Social media as a support for learning in universities: an empirical study of Facebook Groups

Abstract This paper explores social media use for learning in universities, through a study of the use of Facebook Groups by undergraduate students. The objective of the research is specifically to understand what motivates students to use Facebook Groups and what benefits they receive from doing so. The study is grounded in the Guo et al. (2012) Student Technology Use Hierarchical Framework (STUH), drawn from Uses and Gratifications Theory (U&G), and from Means End Chain Theory (MEC). The STUH Framework was adapted by this research, and validated and revised through survey research to create an amended STUH framework for Facebook Groups. The findings conclude that the attributes of Facebook Groups lead to interaction which in turn satisfies the higher level information and decision making needs of students. The findings have important implications for software designers and educators, as well as for researchers interested in using social networking software for learning. Overall, a better understanding of student motivations is critical to the successful implementation of such technologies in the educational arena.

[1]  P. Dillon,et al.  Net generation at social software: Challenging assumptions, clarifying relationships and raising implications for learning , 2010 .

[2]  Cliff Lampe,et al.  Facebook as a toolkit: A uses and gratification approach to unbundling feature use , 2011, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[3]  Kerk F. Kee,et al.  Being Immersed in Social Networking Environment: Facebook Groups, Uses and Gratifications, and Social Outcomes , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[4]  Dominique Foray,et al.  Social software and strategy , 2011, ArXiv.

[5]  Paul A. Tess.  The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual) - A literature review , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[6]  Nada Dabbagh,et al.  Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning , 2012, Internet High. Educ..

[7]  Yasemin Koçak Usluel,et al.  Modeling educational usage of Facebook , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[8]  Funda Erzurum,et al.  Use of Social Networks as an Educational Tool , 2011 .

[9]  Yuan Li,et al.  Analyzing Students' Technology Use Motivations: An Interpretive Structural Modeling Approach , 2012, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[10]  M. Green,et al.  Digital natives , 2012, BDJ.

[11]  Mark J. W. Lee,et al.  Social software and participatory learning: Pedagogical choices with technology affordances in the Web 2.0 era , 2007 .

[12]  Georg von Krogh,et al.  How does social software change knowledge management? Toward a strategic research agenda , 2012, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[13]  Cliff Lampe,et al.  The Benefits of Facebook "Friends: " Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites , 2007, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[14]  R. Mason.  Learning technologies for adult continuing education , 2006 .

[15]  Shih-Ming Pi,et al.  A study of Facebook Groups members' knowledge sharing , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[16]  Stefania Manca,et al.  Is it a tool suitable for learning? A critical review of the literature on Facebook as a technology-enhanced learning environment , 2013, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[17]  Karren Young.  Social Ties, Social Networks And The Facebook Experience , 2011 .

[18]  T. Bosch.  Using online social networking for teaching and learning: Facebook use at the University of Cape Town , 2009 .

[19]  Neil Selwyn,et al.  The use of computer technology in university teaching and learning: a critical perspective , 2007, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[20]  Terry Anderson,et al.  Teaching In An Online Learning Context , 2004 .

[21]  Charles Crook,et al.  Web 2.0 technologies for learning: the current landscape – opportunities, challenges and tensions , 2008 .

[22]  R. Hartshorne,et al.  Investigating faculty decisions to adopt Web 2.0 technologies: Theory and empirical tests , 2008, Internet High. Educ..

[23]  Shailey Minocha,et al.  Social Software in Higher Education: The Diversity of Applications and Their Contributions to Students' Learning Experiences , 2010, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[24]  Hadi Salehi,et al.  The Effectiveness of Facebook Groups on Teaching and Improving Writing: Students' Perceptions , 2012 .

[25]  Tobias Bachmeier.  Growing Up Digital The Rise Of The Net Generation , 2016 .

[26]  Clay Shirky.  Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations , 2008 .

[27]  Christopher R. Jones,et al.  Net generation or Digital Natives: Is there a distinct new generation entering university? , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[28]  Mei Liu,et al.  Using the Facebook group as a learning management system: An exploratory study , 2012, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[29]  Pamela Pollara,et al.  Social Networking and Education: Using Facebook as an Edusocial Space , 2011 .

[30]  Clay Shirky.  A Group is Its Own Worst Enemy , 2005 .

[31]  Eugenia M. W. Ng,et al.  Facebook: More than Social Networking for at-risk Students , 2013 .

[32]  R. Arteaga Sánchez,et al.  Students' perceptions of Facebook for academic purposes , 2014, Comput. Educ..

[33]  Yifan Li,et al.  A framework of students' reasons for using CMC media in learning contexts: A structural approach , 2011, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[34]  M. Roblyer,et al.  Findings on Facebook in higher education: A comparison of college faculty and student uses and perceptions of social networking sites , 2010, Internet High. Educ..

[35]  Neil Selwyn,et al.  Looking beyond learning: notes towards the critical study of educational technology , 2010, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..