Facebook Friend Request: Applying the Theory of Reasoned Action to Student-Teacher Relationships on Facebook

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence professors’ and students’ intentions to add each other as friends on Facebook. Participants were 160 professors and 249 students from different universities in the United States. Consistent with theory of reasoned action, intention was the strongest predictor of them adding each other as Facebook friends. However, among faculty members, a personal attitude was the most significant predictor of the intention to add students as friends. For students, subjective norm was the most significant predictor of the intention to friend professors.

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Pavica Sheldon

Pavica Sheldon (Ph.D., Louisiana State University, 2010) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Arts at University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her research interests include social media uses and gratifications and media psychology.