The purpose of this paper is to examine some drivers of users’ participation in online social question-and-answer (Q&A) communities based on social cognitive theory and then identify the underlying mechanism of this process.,This study developed a research model to test the proposed hypotheses, and an online survey was employed to collected data. Totally, 313 valid responses were collected, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze these data.,This study empirically finds that the outcome expectations (personal outcome expectations and knowledge self-management outcome expectations) are positively related to participation in online social Q&A communities. At the same time, users’ self-efficacy positively influences their participation behaviors. It can not only directly motivate users’ participation, but also indirectly promote participation behaviors through the two dimensions of outcome expectations. Besides, perceived expertise and perceived similarity are two positive and significant environmental elements affecting users’ participation.,This study extends the understanding about how participation behaviors will be motivated in the context of online social Q&A communities. Drawing on the social cognitive theory, constructs were established based on the features of these communities. Meanwhile, some mediating effects in the motivating process were also discussed.

中文翻译：

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是什么促使用户参与在线社交问答社区？基于社会认知理论的实证研究

本文的目的是基于社会认知理论研究用户参与在线社会问答平台的一些驱动因素，然后确定这一过程的潜在机制。提出的假设，并使用在线调查来收集数据。总共收集到313个有效答案，并采用偏最小二乘结构方程模型对这些数据进行分析。本研究通过经验发现，结果期望（个人结果期望和知识自我管理结果期望）与在线参与呈正相关社会问答社区。同时，用户的自我效能感积极地影响了他们的参与行为。它不仅可以直接激发用户的参与，而且还通过结果期望的两个维度间接促进参与行为。此外，感知的专业知识和感知的相似性是影响用户参与的两个积极而重要的环境因素。本研究扩展了对如何在在线社交问答社区中激发参与行为的理解。借鉴社会认知理论，根据这些社区的特征建立了结构。同时，还讨论了激励过程中的一些中介作用。这项研究扩展了有关在在线社交问答社区中如何激励参与行为的理解。借鉴社会认知理论，根据这些社区的特征建立了结构。同时，还讨论了激励过程中的一些中介作用。这项研究扩展了有关在在线社交问答社区中如何激励参与行为的理解。借鉴社会认知理论，根据这些社区的特征建立了结构。同时，还讨论了激励过程中的一些中介作用。