malaysia and Myanmar. A
majority (60%) of the respondents were female.
Nearly one quarter of the students were less than 26
years old, 45% between 26-30 years and another
one quarter in the age group of 31 to 36 years.
3.2 Perception of In-class Knowledge
Sharing
An overwhelming majority (95.4%) of the students
agreed that class participation was helpful in their
overall learning as it provided them an opportunity
to listen to and appreciate diverse viewpoints,
develop soft skills, learn how to organize and
present their ideas, and get immediate feedback
from classmates on their ideas. However, a mixed
response was received for the question regarding
whether marks should be awarded for class
participation. Only 53.7% of the students agreed to
this suggestion. A majority of the students opposing
this idea were from overseas with fair or low
English language proficiency, and had only
occasionally participated in class discussions. Over
one-half of those students supporting marks
allocation for class participation said that between
20-40% marks would motivate them to actively take
part in knowledge sharing.
The students were asked whether they felt
comfortable sharing their knowledge and ideas with
their classmates. Nearly 43.4% of the students said
that they faced some difficulties in doing so.
Comparatively more female students were
uncomfortable in expressing their opinion during
class discussions. In a follow-up question, nearly
78.2% of the respondents agreed that they felt
relatively more comfortable in taking part in small
group discussions.
A set of 7 statements was also given to the
students to capture their perceptions towards the
importance of knowledge sharing in their learning
process. It was regrettable that a considerable
percentage of the students stayed ‘neutral’ and did
not express any opinion on many issues. Some
39.3% of the students either ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly
agreed’ that they usually got better grades for those
courses in which they actively participated in (Table
1). However, 64.9% of the students felt that they
could pass the examinations without taking part in
class discussions. Similarly, 45.7% of the students
believed they could achieve their educational goals
without taking part in class deliberations.
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Table 1: Students’ Perception of Class Participation (N=188).
Statement Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1. I usually achieve good grade for those courses in
which I actively take part in classroom discussion.
6.9% 32.4% 51.1% 9.0% 0.6%
2. I can pass the exam without participating in classroom
discussion.
11.7% 53.2% 25.5% 8.0% 1.6%
3. I can accomplish my educational goals even without
taking part in classroom discussion.
5.3% 40.4% 34.6% 16.5% 3.2%
4. Some students only participate for getting marks. 15.4% 43.1% 27.7% 12.7% 1.1%
5. Class time is wasted by students on asking
unnecessary questions/ expressing opinions.
12.2% 27.7% 28.2% 27.6% 4.3%
6. Only interesting topics encourage me to participate in
class discussion
13.8% 58.5% 18.67 9.0% -
7. I prefer instructor-centric learning where instructor
does most of the talking with minimum student input.
4.3% 30.9% 26.1% 29.7% 9.0%
On the negative side of knowledge sharing,
58.8% of the students felt that some students only
participate to get marks and, as a result, they end up
wasting class time by asking unnecessary questions
or expressing superficial opinions (39.9% students).
It was worth noting that 72.3% of the students said
that interesting topics would motivate them to share
their opinions and knowledge with other students.
However, comparatively a small percentage (35.2%)
of the students agreed that they preferred an
instructor-centric learning approach where most of
the talking was done by the lecturer. On the whole,
it appeared that although the students were
convinced of the value of knowledge sharing in their
learning process, they felt they could still achieve
their educational goals without active class
participation.
3.3 Perceived Benefits of Class
Participation
The students were asked about the potential benefits
of knowledge sharing through class participation. A
7-point scale was used to capture their responses
where 1 was ‘least beneficial’ and 7 ‘extremely
beneficial’ (Table 2). The top benefit of knowledge
sharing, as perceived by the students, was learning
about diverse viewpoints and their relative merits
(mean score 6.35). They also thought that face-to-
face communication could help students get
immediate feedback on their opinions and ideas
(mean score 6.21). They were also convinced that
class participation provided an opportunity for them
to learn the skill of presenting ideas effectively.
However, they did not think that class participation
alone could help make new friends.
3.4 Impact of Language Competency
of Knowledge Sharing
A big majority of the students agreed with the
statements related to the impact of language
proficiency on knowledge sharing (Table 3).
However, they also agreed that class participation
provides an opportunity to students with limited
language competency to improve their language
skills.
