CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

English is taught as a second language in all Malaysian schools which is

also a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary schools. Over the

years, the teaching and learning of English in Malaysia has been under fire due

to the level of language competency among Malaysians. Low language ability

and motivation in the language has resulted in various efforts to ensure that

English becomes a strong second language among Malaysians. At the same

time, the world has seen many changes technologically and this has caused the

world to become relatively smaller and borderless. New technology has

provided many benefits and advantages in various fields. It is imperative that

second language (L2) classes plug into the advancement of technology to

capitalize on the social and academic opportunities that high-tech learning has

to offer. Unfortunately, e-learning tools have yet to be viewed as a mainstream

component of second language teaching and have yet to become a foundational

element used in L2 classes. There is a need to develop learning and teaching

training through high-tech means especially the Internet in order to improve

English language proficiency.

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1.1 Background of the study

The process of teaching and learning of English is constantly undergoing

changes in line with the development of the nation's vision in producing

younger generations that are engaged in facing new challenges in the era of

globalisation. Teachers are no longer restricted to imparting knowledge but it

extends toward producing holistic, competitive and true to the market needs

students. Good English language proficiency is needed in order to compete in

the world today. Efforts to improve the teaching and learning of the English

language are needed to improve the language proficiency among students,

therefore the teacher must seek new teaching and learning approaches.

Nowadays, it is no longer the teacher or the student who remain central in

the learning process but the learning process itself has become significant. A

Learning process has become independent of place and time. Learning does not

only occur in the classroom. With the advancement of technology, learning has

become possible any time or anywhere. In addition, ‘the choice of what

technology is situation dependent. A triangle between teacher, student, and

content should be further explored as new possibilities emerge. What content,

which pedagogical approach and with what technology to use should be

considered (Hudson, 2008). A gradual but significant change has taken place

resulting in less emphasis on teachers and teaching and more stress on learners

and teaching (Abdul Samad & Sakdev Singh, 2010).

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With the introduction of social networking sites and the consequent

changes in education, the question arises whether students are able to deal with

social networking sites as a learning tool. In view of the fact that Facebook is

currently considered as the most popular site for online social networking, it

would be beneficial to investigate if there are activities that directly or indirectly

lead to the learning of English as a second language among secondary students

in Malaysia. It is estimated that there are 845 million active registered users of

Facebook, with 50% users logging in to Facebook on any given day and more

than 425 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile

devices (Facebook.com 2012). These figures clearly show us that Facebook is a

popular platform of social networking and is most likely to continue in the

upcoming years.

Over the last decade, the Internet has had a profound effect on the private

and professional lives of Malaysian citizens, offering them an increasing

number and range of opportunities for accessing information, gaining and

exchanging knowledge and realising personal learning goals. The number of

Facebook users in Malaysia has surpassed the 12 million mark. According to

social media statistics portal SocialBakers.com, the estimated total now stands

at 12,193,600 users (SocialBakers.com. 2012). The largest age group is

currently 18 to 24 year olds with total of 4 145 824 users, followed by the users

in the age group of 25 – 34. Given the huge number of Facebook users, would

Facebook be an efficient learning environment for secondary students to

facilitate their learning of English as a second language? What are the views of

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secondary students of learning English through Facebook? Can Facebook truly

augment and support students in terms of learning English as a second

language?

1.2 Statement of the problem

Knowing the fact that English is important, many changes have been done

to improve the teaching and learning of English in Malaysian schools.

Malaysian students are lacking in the competency of English language skills

and have a low motivation towards the language. Therefore, it is crucial for

students to improve their language ability through the use of appropriate

learning strategies. Furthermore, globalisation has encouraged the use of the

Internet across the world. Information is shared through an extensive network

system connected by users of the Internet across the globe. Internet usage is

further expanded with the use of social networking sites which connects users

among each other. Social networking sites are used to build communities where

they can share activities, interest, opinions among many other things.

In Malaysia, the number of Facebook users has exceeded the twelve

million mark, with teenage users making up nearly 35% of them

(Socialbakers.com, 2012). With this high penetration rate among Malaysian

teenagers, the possibility for social networking sites like Facebook to become

an English language learning tool among secondary school students is feasible.

