Hospitality Students’ Group Learning Engagement with Social Media – A Malaysia Case

Abstract

Millions of young contemporary adolescents and adults use social networking sites. However, little has been revealed about how much, why, and how the personal use of such sites relate to social media use for purposes besides belonging to Internet communities. This research aims to explore whether a relationship exists between the personal use of Social Media and hospitality students’ group engagement; thus shedding light to what retains connectedness and engagement for hospitality students working in groups in the more prominent educational area of Malaysia. 300 undergraduate students in hospitality program completed a three-section questionnaire. The results indicate that Facebook is dominantly perceived by students as a social network in Malaysia that is solely utilized for personal reasons albeit the fact students were found to utilize Facebook as a tool for collaborative group work purposes. Implications for further research are discussed to stress on more in-depth exploration that is necessary to provide a more substantial scope with regards to the use of social media and the group engagement of hospitality students undertaking a broad range of university courses in Hospitality field.