Social capital and knowledge sharing in tertiary education - The conceptual framework

Abstract

Numerous technological improvements, especially the Internet, have given rise to social networking, which offers new opportunities for millions of people to enhance not only their communications and businesses but also the process of sharing and exchanging knowledge without spatial and temporal limits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the knowledge-sharing process among tertiary students that took place through online learning raised controversial questions about how this process is stimulated and whether it enhances students’ academic performance. This study reviews the theoretical background and previous empirical studies to seek the underlying mechanism of the social phenomenon named social capital-driven knowledge-sharing process. The authors conducted a small qualitative study to collect narrative data from three students. Based on the theoretical background and empirical reality, the study proposes a conceptual framework to explain the sequencing relationships among social capital, knowledge-sharing behavior, and learning performance. The study recommends further research to explain this social phenomenon by using the proposed conceptual framework.