Most researches in Malaysia have been done to determine the use of social

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networking sites as a learning tool among learners in higher education (Kabilan

et al, 2010; Zaidatun et al, 2011). There is a lack of research among the use of

social networking sites among secondary school students especially in learning

the English language. This study will identify the secondary school students'

general practices or uses of Facebook and whether they regard Facebook as an

online environment to facilitate English language learning. Little is known

about the practices of Malaysian secondary school students' practices when

engaged in Facebook.

Our failure to identify Malaysian secondary school students' pattern of

general practices and uses in Facebook and their perception of English language

learning through Facebook could result in a huge loss. We will never fully

comprehend what it is that our secondary school students do on Facebook or the

reasons why they choose or do not choose to participate. The biggest loss,

however, is that we will never be able to take full advantage of the social

networking site, Facebook, which is readily available at our disposal or realise

its full potentials. Thus, in this study, the researcher aims to identify the

students' general practices or uses of Facebook and whether students consider

Facebook as an online environment that facilitates their English language

learning.

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1.3 Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to investigate if students consider FB as a

useful and meaningful learning environment that could support, enhance and/or

strengthen their learning of the English language. This research would enable

educators and researchers to identify and comprehend how online social

networking sites such as FB could contribute to English language learning. In

addition, a better picture of how second or even foreign language learners could

improve their language ability through online social networking sites, especially

in terms of writing, reading and vocabulary. With such knowledge, researchers

and practitioners will be able to devise and develop specific, appropriate and

creative pedagogical ideas or methods that make effective use of FB for English

language learning.

1.3.1 Research Objectives

The objectives of this study are as follows:

1. to identify students' general practices or uses of Facebook and,

2. to identify whether the students consider Facebook as an online

environment that facilitates their English language learning.

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1.3.2 Research Questions

The research questions for this study are:

1. What are students' general practices or uses of Facebook?

2. Do the students consider Facebook as an online environment that

facilitates their English language learning?

1.4 Rationale of the study

Most studies on social networking sites have been focused on university

students. Very little research has been done on the benefits of social networking

sites for secondary school students across the world and nearly non-existent in

Malaysia. The National Board Association (2007) found that in America, “the

topic of most conversation at these social networking sites is education and 60

percent of the students' survey said they use the sites to talk about education

topics and more than 50 percent use it to talk about specific schoolwork” (p.

17), thus it would be interesting to see whether similar findings will be found in

the Malaysian context. This study will contribute to the existing literature and

fill the gap in literature.

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1.4.1 Conceptual Framework of the Study

The conceptual framework of the study is summarised below in Figure 1.1:

Figure 1.1: Conceptual Framework of the Study

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework of the study

The researcher will conduct a survey among secondary school students to gather

data on their general practices and uses of Facebook and identify whether the

students consider Facebook as an online environment that facilitates their

English language learning as illustrated in Figure 1.

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Demographic Information:i) Genderii) English proficiency level

General practices oruses of Facebook

1) Questionnaire to students- Five level Likert Scale- Open-ended Questions

2) Semi-structured Interview- Random selection

Students perceptionEnglish languagelearning in Facebook

Research Questions

Quantitative Data Analysis

Report Data Analysis

Qualitative Data Analyis

1.5 Significance of the study

This study will be a significant endeavour in promoting the teaching and

learning of English for secondary school students in Malaysia. This study will

also be beneficial to the students and teachers in effective learning and teaching

strategies using new mechanisms of technology. By understanding the practices

and expectations of secondary school students of Facebook, teachers and

students will benefit as leaning will occur. Moreover, this research will provide

discussions and recommendations on how to evaluate the future use of

Facebook in accordance to the teaching and learning of English as a second

language. This study will be helpful to the field of second language teaching

and learning through social networking sites. It will also serve as a future

reference for researches on the subject of second language teaching and

learning.

1.6 Limitations of the study

One assumption of the study is limited generalization of the quantitative

research results to a wider population. Not all secondary school students

participated in the study and the sample population is a small figure of the

actual population. The study is conducted in two secondary schools within the

Timur Laut District in the state of Pulau Pinang.

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1.7 Definition of terms

For a clearer understanding of the terms used in this study, below are their

meanings:

i) Facebook - a free online social networking site with 70 languages and

various applications.

ii) Community of practice (CoP) – CoP is a group of people who share a

concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they

interact regularly.

iii) Online community of practice - a group of people with similar goals or

interests who connect and exchange information using web tools.

iv) Social networking sites (SNS) – SNS are sites which allow users to set up

online profiles or personal homepages, and develop an online social network.

