The relationship between students' absorptive capacity and motivation, and knowledge transfer effectiveness in Malaysian community colleges / Mohammad Nazri Mohd Nor

Apart from public and private universities, community colleges serve as alternative
paths for SPM school leavers to further their education. However, low community
colleges students' previous academic achievement and the fact that the students
formed the highest rate of graduate unemployment among other higher learning
institutions have raised questions on the effectiveness of knowledge transfer in
Malaysian community colleges. Thus, the main objective of this study is to determine
the relationship between students' absorptive capacity and motivation, and knowledge
transfer effectiveness in Malaysian community colleges. A total of 387 selfadministered
questionnaires were sent in August 2010 to respondents in 18 colleges
by using cluster random sampling technique. With a valid response of 87 per cent
(338 respondents), descriptive, multiple and hierarchical regression analyses were
conducted using the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 17.0. With
regard to its main objective, empirical evidence indicated that hypotheses in relation
to both students' absorptive capacity and motivation effect on knowledge transfer
effectiveness were statistically significant. For subsequent objectives, parental
involvement was found to have a statistically significant positive moderating impact
on the relationship between students' absorptive capacity and knowledge transfer
effectiveness except for students' motivation. However, lecturer support showed no
statistically significant moderating impact on both of the relationships. The results
suggest that students' absorptive capacity and students' motivation need to be
improved to increase the effectiveness of knowledge transfer, such as by providing
more encouragement, awareness and effective intervention programmes. In addition
to that, though there was only one situation where moderating impact of parental
involvement was significant, in reality the impact of lecturer support and parental
involvement in increasing knowledge transfer effectiveness may have a different
bearing. Hence, this needs to be investigated further in future research. In a nutshell,
this study could provide insights and understanding towards improving knowledge
transfer effectiveness in Malaysian community colleges which is important for
enhancing students' academic performance and their future job prospects. At the same
time, the perceived academically underprepared students will not be left out in the
quest for better knowledge that would enhance economic development of the nation.
Producing better quality students would help improve the Malaysian community
colleges' image and increase the employment prospects among its graduates. Indeed,
this would help to produce credible higher learning institutions and indirectly help
Malaysia to leap forward towards becoming a developed nation.