Gender Differences Concerning Wikipedia: A Follow-up Study

摘要

This follow-up study of Lim and Kwon (2010) examinedwhether gender differences persist in certain aspectsconcerning Wikipedia. Additionally, this study examinedother new variables, such as satisficing {satisfying andsufficing) and peer approval in relation to gender. Data werecollected using a web survey in fall 2011. A total of 123surveys were usable for this study. The key findings showthat two data sets collected three years apart were consistentwith each other, demonstrating that the persistence ofgender differences in college students with respect toWikipedia use, their perceived credibility of Wikipedia, andself-evaluation of their ability discerning the credibility ofWikipedia information. In addition, this study found thatmale students showed a higher level of satisficing withWikipedia and tended to report a higher level of their peer’sapproval for Wikipedia than their female counterparts did.The findings call for attention to educational interventionsto narrow the gender gap concerning Wikipedia or usergeneratedcontent (UGC).