The EFL Learning Process: An Examination of the Potential of Social Media

Abstract

Social media as a technological tool has recently come to support learning in both academic and public use. Students typically use social networks to enhance their education by discussing and exchanging academic content. However, its impact that needs carefully study to the vast inroads that social media has made into the academic sphere. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine its impact on the process of learning English language in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. It also aims to determine the impact of employing a social media platform in the Saudi classroom on the learning of EFL students. This study explores the role of social media by giving a panoramic view of the types of social media and social networking sites, the use of social medias in education, social media in learner engagement, social media and students' achievement, social media application in the EFL classroom and finally, social media research in the Saudi higher education scene, and the challenges of each of these. This study concludes that students can benefit the most from these media when they are encouraged to use their mobile devices as learning tools. This conclusion echoes earlier findings in the Saudi context that showed the positive impact of social media applications in boosting students' English language learning. Based on a review of the literature gathered from diverse sources, it is recommended to investigate the inclusion of social media applications, platforms and sites in the English language course descriptions at Saudi universities.

Investigating The Roles of Social Media on Attitudes of Secondary School English Language Learners

“…Social media also facilitates writing practice as students engage in discussions, comments, and posts, gaining confidence in expressing themselves effectively. Furthermore, the platform serves as an excellent resource for enhancing speaking and listening skills, with access to diverse audio and visual content and opportunities for real-time conversations with speakers from around the world (Abdalgane, 2022;Muftah, 2023;Sidgi, 2021;Sulaiman et al, 2018). The abundance of language learning tools and resources on social media further enables students to tailor their learning experience to their individual needs and preferences, making their language journey more personalised and ultimately more successful.…”

“…Additionally, research has shown that social media can enhance learning of the English language in a number of ways, including writing, reading, listening, speaking, lexical variety, grammatical usage, and communication skills (Abdalgane, 2022;Muftah, 2023;Sidgi, 2021). Social networking applications allow peer contact and engagement, both of which aid in learning, as well as exposure to a broad range of English vocabulary.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Motivation Towards English Scale in University Students

“…English language is an indispensable asset in the future life of students (Zulfikar et al, 2019) and is a means of self-improvement, which helps students feel more confident, enhances their cultural awareness, and broadens their cultural horizons (Mahmoodi & Narafshan, 2020). Among the examples of the use of English for academic purposes include social networks and various applications which are used as modern technological learning tools (Abdalgane, 2022).…”

Individual (Non) Resilience of University Students to Digital Media Manipulation after COVID-19 (Case Study of Slovak Initiatives)

“…Complementary prevention strategies that strengthen an individual’s resistance against digital manipulation are thus inevitable. As we can see, despite the obvious positives and real benefits of using different media as learning tools [ 79 ], it can be stated that the negative effects on the mental health of youth as presented above, and of digital media manipulation, have become, inter alia, significant signs of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”