Abstract:

Social media has received a worldwide adoption over the last decade for various purposes from communication to exchange of ideas, marketing, networking, following news or celebrities, and even to utilization as a trigger for social movements. Hence, the potential use of this medium for education needs exploration. This study presents Turkish higher education students’ current practices and perceptions towards social media, and its potential use for learning in higher education. An online survey was administered to undergraduate students in order to discover their perceptions, awareness and concerns and to investigate their current tendencies, beliefs and opinions regarding social media use and education amalgamation.

Data analysis showed mostly positive perceptions of general social media use by the students, along with some concerns such as privacy, security and information overload. Students were certainly aware of some social media platforms and indicated regular use, but were less aware of other social media services that could be utilized for educational purposes. Nevertheless, great majority of the students had positive perceptions towards using social media for educational purposes.

Data analysis revealed that majority of the students were positive about the effects of social media use in education in terms of their classroom participations (73%), their communication with the instructors (71%), and their motivation (66%). Some participants also raised their concerns about lower performance and creativity. Results of this study could shed light for developing various strategies for integration of social media into higher education.

Keywords:

Web 2.0, New Media, Technology Integration, Social Media, Technology Enhanced Learning, Survey Study, Higher Education, Education Policies.