A multidimensional explanation of time spent listening to audiobooks

This exploratory study focuses on investigating the factors that may be predictors for average weekly audiobook listening time. From a holistic perspective, the conceptual model suggests relationships between several types of factors, namely factors relating to the nature of the audiobook (popularity and novelty), the audiobook distributors (ease of use of audiobook platforms), and factors intrinsic to the individual, such as their audiobook genre preference and their reading habits as well as their intention to continue listening to audiobooks. Although subscription on audiobook platforms is growing, research into audiobook consumption and purchase patterns is scarce. A questionnaire with 110 responses from individuals who listen to audiobooks on a regular basis. The conceptual model was estimated using SmartPLS software. Multicollinearity problems were identified among some of the predictors leading to the estimation of simplified models from the conceptual model, in which some of them were omitted, and it was confirmed that the intention to continue listening to audiobooks and the ease of use of the platform influences audiobook listening time. Future research should diversify the respondents' profile demographically and geographically and consider the influence of factors inherent to the subscription on audiobooks selling platforms, such as their frequency, for example. Research into the consumption patterns of this product are still scarce, although the audiobook is a result of the evolution of the digitalization of the functionalities of devices such as smartphones, which respond to the desires of a multitasking lifestyle.Este estudo exploratório foca-se na investigação dos fatores que possam ser preditores para o tempo médio semanal da audição de audiobooks. Numa perspectiva holística, o modelo conceptual sugere relações entre vários tipos de factores, nomeadamente fatores relativos à natureza do audiobook (popularidade e novidade), aos distribuidores dos audiobooks (facilidade de uso das plataformas de audiobooks) e fatores intrínsecos ao indivíduo, como a sua preferência de gênero de audiobook e os seus hábitos de leitura bem como a sua intenção de continuar a ouvir audiobooks. Apesar de ser crescente a subscrição nas plataformas de audiobooks, é escassa a investigação aos padrões de consumo e de compra de audiobooks. Um questionário com 110 respostas de indivíduos que ouvem audiobooks com regularidade. A estimação do modelo conceptual foi feita com recurso ao software SmartPLS. Foram identificados problemas de multicolinearidade entre alguns dos preditores que conduziram à estimação de modelos simplificados a partir do modelo conceptual, em que foram omitidos alguns deles e confirmou-se que a intenção de continuar a ouvir audiobooks e a facilidade do uso da plataforma influencia o tempo de escuta de audiobooks. Investigações futuras devem diversificar o perfil dos respondentes demograficamente e geograficamente e considerar a influência de factores inerentes à subscrição nas plataformas de venda dos audiobooks, como a sua frequência, por exemplo. A pesquisa nos padrões de consumo deste produto são ainda escassos, embora o audiobook resulte da evolução da digitalização das funcionalidades de aparelhos como smartphones, que respondem aos desejos de um estilo de vida multitasking

IMPROVING PEER LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN STEM COURSES VIA PATTERN BASED GRAPH VISUALIZATION

High quality education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) majors expects not only the acquisition of comprehensive domain knowledge, but also the mastery of skills to solve open-ended and even ill-defined problems in real world. Problem-based Learning (PBL) is usually adopted to achieve such goals by encouraging students to learn by solving real-life problems. However, successful PBL requires sustained and in-depth involvement of faculty members, hence making PBL not scalable. Even though discussion forums and Q&A systems can help address the scalability problem of faculty involvement on large class sizes, it introduces new problems. First, as knowledge bases grow in size, the sheer size of the accumulated knowledge makes it harder to locate the desired information. Second, existing knowledge discovery techniques do not provide effective facilities for the capture and reuse of solutions to recurring problems. To address these challenges, we developed MicroBrowser, an innovative and interactive Question & Answer (Q&A) system augmented with pattern-based expertise-sharing interfaces and 2D knowledge graph discussion visualization. MicroBrowser provides a set of pattern-based expertise-sharing interfaces to allow both learners and instructors to refine, reuse, and share knowledge. MicroBrowser also allows learners to browse and navigate important discussions based on topic similarity encoded by node proximity in a knowledge graph. Results of empirical evaluations of our proposed solution show that ask difficulty improves with MicroBrowser when compared with a state-of-the-art Q&A system for knowledge discovery and reuse tasks. In addition, success rate for knowledge discovery tasks using keywords was higher with MicroBrowser. Moreover, we show that, students found the pattern-based expertise-sharing interface easy to use and were able to contribute new knowledge in the form of new knowledge connections and even recommend new design patterns

Social media performance of user generated content and its relationship with conspicuous consumption: through the lens of the expectation confirmation theory

Early theories of conspicuous consumption proposed a framework in which individuals attempt to imitate the consumption patterns of others that maintain a higher social status. This results in individuals ostentatiously displaying their consumption patterns in order to reinforce their social status. The advent of social media has provided individuals with a new platform on which to display their conspicuous consumption. All consumption now has the possibility to become conspicuous consumption, displayed to a large network of friends and followers online. When individuals post content on social networking sites (SNSs), referred to as user-generated content, they hold some initial expectations regarding the response that their content will receive. This response (for example Likes and Comments on Facebook) is referred to as Social Media Performance in the current research. While research has been conducted, albeit minimal research, into measuring the performance of brand-generated content, no academic research has considered the perceived performance evaluation of individual user-generated content. Previous research has identified a link between online performance, referred to as Social Media Performance in the current research, and conspicuous consumption. This link has however been suggested to be moderated by three variables, selfesteem, social media usage and emotion, tested separately as positive and negative affect. The current research sought to evaluate the moderating influences that selfesteem, social media usage and emotion exerted on the relationship between Social Media Performance and conspicuous consumption. This was done through the lens of the Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT), as Social Media Performance is posited to follow an Expectation Confirmation Theory framework, in which SNS users are either satisfied or dissatisfied depending on their subjective evaluation of performance. A conclusive, causal research design was implemented; making use of a nonprobability sampling technique that achieved a sample size of 282 respondents. The target population consisted of young adults, between the ages of 18 and 29 years, due to the adoption of SNS usage amongst this age cohort. The results found a negative correlation to exist between self-esteem and conspicuous consumption and a positive correlation to exist between social media usage and conspicuous consumption. Furthermore, self-esteem, social media usage and negative affect were found to moderate the relationship between Social Media Performance and conspicuous consumption. In particular, in the presence of negative Social Media Performance, higher levels of social media usage and lower levels of negative affect exerted a greater influence on this relationship. Whereas in the presence of positive Social Media Performance, lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of negative affect exert a greater influence on this relationship. This research has also confirmed the positive relationship between social media usage and conspicuous consumption