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 273 Singapore Internet users who participated in an online survey, 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 use of 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 implications for developing online video content to promote science learning in everyday life.

KEYWORDS:

• YouTube
• science videos
• public engagement
• free-choice learning
• planned behavior
• uses and gratifications

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 In Singapore, the Housing Development Board develops high-rise housing projects, which it sells or rents to citizens. According to the Housing Development Board (2014), in fiscal year 2013/2014, 82% of Singaporeans lived in public-scheme units, and the Jurong West region contained more housing units than any other region, accounting for roughly 7.5% of all units in Singapore. Furthermore, assignment to housing units in Singapore involves a computerized random balloting system to ensure fairness of residential assignment (Housing Development Board, 2015), while strict quotas maintain a balance of ethnic groups within housing blocks and neighborhoods (Housing Development Board, 2016).

2 Ajzen (1991) argued that, after controlling for past behavior, any residual relationship between past behavior and behavioral intention suggests that the model has omitted an important explanatory factor (p. 203). Furthermore, including past information seeking as a predictor controls for the more habitual aspects of information seeking (Ho, Detenber, Rosenthal, & Lee, 2012; Rosenthal, 2011).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University.