Abstract

The literature on students’ perceptions towards using Social Media (SM) for language learning reports mixed findings: while some studies indicate learners’ positive perceptions of their use for academic purposes (e.g., Bani-Hani et al.), others suggest that learners’ perceptions might vary due to their proficiency in the language (e.g., Gamble & Wilkins). There is also evidence that students’ do not always wish to share their SM environments for educational purposes). This study investigates students’ attitudes towards the use of four popular SMs (WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter) in learning English as a foreign language.

Ninety-nine adult English learners at a university in Saudi Arabia, active users of SM, participated in this mixed-methods study, which consisted of individual surveys and interviews. A two-way analysis of variance revealed that there are differences between beginner and advanced students in their perceptions of the usefulness of SM applications for language learning, but not in their affective feelings towards SM use outside the classroom, nor their choice of SM application for learning. Frequency counts indicated that the groups’ choices of SM varied according to different language purposes and the skills to be learned (e.g., they preferred WhatsApp for communication with family and friends, Twitter for reading, and Snapchat for learning aural skills). Further qualitative analysis revealed that advanced learners were more reluctant to using SM for academic purposes.

摘要

关于学生对使用社交媒体 (SM) 进行语言学习的看法的文献报告了不同的发现：虽然一些研究表明学习者对其用于学术目的的积极看法（例如，Bani-Hani 等人），但其他研究表明学习者的由于他们对语言的熟练程度（例如，Gamble & Wilkins），他们的看法可能会有所不同。还有证据表明，学生并不总是希望出于教育目的共享他们的 SM 环境）。本研究调查了学生对使用四种流行的 SM（WhatsApp、Snapchat、Instagram 和 Twitter）学习英语作为外语的态度。

沙特阿拉伯一所大学的 99 名成人英语学习者是 SM 的活跃用户，他们参与了这项混合方法研究，其中包括个人调查和访谈。双向方差分析显示，初学者和高级学生在对 SM 应用程序对语言学习的有用性的看法上存在差异，但在他们对课堂外使用 SM 的情感感受以及他们选择 SM 应用程序方面没有差异学习。频率计数表明，小组对 SM 的选择根据不同的语言目的和要学习的技能而有所不同（例如，他们更喜欢使用 WhatsApp 与家人和朋友交流，使用 Twitter 阅读，使用 Snapchat 学习听觉技能）。