Social media in learning: insights of high schools

Abstract

The use of social media is generally linked with negative implications; however, its growth and popularity should not be taken lightly as its existence has the potential to create learning opportunities in a platform favoured by students. With this advantage in mind, this study was carried out to answer the questions regarding popular social media among students, to understand their perceptions and habits towards the use of social media for the purpose of education. This exploratory study utilised questionnaires involving 150 students at the age of 16 years old, from three high-performance schools located in the north and centre of Malaysia. The schools were selected through purposive sampling, while the students were chosen randomly. The results showed that Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram were the most popular social media. The average use per day was 2 hours. However, the usage of between 3 to 6 hours and above, were higher when combined. Overall, the students practised online safety precautions, portrayed good perceptions towards social media and gladly welcomed its implementation for educational purposes. However, the use of social media for learning needs to be carefully planned, for it to be relevant to the needs and trends of the new generation students. Feasible pedagogical strategies that are compelling, relevant and safe to both teachers and students were recommended, in order to create an effective learning within social media.