Are Social Networking Sites Suitable for Formal Learning among Business Research Students? A Mixed Method Experimental Approach

The purpose of the study is to empirically assess the impact of Social Networking Sites (SNS) on the pedagogical outcomes as perceived by the students in the context of post-graduate students. Thisaction research used triangulation approach to assess 80 students of a post-graduate class. Data were collected in six steps. Initially, an adapted questionnaire was administered before and after creating formalFacebook (FB). The group was monitored for three weeks. Finally, 18 students were selected for semi-structured interviews based upon their interaction with the FB group. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16, PLS-SEM 3.2, and NVIVO 11. The results revealed a remarkable impact of SNS-FB on various pedagogical factors. This research can provide the basis for academic policymakers to introduce such formal SNS channels for teaching purposes. The study provides a base to address the new trends of learning through action research that is underexplored in the previous literature.