Instagram for student learning and library promotions: a quantitative study using the 5E Instructional Model
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-12-2021-0389 |
| Published date | 07 June 2022 |
| Date | 07 June 2022 |
| Pages | 112-130 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management |
| Author | Apple Hiu Ching Lam,Kevin K.W. Ho,Dickson K.W. Chiu |
Instagram for student learning and
library promotions: a quantitative
study using the 5E
Instructional Model
Apple Hiu Ching Lam
Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Kevin K.W. Ho
Graduate School of Business Sciences,
Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo, Japan, and
Dickson K.W. Chiu
Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Abstract
Purpose –Libraries worldwide, including Hong Kong, increasingly use social media tools to introduce and
promote their services and resources to users. Instagram, in particular, is used to target younger users. This
study investigates the effectiveness of Instagram in promoting library services and university students’
perceptions of the value of Instagram as a learning support tool.
Design/methodology/approach –Amajor academic libraryin Hong Kongwas chosen for thisstudy. Library
users’habits,perceptions, preferences,and views on Instagram’s effectiveness as a learning supporttool were
comparedin two age groups. The datawere collected using a surveybased on the 5E Instructional Model.
Findings –Despite the significantly higher frequency of Instagram use by younger students, the results
showed that Instagram was probably an ineffective promotion platform for either age group because of low
user engagement, relatively neutral perception of Instagram as a learning support tool, and notably low user
acceptance of Instagram as a promotional tool.
Originality/value –Studies of student perspectives on various social media tools have increased; however,
few have explored the use of Instagram, especially in Hong Kong or Asia. This study provides researchers and
librarians with practical insights into current Instagram users’engagement, perceptions, and preferences and
their view of its effectiveness as a learning support tool. The study also provides suggestions for improving the
current situation.
Keywords Library promotion, Social media, Instagram, 5E Instructional Model, User preference, User habit,
User perception, User engagement, Age difference
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Recent advances in the Internet and associated technologies have led to the wide adoption of
numerous Internet-based systems, tools, and applications for promotion and learning. These
tools include social media, which emerged in the 2000s and spread worldwide (Jain, 2014;
Wong et al., 2022). As of January 2020, the Internet was used by more than 4.5 billion people
worldwide, and 3.8 billion Internet users actively used social media (We Are Social and
Hootsuite, 2020). Furthermore, the average time Internet users spent on social media was
more than one-third of their total time on the internet (We Are Social and Hootsuite, 2020).
With the advancement of mobile technologies, university students have increased in their
engagement in social media (Pang, 2020;Wang et al., 2021;Yip et al., 2021). Following social
media’s rise in popularity, academic libraries have begun using social media for promotions
and the collection, dissemination, and sharing of information (Chan et al., 2020;Islam and
Habiba, 2015;Sahu, 2016).
Many scholars have studied libraries’use of social media from various perspectives
regarding library promotions, including the application of social media tools (De Sarkar, 2017;
AJIM
75,1
112
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2050-3806.htm
Received 9 January 2022
Revised 6 April 2022
Accepted 21 May 2022
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 75 No. 1, 2023
pp. 112-130
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-12-2021-0389
Garner et al., 2016;Jain, 2014;Rachman et al., 2018;Salomon, 2013;Wallis, 2014;Young and
Rossmann, 2015), librarians’views on the use of social media tools (AlAwadhi and
Al-Daihani, 2019;Islam and Habiba, 2015;Khan and Bhatti, 2012;Sahu, 2016), and content
analysis of libraries on social media platforms (Chan et al., 2020;De Sarkar, 2017;Rachman
et al., 2018;Webb and Laing, 2015). Some studies focus on specific social media tools,
particularly Facebook (Cheng et al., 2020;Islam and Habiba, 2015;Lam et al., 2019). Few
studies have explored Instagram, especially students’perspectives on Instagram
(Brookbank, 2015;Chan et al., 2020;Jones and Harvey, 2019;Webb and Laing, 2015). In
particular, few have linked libraries’use of Instagram to learning outcomes, such as
examining how library information disseminated on Instagram helps students’overall
learning. Following Ajala’s (2019) rationale, libraries may disseminate useful information on
Instagram to enhance information literacy. Such Instagram posts aim to increase students’
intrinsic motivations to apply the library’s information resources, which could potentially
assist their learning, improve their academic performance, and subsequently lead to
favorable perceptions of the usefulness of the libraries’Instagram accounts.
In Hong Kong, social media is popular, with 5. 8 million active users and a penetration rate
of 78% as of January 2020 (We Are Social and Hootsuite, 20 20). Young Hongkongers spend
more time actively using social media applic ations than other age groups in Hong Kong
(Chan et al.,2020). As a result, most academic libraries in Hong Kong cr eated social media
accounts to disseminate information and promote their library services, co llections, and
events. For instance, the Chinese University of Hong Kong Libraries (@ cuhklibraries,
https://www.instagram.com/cuhk libraries/), Run Run Shaw Library of the City University of
Hong Kong (@cityu.library, https://www.instagram.com/cityu.library/), Pao Yue-kong
Library of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (@polyu.library, https://www.
instagram.com/polyu.library/), and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Lee Shau Kee Library (@libraryathkus t, https://www.instagram.com/li braryathkust/) use
their Instagram accounts to dissemin ate information about their library services, facilities,
workshops, talks, exhibitions, and speci al announcements. Some studies explo red the
effectiveness of the social media tool s used by these university libraries (Ch an et al.,2020;
Cheng et al., 2020;Fong et al.,2020;Lam et al .,2019). Chan et al. (2020) used a qual itative
method to study students’perceptions of the effect iveness of Instagram as a promotional
tool for The University of Hong Kong Libraries (HKUL ). As a result, HKUL was chosen as a
setting for this study, which extends th e research of Chan et al. (2020) and investigate s
students’perceptions of the effectiveness of Instagram as a promotional and learning tool
with a quantitative method.
In 2018, the HKUL’s Instagram account (@hkulibrary, https://www.instagram.com/
hkulibrary/) was developed as a communication bridge and promotional channel for the
HKUL because of Instagram’s increasing popularity among library users, including students,
staff, alumni, and the general public, according to the response of HKUL’s Ask a Librarian
service (HKUL 2020; personal communication, 21 July). A manager, a graphic designer, and a
student helper from the HKUL’s Public Relations Development team are responsible for the
Instagram account’s content management, reporting, and publicity. Instagram posts are
created based on the need to share HKUL-related information and important university
announcements. In addition, communication channels consisting of emails, phone calls, and
comments under specific posts are offered to students through Instagram.
This study examined students’perceptions of the effectiveness of HKUL’s Instagram
account as a learning and promotional tool by investigating their user habits, perceptions,
and preferences. Using the 5E Instructional Model (engage,explore,explain,elaborate, and
evaluate), which is commonly used in practical classroom teaching (Bybee et al., 2006;Tuna
and Kacar, 2013), we assessed the users’perceptions of HKUL’s Instagram account using the
following three research questions.
Instagram for
learning and
library
promotion
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