Social Media and Classroom Engagement: Students’ Perception

Abstract

Over the course of the last 15 years or so, social media have shown many facets-from connecting people on a global-scale, to penetrating aspects of lives which otherwise might have remained private or limited to a small audience. In the realm of education, social media have also begun to infiltrate the academic world by influencing and shaping students' perceptions and influencing learning engagement. With millions of students and teachers simultaneously active on social networks, it is significant to observe how the media could influence student-teacher classroom interactions as well as their online communications. Some studies have documented that teachers who disclosed information about themselves on social media were perceived as more credible by students because they were regarded as more relatable. Moreover, students' stereotyping beliefs and attitudes towards teachers also come into play when formulating perceptions about teachers on social media. For instance, their communications with teachers are often formal and impersonal on social media, as teachers are viewed as authoritative figures. Consequently, students' perceptions towards teachers would have a significant repercussion on their interpersonal relationships, which in turn impacts students' motivation and learning engagement. Thus, this research was conducted to establish preliminary findings whether social media shape students' perceptions and whether these ramifications would result in positive or negative learning engagement. Consequently, the results indicate that students are more susceptible towards teachers who are active on social media because they are perceived as being more akin to a "real person" who can easily be reached for immediate classroom information and instructions. Such accessibilities via social media enable learning processes to be less contrived by just the physical classroom settings.

Students’ experiences and perceptions of online collaborative learning in two Kenyan universities

“…This also enhanced the students' communication skills as they prepared to join the workforce environment. In an educational system, students' engagement is viewed as an important indicator in the teaching and learning process (Mahmud et al, 2016). The online blog engagement is also used to evaluate the student's understanding of topics.…”

“…While educators are advocating for online communication as a communication and pedagogical tool for learning, previous research has recommended that it is important to evaluate if the perceived outcomes are in line with students' expectations and experiences (Mahmud et al, 2016). The current study therefore fills this knowledge gap in the Kenyan context by assessing students' perceptions of the use of blogs in the educational process of two universities in Kenya -one, a public university and the other a privately owned university.…”

“…ISSN 2523ISSN -1154 SOTL in the South 4(2): September 2020 Kiarie & Muindi Millennial generation students have been exposed to the digital era and do not consider learning to be limited to the physical classroom. Online learning affords them more opportunities to collaborate in the educational process through the use of various pedagogical tools available (Mahmud, Ramachandiran & Ismail, 2016;. While online learning is criticized for lacking the physical human interaction that lecture halls offer, it nevertheless offers collaborative tools that have gained popularity in higher learning institutions, with both lecturers and students utilizing the affordances (Maina et al, 2016;Nyerere, 2016).…”

Educators and Social Media: Learning Motivators in Creative Media Courses

“…Social media has been widely used as a communicative and pedagogical tool to supplement teaching and learning, with educators increasingly advocating for it (Mahmud et al, 2016). Therefore, we need to investigate how teachers utilize social media to become more efficient and effective in motivating students in creative media courses.…”

“…Thus, active dialogue sessions on social media platforms, which are not as formal as the traditional classroom, can boost the relationship between students and educators. Being a Facebook 'friend' with teachers may grant the students a glance into the teachers' daily lives, preferences, and network (Mahmud et al, 2016), allowing students to feel much closer to their teachers.…”