Investigating Student’s Attitudes Towards the Use of Social Media for Learning Purposes: A Case Study of EFL Students at the University of Ghardaia

Abstract

Although the power of social media to impact learning is recognized, little is known regarding students’ attitudes towards its use in the field of education, especially in the Algerian context. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate Algerian students’ attitudes towards the use of social media for learning purposes. The participants of the study were 110 EFL students at the University of Ghardaia who volunteered for an online survey questionnaire during the second semester of the academic year 2021/2022. The researcher adopted a quantitative research approach using descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyze the collected data. The main findings of the study revealed that students showed positive attitudes regarding the use of social media, and suggested more use of these platforms to support their learning. Findings also showed that Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube were the most popular networks amongstudents. Nevertheless, the findings also showed that there was no significant difference in students’ attitudes based on gender, age, or level of study. The reported findings could assist educators and scholars in the field of education to develop more effective instructional strategies that integrate the use of social media platforms into physical and virtual classrooms.