Social Media Literacy and COVID-19 Awareness for Faculty Resilience in a Moderated Mechanism

Abstract

The educational institutions face tremendous challenges due to the sudden transition from traditional brick and mortar to online or distance learning in this neo-normal pandemic situation. Meanwhile, the present study examines the influence of faculties' social media literacy and knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 on their resilience via persuasion and coping behavior. Following the essence of the deductive reasoning approach in a positivism paradigm, the study used the partial least square-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to analyze the data. The study collected data using a random sampling method, and results revealed that social media literacy and knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 positively influenced persuasion. Engaging persuasion also positively predicts faculties' resilience. Surprisingly, the study found no significant moderating influence coping behavior. The findings of this study imply beneficial insights for policymakers and educators for ensuring an educational environment. Limitations and directions for future research are also described.