The profile page functions as the user’s own webpage and includes profile

information such as gender, religion, interests and many others.

v) Second Language Acquisition (SLA) - the process by which people learn a

second language.

vi) Second language (L2) - Second language refers to any language learned in

addition to a person's first language.

vii) Web 2.0 - Web 2.0 is an enhanced Web application that enables dynamic

user interaction, collaboration, and user-created content. Web 2.0 is the platform

that supports social media tools such as blogs, podcasts, and wikis. Web 2.0

enables social media applications such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

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CHAPTER 2LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

The information revolution associated with social networking sites is an

outcome of Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is a blanket term used to refer to both a host of

social media tools such as blogs, wikis, podcast, social networking tools.

According to Davis (2010), Web 2.0 is dynamic and interactive; it has enabled

anyone to create digital content without knowledge of program coding. Web 2.0

has contributed to the growth of information available on the Internet. In the last

decade research has illustrated how the Internet and various communication

technologies also support meaningful educational experiences (Belz &

Kinginger, 2002; Garrison & Anderson, 2003; Sykes, 2005; Arnold & Ducate,

2006). Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Ning, and MySpace,

which are the typical application of Web 2.0 technology, have been popular and

widespread across multiple age groups in different educational institutions over

the past few years). The educational possibilities of social networking tools

have been a recurring subject and as such warrants attention.

2.1 Malaysia English language scenario

Malaysia is known for a multi-racial country with a combined

population of more than 28 million people who are multicultural and

multiethnic society consisting of Bumiputera, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic

groups. Although Malay is the official language, English is widely spoken

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especially when it comes to business and English is a compulsory subject in

schools. The diverse ethnic composition results in many religious practices like

Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism with Islam being the official

religion of the country. Malaysia is made up of two regions, Peninsular

Malaysia and East Malaysia with Kuala Lumpur being the capital city.

Since the dawn of independence in 1957, education has figured

predominantly as the integral part of the government’s development policy.

Education has undergone tremendous change and development over the years.

Malaysia has been keen in nation-building, and busy enhancing its national

unity through a unified educational system, a national curriculum in which

Bahasa Melayu (national language) has been the medium of instruction and

communication technology have enhance quality education. Recent curricular

revision has encouraged student-centred pedagogical approach which brought

about the inclusion of a positive attitude to knowledge and skills.

Bahasa Melayu (BM) has been used as the medium of instruction for all

subjects in Malaysia schools for more than thirty years. In 2003, the Malaysian

educational system switched to using English to teach Mathematics and Science

in its schools. This policy is known as Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan

Matematik dalam Bahasa Melayu or its acronym (PPSMI). The government of

the day rationalized that Malaysia must maintain a competitive edge in the face

of globalization. Imran Abdullah and Muhammad Yahya (2006) stated that

using English in Science and Technology would enhance and facilitate the

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acquisition and access to science and technology more rapidly. They also added

that using English would also be an added advantage in promoting Malaysia as

a regional and international education hub. However, after six years of

implementation, PPSMI was reverted due to the decline in the results of Science

and Mathematics. MBMMBI (To Uphold Bahasa Malaysia & To Strengthen the

English Language) was introduced to replace PPSMI with the main aim of

strengthening the English language.

In Malaysia, the role of English is more important today as Malaysians

need the proficiency and aptitude in the language for a variety of reasons. In

terms of usage, English still remains the universal language and the main

medium of instruction of the Internet. English is also used as a medium of

instruction in private colleges and most literary references are in English.

Hence, proficiency in the English language becomes important.

According to Asmah (1992) there has been a drop in the attainment

level of English among Malaysians and this is proven by the results of English

language in schools, colleges and universities. The decline in the English

language proficiency and its effects on the secondary school students’ academic

achievement are further explained by the SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) results.

The percentage who scored A+ for English in SPM 2010 was only 3.7% (The

Star, 2011). Of late, the declining standard of English has taken its toll, in other

words its plunge is so rapid apart from all the measures taken by Ministry of

Education to uphold the standard of English in Malaysia until our current

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Minister of education, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has suggested to make it

compulsory to pass English before getting a secondary school certificate

(Utusan, 2011). Making it compulsory to pass English would create another set

of problems especially for learners and the quality of English being used. To

increase Malaysian's proficiency in the English language, there should be a

revamp in teaching and learning pedagogical approaches. Teachers should be

given training on current second language acquisition and up to date

pedagogical approaches to improve English language proficiency among

students (Saran Kaur Gill, 2002).

