Abstract
A new trend of using Social Media or Social Networking Sites has been recently highlighted in this technology era. Social media influences people’s lives in many aspects including education and English language learning. It has made an effect on the English language either in a positive way by adding new words to the dictionary a negative way by misusing the grammar and using incorrect abbreviated words. The purpose of this study is to examine what the effect of using language of Facebook and Whatsapp has on the English language learners and see if it and to see how much it serves as a tool in teaching English grammar. To achieve the objectives of the research, the study used a mixed method approach which involved the survey of students in high schools. The study recommended the promotion of of Facebook and Whatsapp usage for academic purpose, counseling for addicted students and the use of the right grammar and spelling when necessary.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Social networks are either specifically designed for education (e.g. Edmodo, Ning, etc.) and professional/research purposes (e.g. LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, etc.) or originally focused on social-relational aims such as Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter, are progressively gaining attention in relation to school and higher education practices and pedagogies, with important implications for changing and adjusting teaching and learning (Allen 2012; Greenhow et al. 2014; Manca and Ranieri 2013; RodrÃguez-Hoyos et al. 2015).
Indeed, these environments are presenting complex challenges to educators and policymakers, as well as providing new meaning to emerging educational paradigms, in the light of fostering and encouraging socio-constructivist learning. In relation to Facebook, for instance, Allen (2012) reports the affordances that this environment provides for online communication and networking, thus demonstrating the central role of reciprocal acts of attention exchange in the system. At the same time, how Facebook challenges traditional understandings of education and the relationships between teachers and students requires specific consideration. From this perspective, any educational use of Facebook would necessarily confront both teachers and students with the fact that identities, roles, places and persistent communication need to be managed in new ways.
Manca and Ranieri (2013) highlight how the pedagogical affordances of Facebook, such as widening context of learning (learners and instructors share personal and professional interests and aspirations, thus mixing different contexts of learning and social and personal life), mixing information and learning resources (the combination of instructional material with information and knowledge sources, produced elsewhere and available through several channels, influence the design and the delivery of the learning experience), and hybridization of expertise (peripheral and emergent interactions occurring on networks through the contribution of current and past learners, practicing professionals, and other teachers, encourage the development of social capital), which Language of Facebook and Whatsapp can provide, are in fact rarely exploited. They also state that there are still many obstacles that may prevent a full adoption of Language of Facebook and Whatsapp as a learning environment, such as declared and implicit institutional policies, teachers’ and students’ pedagogies and cultural issues.
With a specific focus on the use of Facebook and Whatsapp among pre-college-age learners in formal educational settings, Greenhow and colleagues (2014) explore the psychological, social and educational dynamics of online language of Facebook and Whatsapping activity among adolescents aged 12-17. The authors envisage the opportunities and challenges related to the design of education-related Facebook and Whatsapp, such as the blurring of boundaries between online and offline, in-school and out-of school, social and academic, and the tendency to distraction and complex privacy-related issues. The authors also report several implications related to social mediated learning environments and instructional design, such as the importance of building on adolescents’ values and prior experiences of online language of Facebook and Whatsapping in designing social-mediated spaces for learning, or the necessity to renegotiate teachers’ and students’ roles where language of Facebook and Whatsapping applications intersect with classrooms and curricula.
RodrÃguez-Hoyos and colleagues (2015) also discuss the most recurrent lines of research since the emergence of language of Facebook and Whatsapp tools in education. They argue that most studies are carried out in higher education and that the largest category consists of research that focused on the analysis of the potential of Facebook and Whatsapp as educational tools, such as the development of teaching-learning processes, the transformation of social relations, the discussion about the benefits, potential and attitudes of different educational agents and students, and the ethical implications arising from the use of these sites for educational aims. The authors also demonstrate the need to widen lines of research on Facebook and Whatsapp to include unexplored or little explored dimensions, such as how children are using these sites outside school that could impact on their academic performance, geographical differences in the use of these sites that could influence attitudes, resistance as well as actual uses, and gender differences in the use and the construction of symbolic representations of these tools.