3.5 Culture and Knowledge Sharing
Many previous studies suggest a strong relationship
between culture and knowledge sharing. It was
interesting to note that although a bulk of the
respondents were from various countries, with their
own distinct cultures, a majority of them either
‘disagreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ that in their
culture expressing a different viewpoint was
considered disrespect to the instructor, or a student
expressing his/her opinion or experiences was
considered a show-off person (Table 4). However,
they agreed that students from the same country or
culture usually preferred joining the same discussion
group. It is probably because most of them have the
same level of language competency, share the same
cultural background and anecdotes, and even can
use their native language to express difficult
concepts.
STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING THROUGH CLASS PARTICIPATION
253

Table 2: Perceived Benefits of Class Participation and Knowledge Sharing.
Statement N Mean Score
(1~7)
Std. Dev.
1 Students can learn about diverse viewpoints and arguments. 188 6.35 1.64
2 Face-to-face discussion assists me to obtain immediate
feedback from instructors or students.
184 6.21 0.72
3 Classroom participation provides me an opportunity to learn
how to present opinion and ideas.
186 5.87 0.68
4 Students can understand the lesson as well as other related
concepts more thoroughly
186 5.21 1.23
5 Class participation help improve communication skills 185 5.07 0.77
6 Class participation help make new friends 180 4.34 1.68
Table 3: Impact of Language Competency on Knowledge Sharing (N=188).
Statement Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1. Limited language competency is a barrier to class
participation.
22.9% 55.3% 13.3% 8.5% -
2. Students with limited language competency need
more time to think and express their opinions.
20.2% 59.0% 14.9% 5.9% -
3. Those students who do not fully understand
lectures are unable to participate in classroom
discussion
20.2% 59.0% 14.9% 5.9% -
4. Class participation can help improve English
language skills.
21.8% 56.4% 17.6% 3.7% 0.5%
Table 4: Impact of Culture on Knowledge Sharing (N=188).
Statement Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1. In my culture, voicing views in class is considered
as disrespect to the instructor.
3.2% 12.2% 32.4% 37.8% 14.4%
2. In my culture, speaking up in class is regarded as
showing off knowledge unnecessarily.
1.1% 11.7% 37.8% 39.9% 9.6%
3. In my culture, it is impolite to present opposing
views outwardly.
1.1% 22.6% 21.5% 45.2% 9.7%
4. Students prefer discussing in a group with students
from their own culture or nationality.
9.7% 39.2% 30.1% 15.1% 5.9%
3.6 Impact of Gender on Class
Participation
As it is clear from Table 5, split responses were
received for the statements asking if male students
participate more than their female counterpart and
that female students participate less in male-
dominated classes. It was not surprising as gender
biasness was very rare in Singapore. These findings
were different from Megan’s (2001) study which
reported that male students participate more than
female students. However, it was a matter of
concern that a considerable percentage of the
students stayed ‘neutral’ for these statements.
A majority of the students disagreed with the
suggestion that most of the students participate in
those classes which are taught by an instructor from
their own gender. This finding was also different
from Crombie et al., (2003) study which showed a
relationship between the instructor’s gender and the
sex of the participating students.
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Table 5: Impact of Gender on Knowledge Sharing.
Statement Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1. Male students usually participate in classroom
discussion more than female students.
5.3% 21.8% 43.1% 25.5% 4.3%
2. A majority of female students participate less in a
male dominated class.
4.8% 17.6% 55.6% 19.3% 2.7%
3. Most classmates take part in classroom discussion if
the instructor is from their own gender.
1.1% 5.9% 44.4% 38.5% 10.2%
Table 6: Impact of Learning Environment on Knowledge Sharing.
Statement Strongly
agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
disagree
1. I will participate more in small class size (e.g.
15-25) than in large class size (e.g. more than
30).
13.3% 51.1% 20.7% 13.3% 1.6%
2. I will participate more in small discussion groups
(e.g. 4-6 students) than in large discussion
groups (e.g. 10-12).
18.1% 47.3% 19.1% 14.4% 1.1%
3. A casual sitting arrangement will enhance my
class participation.
16.0% 48.9% 23.4% 9.6% 2.1%
3.7 Impact of Learning Environment
on Knowledge Sharing
Around 65% of the students either ‘agreed’ or
‘strongly agreed’ with the statements that they were
more likely to participate in small classes as well as
in small discussion groups (Table 6). It is
understandable as students with limited language
proficiency may feel intimidated speaking in front
of a bigger class.
