Narratives of Students about the Role of Social Networking Sites in Higher Education Institutes
Keywords:
higher education, learning, social interaction, social networking sites (SNS)
Abstract
Abstract Views: 319
Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, blogs, Twitter and other educational sites have become an essential part of daily routine at the tertiary level of education. The purpose of this study is to investigate how SNS enable social interaction as well as sharing of knowledge among students. Hence, this study explored students’ perception of educational activities conducted via SNS and their experience of using SNS in higher institutes. The study adopted a qualitative approach and focused on interpreting students’ narratives regarding the use of SNS in higher education. For this purpose, in depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted from university students. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data generated from the narratives of the participants. The findings showed that SNS plays an important role in distance education as they help students to attend online lectures delivered from the online forums of various universities. Students use SNS for various learning purposes, such as to access online libraries, e-learning, to download e-books and to find research articles from various authentic sites.
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References
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Bosch, T. E. (2009). Using online social networking for teaching and learning: Facebook using at University of Cape Town. South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, 35(2), 185–200.
Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210–230. Brady, K. P., Holcomb, L. B., & Smith, B. V. (2010). The use of alternative social networking sites in higher educational settings: A case study of the e-learning benefits of Ning in education. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9(2), 151–170.
Colley, H., Hodkinson, P., & Malcom, J. (2003). Informality and formality in learning: A report for the learning and skills research center. University of Leeds, Lifelong Learning Institute.
Cooke, S. (2015). Social teaching: Student perspectives on the inclusion of social media in higher education, Education and Information Technology, 22, 255–269.
Coyle, C., & Vaughn, H. (2008). Social networking: Communication revolution or evolution. Bell Labs Technical Journal, 13(2), 13–17.
Croft, S. (2009). Top 20 reasons you should be using Facebook in your classroom. Retrieved from http://www.studentloaninfo.org/blog/facebook-classrooms
Cronin, J. (2009). Upgrading to Web 2.0: An experiential project to build a marketing Wiki. Journal of Marketing Education, 31, 66–75.
Dale, C., & Pymm, J. (2009). Podagogy – The iPod as a learning technology. Active Learning in Higher Education, 10(1), 84–96.
Doherty, C., Krishnamurthy, V., Parker, K., & Taylor, P. (2014). Millennials in adulthood. Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/03/07/millennials-in-adulthood/
Dror, I. E. (2008). Technology enhanced learning: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Pragmatics & Cognition, 16(2), 215 –223.
Du, H. S., & Wagner, C. (2006). Exploring the role of technology. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 64(9), 789–798.
Enriquez, J. (2010). Facebook and other online social networking sites can lower grades, study says. Retrieved from http://seerpress.com/facebook-and-other-online-social-networking-sites-can-lower-gradesstudy-says/6935/
Groupin.pk. (2011). Internet users in Pakistan & the best Internet Browsers [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://groupin.pk/blog/internet-users-in-pakistan-the-best-internet-browsers-2011/
Hemmi, A., Bayne, S., & Land, R. (2009). The appropriation and repurposing of social technologies in higher education. Journal of Assisted Learning, 25(Special Issue), 19–30.
Hendricks, D. (2014). 3 ways social media is driving a business revolution. Retrieved from http: //www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2014/02/25/3-ways-social-media-is-drivinga-business-revolution/
Hewitt, A., & Forte, A. (2006). Crossing boundaries: Identity management and student/faculty relationships on the Facebook. Paper presented at the Computer Supported Cooperative Work Conference, Banff, Alberta, Canada. Ismail, M. I. B., & Arshah, R. B. A. (2016). The impacts of social networking sites in higher learning. International Journal of Software Engineering and Computer Systems, 2(1), 114–119.
Java, A., Song, X., Finin, T., & Tseng, B. (2007). Why we twitter: Understanding micro blogging usage and communities. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 9th Web KDD and 1st SNA-KDD 2007 Workshop on Web Mining and Social Network, Analysis, New York, United States.
Kelleher, T., & Sweetser, K. (2012). Social media adoption among university communicators. Journal of Public Relations Research, 24(2), 105–122. Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social media & mobile internet use among Teens and Young Adults. Millennials. Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Lindlof, T., & Taylor, B. (1995). Qualitative communication research methods (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Liu, Y. (2010). Social media tools as a learning resource. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange, 3(1), 101–114. Luik, P., Voltri, O., Taimalu, M., & Kalk, K. (2011). On the use of student teacher blogs during teaching practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 11, 165–169.
Madge, C., Meek, J., Wellens, J., & Hooley, T. (2009). Facebook, social integration and informal learning at university: It is more for socializing and talking to friends about work than for actually doing work. Learning, Media and Technology, 34(2), 141–155.
Mazman, S. G., & Usluel, Y. K. (2010). Modeling educational usage of Facebook. Computers & Education, 55(2), 444–453.
Murray, K. E., & Waller, R. (2007). Social networking goes abroad. International Educator, 16, 56–59. Neier, S., & Zayer, L. T. (2015). Students’ perceptions and experiences of social media in higher education. Journal of Marketing Education, 37(3), 133–143.
Osharive, P. (2015). Social media and academic performance of students. Paper presented the Conference of Research Work, Unilag. doi: https:/doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2407.1201
Rafiq, M., & Ameen, K. (2012). Use of digital media and demand for digitized contents in higher education sector of Pakistan. International Information & Library Review, 44, 116–122.
Rosmala, D. (2011). Study of social networking usage in higher education environment. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 67, 156–166.
Selwyn, N. (2011). Web 2.0 applications as alternative environments for informal learning a critical review. Paper presented at the OECD-KERIS exp-ert meeting - Session 6, New York.
Shabir, G., Mahmood, Y., Hameed, Y., Safdar, G., Muhammad, S., & Gilani, F. (2014). The impact of social media on youth: A case study of Bahwalpur city. Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 3(4), 132–151.
Tariq, W., Mehboob, M., Khan, A., & Ullah, F. (2012). The impact of social media and social networks on education and students of Pakistan. International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 4(3), 157–178.
Tian, S. W., Vogel, D., & Kwok, R. C. (2011). The impact of online social networking on learning: A social integration perspective. International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organizations, 8(3/4), 264–280.
Wang, Q., Chen, W., & Liang, Y. (2011). The effects of social media on college students. MBA Student Scholarship, 5, 1–12.
Wheeler, S., Yeomans, P., & Wheeler, D. (2008). The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluating student-generated content for collaborative learning. British Journal for Educational Technology, 39(6), 987–995.
Wise, L. Z., Skues, J., & Williams, B. (2011). Facebook in higher education promotes social but not academic engagement. In G. Williams, P. Statham, N. Brown, & B. Cleland (Eds.), Changing demands, changing directions: Proceedings ascilite Hobart (pp. 1332-1342).
Wolfe, A. M. (2007). Student attitudes towards social networks and learning modalities. Paper presented at the Marketing Management Association (MMA) Spring Conference, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Yang, S. H. (2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of practice. Educational Technology & Society, 12(2), 11–21.
Yin, L. C. (2016). Adoption of Whatsapp instant messaging among students in Ipoh higher education institutions. Wawasan Open University.