What emerges from this handful of studies is a wide and complex scenario of potentials and limitations of Facebook and Whatsapp in education, as they have been addressed by the scientific literature. However, a further large number of themes come on stage when Facebook and Whatsapp are employed in different educational settings, either for formal or informal learning. Some of these themes are referred to school and academic teaching and pedagogical practices, others are preferably related to professional training and professional development of educational agents, such as school teachers and academic staff, through the use of Facebook and Whatsapp. In this paper we choose to examine some of these issues and to provide further evidence of what has been achieved so far in the scientific literature and still deservers further investigation and widening of research lines.
Firstly, we focus on the potentials and challenges related to interpersonal communication and relationships between students and teachers, and obstacles referred to incorporating language of Facebook and Whatsappderived practices in education. Secondly, we discuss the exploitation of Facebook and Whatsapp for teacher training and professional development. We conclude with some implications for policy and practice.
1.2 Research Problem
Internet has slowly transformed from something we want, to something we need. Social network is one of the most important elements for Internet, which connects everyone on this planet. This connection has facilitated many things and benefited a lot of people. One of the most widely used social network is Facebook, consists of more than 1.2 billion active users in 2014. Besides Facebook, there are many other social networking sites that serve different features and functionality such as Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and many more. But, unexpected things always happen without warning. The usage of social network is beneficial for many things, but is it necessarily good for everything? Some said that the language used in social network is not necessarily correct, and it might affect other users, and domino effects occurred. Several hypotheses can be formed, but the final answer remained uncertain and we are about to find out.
How the facebook APP has been able to expand the vocabulary of English students, and make the work of English language teachers much easy as well.
1.3 Research Objectives
1. To evaluate students involvement in the use of language of Facebook and Whatsapp
2. To study the impact of language of Facebook and Whatsapp on several elements such as English proficiency, self-perceived English proficiency and examination results.
3. To study the various slangs used I social networks and how it affects spoken English.
1.4 Research Questions
1. Did language of Facebook and Whatsapp shape the English language? And if so did it change in a positive or a negative way?
2. Dose language of Facebook and Whatsapp help English language teachers in teaching English language to students?
3. What is the relationship between English proficiency and usage of language of Facebook and Whatsapp?
4. What is the amount of time students spend utilizing social media in various academic processes?
5. How can we help making language of Facebook and Whatsapp make English better?
1.5 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to find out whether the English language used in language of Facebook and Whatsapp has a positive or negative impact on the English language learners and find out the possible solution as well as how language of Facebook and Whatsapp can help teachers in teaching English language and also help students in writing and comprehension.
1.6 Significance of the Study
With the growth of digital media such as smart phones and computers, language of Facebook and Whatsapp have become part of the human’s life. The formations of this norm arise from the duration of practices and peer influence. It is questionable that whether these practices are harmful or beneficial. Thus, this research was aimed to define the relationship between English proficiency and usage of language of Facebook and Whatsapping sites. The most important part is it will benefit both the students and the teachers to build a right path for better future. Moreover, the result of this research could be useful for lecturers to provide effective lessons and guidance to students in developing their language proficiency. The intent of this qualitative research was to explore college students in Savar area’s use of social media and Language of Facebook and Whatsapp as a shared online space to engage students English language learning, and how Language of Facebook and Whatsapp facilitates or impedes these students’ academic writing skills.
1.7 Delimitation
The research is conducted on students of classes 11 and 12 and on school level teachers. The survey is basically conducted at Savar area in Dhaka district which is chosen based on researcher’s convenience. Here the target group of students is classes 11 and 12 students from different sections (i.e. science, commerce, arts) of various colleges in Savar.
Moreover, the survey is conducted mainly with assistant teachers who are assigned to teach English (both 1st and 2nd papers) in the schools. So that they can relate their language teaching experience with the purpose of the study.
1.8 Limitation This study is not conducted on larger parts of the same district or the country. So this study should be considered a primary study based on the context of the particular area where the research has been conducted. The time allotted for the study was limited to about a month that is utterly insufficient to cover a greater area. This study is only based on colleges located at lagos that are significantly peripheral compared to the city. However, the collected data are triangulated from different angles so that the analyzed result can deeply comprehend the overall situation.
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Item Type: Project Material | Size: 58 pages | Chapters: 1-5
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