Motivations to seek science videos on YouTube: free-choice learning in a connected society

Abstract

Do individuals use video sharing sites in their free time to learn about science, and if so, why? This study takes a preliminary look at individual differences that motivate online science video seeking. Among 150 Singapore university undergraduates and 123 Singapore Internet users surveyed, most reported using YouTube during the previous week, and one-third reported using it to watch science videos. Hierarchical regression analysis explained 55% of the variance in their intention to seek science videos during the subsequent week. Significant predictors of interest were seeking-related subjective norm, enjoyment of science, and informational orientation to YouTube. Although these results do not distinguish YouTube from other venues of informal science learning, they help characterize YouTube as such a venue and have novel implications for developing online video content to promote science learning in everyday life.

Subject matter of videos for teens on YouTube

“…On a platform such as YouTube, users have shown greater interest in looking up constructive content to learn, educate themselves or avoid potentially risky situations (prevention) than in seeking out violent or humorous content or content of other types. This approach is consistent with other work such as that by Rosenthal (2017) which, focusing on the area of scientific learning, points to YouTube as a venue with the right characteristics for promoting knowledge in the context of daily life, although this reality is linked to certain predictive factors. In addition, it enables education in situations linked to minorities or groups which can find themselves in vulnerable situations, such as transgender individuals.…”

Riddles on YouTube: Investigating the potential to engage viewers in reflective thinking

“…Channels can attract millions of subscribers and hundreds of millions of views. According to Rosenthal (2017), the behaviour of viewers is reasoned and planned, their motivations falling into various categories; their engagement is worthwhile as it satisfies a need, is enjoyable due to the contextual relevance and self-interest or their engagement is for entertainment or gathering knowledge (see, e.g., Bentley et al 2019;Carter et al 2017;Covolo et al 2017;Pithadia et al 2019). Individuals seek YouTube videos in line with their motivators, follow and subscribe, converging on and reinforcing their motivators.…”

“…In science education, multimedia offerings with elaborate interactivity and feedback loops are used in formal settings to prompt reflective thinking with the intention of guiding learners' understandings to those more congruent with current scientific understandings (see, e.g., Coller and Scott 2009;Crook, Sharma, and Wilson 2015;Stieff 2005;Wieman, Adams, and Perkins 2008). Contrary to the expectation that such interactive multimedia would dominate formal learning, linear videos in the form of lecture recordings (Yeung, Raju, and Sharma 2016), video slices with classroom-based learning cycles (Mayo, Sharma, and Muller 2009) and social media sites sharing short videos are providing fierce competition and 2 Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2019, 27: 2280 -http://dx.doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v27.2280 (page number not for citation purpose) gaining popularity (Rosenthal 2017;Tan and Pearce 2011). Whilst YouTube channels such as 'CrashCourse' and 'Khan Academy' support formal learning through their links with curricula (Gray, Lindstrøm, and Vestli 2017), it is not unusual to find teachers using carefully selected videos from other channels such as Smar-terEveryDay and Veritasium in their classrooms (CrookedScience 2019, pers.…”

“…The process of reflective thinking is integral to how one responds depending on the nature of the response. Rosenthal (2017) summarises the behaviour of viewers who engage informally with science-based learning technologies as reasoned and planned. Viewers engage with YouTube videos for several reasons: They perceive their engagement as worthwhile as it satisfies a need; their engagement is enjoyable -arising from self-interest; or they are engaging to gather knowledge.…”

Predicting and Explaining the Acceptance of Social Video Platforms for Learning: The Case of Brazilian YouTube Users

“…Although the literature has emphasized the value of SVPs as an educational source of information [7,8]-supporting informal and self-directed learning in a wide range of topics-there is a lack of knowledge about how these platforms are adopted as a medium of learning by their users [9]. One of the first attempts to understand this phenomenon was made recently by Chintalapati and Daruri [9] through the validation of Fred Davis' technology acceptance model (TAM) [10].…”