A Research On Flow Experience And Attribution In College Students’ Using Online Document Sharing Platform

With the popularization and development of network infrastructure and technology, sharing and using of online-network resources(e.g., video, pictures, documents, etc.) has become an important part of information users’ activities. In addition, e-learning is becoming a trend and the learning & living style of college students is quite autonomous and special. We find that college-student user groups use the online document sharing platform frequently, so this paper puts attention on the special user group and web platform to have further insight into this phenomenon and possible problems, by using Flow Theory &Attribution Theory. We focus on the users’ experience in the process of using the online document sharing platform, at the same time, users’ attribution psychological situation of critical incidents in using procession is discussed to find factors which may affect user’s flow experiences.Firstly, according to the investigation, questionnaires, related papers and theories, we constructed the formal questionnaire of the college students’ flow experiences and the formal questionnaire of the college students’ attribution during using document sharing platforms.Secondly, by correlation analysis, factor analysis and other mathematical methods,we analyze the questionnaire data to explore the main elements in users’ experience and the extent of those effects, and get these following conclusions:1,In the process of user using document sharing platform, the effect’s extent of interactive factors especially person-person interaction of flow experience is quite small.2, Different genders, different professional student users don’t have significant differences between each other in the flow experience of using process.3, There are significant differences within subjects with different academic degrees in the control dimension, but not in the using degree dimension, concentration dimension and satisfaction dimension.4, As a whole, there is no significant correlation between users’ flow experience and general attribution situation, but significant correlations exist between different inner dimensions, dimensions and general situation.5,There are large differences in attribution of positive /negative critical incidents, as well as in attribution ways, between high flow experience level group and low level group.Finally, we sum up the stage mode of users’ flow experience, and put forward some practical advice for users and some strategies to optimize the platform.The contributions and possible innovations of this study are:1, Combining Flow Theory with Attribution Theory to study the use of information user behavior,some initial goals are achieved. This study has carried effective exploration on the application ofinformation behavior theories. The availability and potential replication of Flow Theory with Attribution Theory in the field of information behavior research is proved through an empirical way.2, Focus on the online document sharing platform, which is overlooked by academics in the field of Information & Library Science.Through horizontal comparation, the SWOT analysis, the value & function of the information resource platform, some existing questions, the prospect and so on are discussed thoroughly, which will be helpful to establish users’ related cognitive and academic identity to the platform.3, Based on Flow Theory & Attribution Theory, college student users’ using experience and attribution situation is discussed in a empirical way, and some practical advice are put forward, which will benefit users to improve personal information search skills to get better information search efficiency and experience, and also can facilitate the platform operators and government management department to understand and optimize the reality.