3.8 Impact of Instructor’s Teaching
Style and Personality
An overwhelming majority (93.1%) of the students
agreed with the statement that students participate
more in those classes which are taught by friendly
and motivating instructors (Table 7). However,
48.9% of the students agreed that they only
participate in class discussions if specifically asked
by the instructor to do so. Another 68.4% of the
students agreed that they were less likely to share
their opinions if the instructor was not open to
different viewpoints. On the whole, it appeared that
instructor’s personality and behaviour were two
important factors that determine students’ level of
class participation and knowledge sharing.
3.9 Barriers to Knowledge Sharing
Students were asked to indicate the importance of
different barriers to their knowledge sharing in the
class. A 7-point scale was used where 1 was ‘least
important’ and 7 ‘extremely important’. The top
three barriers (Table 8) to class participation were:
inadequate language proficiency (mean score 6.13),
lack of confidence (mean score 6.11), and shyness
to talk in a gathering (mean score 6.02). The three
least important barriers were: lack of incentives for
knowledge sharing (mean score 5.15), fear of
hurting feelings of others by presenting opposite
views (mean score 5.30), and the influence of
student’s native culture (mean score 5.43). It was
worth noting that mean scores for all the barriers
were more than 5 which indicated that students
considered these barriers very important in their
knowledge sharing.
4 CONCLUSIONS
This study investigated students’ perceptions of
knowledge sharing through class participation in an
Asian context. It was considered useful as many
previous studies done in Western countries
suggested that Asian students did not actively
STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING THROUGH CLASS PARTICIPATION
255

Table 7: Impact of Instructor on Knowledge Sharing (N=188).
Statement Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1. Many students actively participate in those
classes where lecturer is friendly and motivating.
34.6% 58.5% 5.9% 1.1% -
2. I usually participate only if instructor directly
asks me a question or my opinion.
7.4% 41.5% 31.4% 18.1% 1.6%
3. Students participate less if the instructor does
not encourage differing views.
11.2% 57.2% 26.2% 4.3% 1.1%
4.
Students participate more if the instructor gives
verbal recognition and appreciation for the
contribution.
15.5% 57.2% 24.6 2.7% -
Table 8: Barriers to Class Participation and Knowledge Sharing.
Statement N Mean Score (1~7) Std. Dev.
1 Inadequate language proficiency
188 6.13 0.65
2 Lack of confidence
188 6.11 0.73
3 Shyness to talk in a gathering
186 6.02 0.66
4 Lack of enthusiasm for the course
182 5.83 0.75
5
Limited background knowledge and experience on the
topic under discussion
185 5.77 1.05
6 Uninteresting discussion topic
188 5.68 0.61
7
Afraid of adverse feedback from other students and/or
instructors
188 5.51 1.34
8 Influence of student’s native culture
180 5.43 0.87
9 Fear of hurting feelings of others
183 5.30 1.07
10 Lack of incentives to participate and share
184 5.17 1.21
participate in class discussions. It was found that, on
the whole, the students had a positive attitude
towards class participation and were aware of its
benefits. A majority of them agreed that factors
such as language proficiency, native culture,
confidence level, and learning environment
influence students’ knowledge sharing in the class.
It was interesting to note that nearly two-thirds of
the students said that instead of speaking in a big
class, they prefer participating either in classes with
small enrolments or classes where students are
divided into small groups to discuss the assigned
topic. In addition, they are more likely to participate
in classes taught by friendly and approachable
instructors or in classes where instructors appreciate
students’ ideas and contributions. Similarly, they
prefer discussing contemporary, interesting, and
challenging topics. They were less inclined to
express their opinions on standard, routine and
theoretical topics or questions that needed fixed
answers.
The students participating in this study were
also asked about the possible barriers to their class
contribution. Over two-thirds of the students agreed
that limited English language competency was a
major hurdle for many of their classmates. Some
other barriers to knowledge sharing were: lack of
confidence, shyness to talk in front of many
students, and fear of hurting feelings of others by
expressing opposite viewpoints. However, they felt
certain factors such as selection of interesting
discussion topics, encouraging remarks by the
instructor, and adequate marks allocated for class
participation were likely to stimulate their
knowledge sharing in the class. Instructors can take
advantage of students’ positive attitude towards
knowledge sharing and help them overcome some
of the barriers faced by them. They can also help
KMIS 2011 - International Conference on Knowledge Management and Information Sharing
256

students to improve their communication and
presentation skills which may encourage them to
actively take part in class discussions.
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STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING THROUGH CLASS PARTICIPATION
257