Full Length Article Understanding students’ reasons and gender differences in adding faculty as Facebook friends Pavica Sheldon Dept. of Communication Arts, University of Alabama Huntsville, United States article info Article history: Received 30 December 2014 Revised 18 June 2015 Accepted 24 June 2015 Keywords: Teacher–student interaction Facebook Social networking sites Education abstract Social network sites could be used to promote learning inside and outside of the classroom. The current study examines students’ reasons and gender differences in adding faculty as Facebook friends. Participants were undergraduate students who completed a survey consisting of closed-ended and open-ended questions. Correlation analysis revealed that students intend to add their professors as Facebook friends in order to get to know them better on a personal level. Despite previous research showing that men find student–teacher interactions on Facebook more appropriate than women, the results of this study found no such difference. Male students, however, were significantly more likely to be friends with their professors for clarification and efficiency reasons. Traditional gender role and social exchange theory could explain some of the findings. Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Introduction Social media challenge the existing preconceptions of school, teachers, students, and learning (Bartow, 2014; Condie & Livingston, 2007). Bartow (2014) argued that social technologies present educational, ethical, economic, and revolutionary changes in the organization and structure of schools. Although social media platforms are not specifically designed for classroom use (Helvie-Mason, 2011), professors are using them to communicate with their students out of class as well as to create learning oppor- tunities. Many students use social media to reach out for mentor- ing or to stay in touch with professors once the course has ended (Helvie-Mason, 2011). Previous studies have found that informal or out-of-classroom communication between students and teachers results in positive outcomes, including greater academic achievements (Pascarella, 1985) and a greater sense of well-being of both teachers and stu- dents (Roorda, Koomen, Spilt, & Oort, 2011). However, in general, students have seemed more willing than faculty to engage in com- munication through social network sites (SNSs) (DiVerniero & Hosek, 2011; Draskovic, Caic, & Kustrak, 2013). Sturgeon and Walker (2009) found that those students who add professors as friends appear to be more willing to communicate with them face-to-face if they already know them through the use of social network site. Their study focused on Facebook, the most popular SNS. Another group of researchers (Mazer, Murphy, & Simonds, 2007) found that students who accessed the Facebook page of an instructor high in self-disclosure anticipated higher levels of moti- vation, affective learning, and a more positive classroom climate. Despite the benefits of informal student–teacher relationships on SNSs, the idea of faculty members being Facebook ‘‘friends’’ with their students remains a controversial issue. The major dis- suading factor in communicating via SNSs for both students and faculty is that they feel that the relationship should remain profes- sional (Draskovic et al., 2013). The overexposure to each other’s private lives may have negative results for either the student or the faculty member (Cain & Fink, 2010). In a 2006 study, one-third of the students believed that faculty should not be pre- sent on Facebook at all (Hewitt & Forte, 2006). Similarly, a third of students in Cain, Scott, and Akers’ (2009) study indicated that they have posted information that they would not want their pro- fessors to see. Interestingly, students approve faculty’s use of SNSs when students benefit directly (e.g., being notified about extra credit) (Malesky & Peters, 2012). While students add or intend to add their university professors as Facebook friends, it is unknown what their reasons are. Understanding them might help faculty grasp why students like to be their ‘‘friends’’ in a setting outside of class. In addition, we do not know much about gender differences in out-of-class behav- ior. Who is more willing to add faculty as Facebook friends: male or female students? This study explores students’ reasons, as well as the gender difference in intentions to be a Facebook friend with a professor. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.043 0747-5632/Published by Elsevier Ltd. E-mail address: Pavica.Sheldon@uah.edu Computers in Human Behavior 53 (2015) 58–62 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Human Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh