Importance of tacit knowledge for a successful graduation from the university students' point of view

Abstract

The study focused on the perception of the importance of tacit knowledge. The target group was university students. Questionnaires with the Likert scale were chosen for the survey data collection. As the term 'tacit knowledge' does not belong amongst terms that are commonly used by the general public, several other concepts to express tacit knowledge that could be more easily understood by the students were identified and used. The statistical analysis included constructions of heat maps, cluster analyses and analyses of variance. Qualitative analysis based on coding of semantic units was used as well. The research indicates students realize the importance of tacit knowledge, especially selfmanagement and social skills, for academic success. There were found some differences in the perceived importance of tacit knowledge depending on gender, faculty the respondents were from, and the study program degree (Bachelor's or Master's). Further, situations connected with student's life in which tacit knowledge is important were identified as well tacit knowledge important for academic success. The findings indicate some connections between tacit knowledge and personality characteristics.