Disciplinary Differences, Gender on the Use of Academic Networks as Perceived by Postgraduate Students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of disciplinary differences and gender on the use of Academic Social Networks (ASNs) among postgraduate students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun. The research employed a descriptive survey design. Total enumeration was used to capture the entire postgraduate students across various colleges in Tai Solarin University of Education, data was collected using a validated questionnaire. The findings revealed that ResearchGate ((x̅=3.77), LinkedIn ((x̅=3.71), academia.edu ((x̅=3.66) and Google Scholar ((x̅=3.48) were the most utilized. The disciplinary difference of ASNs usage among postgraduate students varies significantly across disciplines, with science discipline were found to use ASNs more frequently for sharing research findings than other discipline. Gender-based analysis indicated that male students exhibited higher levels of engagement in research-oriented platforms, (x̅ = 2.70; than the female counterpart. The study therefore recommends that there is the need for postgraduate college management to organize discipline-sensitive orientations, and a gender-inclusive digital literacy programmes among others.