2.2 Technology in second language classrooms

One of the fundamental facts about languages is that they are always

changing in time, albeit if slowly. New technologies have been attributed to

language change as a result of the way language users generally realign their

language use to reflect social and technological evolution. This involves

creation & innovation in language use (Hazadiah et al, 2010). According to

Prensky (2008), “today’s technology, though, offers students all kinds of new,

highly effective tools they can use to learn on their own – from the Internet with

almost all the information, to search and research tools to sort out what is true

and relevant, to analysis tools to help make sense of it, to creation tools to

present one’s findings in a variety of media, to social tools to network and

collaborate with people around the world”.

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Educational technology provides a fundamental theoretical basis for

research and practice in teaching and learning. The field of educational

technology is relatively new and has been defined as “the study and ethical

practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using

and managing appropriate technological processes and resources” (Richey et al.

2008). The main element, which supports the evolution of current educational

technology, is the Internet. It has developed at an unprecedented speed over the

last 20 years. The Internet started as a new, open system of information sharing

between a few thousand scientists and evolved into a worldwide force for

economic growth for billions of people.

Research of technology in second language classrooms have been done

vigorously over the past decade (Theobald, 2011; Roblyer et al, 2010) and many

support the use of technology in the classroom. The education community

continues to establish the role of technology innovations in the classroom. Baird

and Fisher (2006) suggests the “effective use of social networking and media

technologies provides course designers and instructors with the ability to

interject emotion in the online space, thereby providing opportunities to make

emotional connections with classmates just as they do in the ‘real time’ world of

the brick and mortar classroom model” (p.14).

It is indisputable that technology has become a natural part of everyday

life and is now infiltrating the language education sector (Promnitz-Hayashi,

2011). There are numerous technology tools which can be integrated into the

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classroom and used outside class, such as chat, email, blogging and social

networking, to name a few. Social networking has increased in popularity in

recent years and sites such as MySpace and Facebook can be a very useful tool

in the classroom as they promote both target language use while also promoting

learner autonomy among language students.

For language learners to participate in an increasingly digital world, they

will need to use the technology via English to meet their social, personal and

educational needs. To do this, they need to learn to navigate the Web, using it to

find information and often to provide information. To access information on the

Web, learners need to be online, that is, using a computer that is connected to

the Internet. The Internet is the worldwide network of computer networks that

connects computer users who gain access through an ISP (Internet Service

Provider). Research has shown that using computer-mediated communication

can facilitate language learning (Murray & McPherson, 2004). Murray and

McPherson (2004) have identified three advantages of teaching and learning

languages through the Internet which are authentic language use, allow

scaffolding among learners and students will learn new literacies.

2.3 Social Networking Sites (SNS)

2.3.1 Background

Recent developments of the World Wide Web are collectively often

called “Web 2.0” technologies, referring to a shift toward more interactive Web-

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based applications that derive the majority of their content from users

themselves. Examples of recent “Web 2.0” technologies include: weblogs,

social bookmarking; personalized photo and video sharing; online social

networking sites; wikis, and RSS feeds (Ryan, 2008). With the rise of “Web

2.0” technologies, computer-mediated communication has entered a new stage

of “networked individualism,” where communities are situated within the

context of one’s online identity, allowing one to maintain an extensive network

of both strong and weak social ties (Ryan, 2008). People have new and varied

ways to communicate via the Internet due to social networking sites. People

can easily create their own online page or profile to communicate with their

network of contacts. Among the examples of social networking sites are

MySpace, Bebo, Twitter and Facebook.

Boyd and Ellison (2007) define social networking sites as web-based

services that allow individuals to:

1. construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system,

2. articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and

3. view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others

within the system.

Social network sites allow individuals to meet strangers, as well as they enable

users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This can result in

connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made. The rapid

growth of social networking sites in recent years indicates that they are

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mainstream communication technology among people (Baird & Fisher, 2006;

Boyd & Ellison, 2007) and are likely to continue (Redecker, Ala-Mutka, &

Punie, 2010). Table 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3, shows the characteristics, advantages and

disadvantages of SNS respectively.

Table 2.1: Characteristics of SNS

Characteristics Description

Profile of oneself The basic level of entry in most SNS is the 'profile' which is a personalised entry of the user. While SNSs have implemented a wide variety of technical features, their backbone consists of visible profiles that display an articulated list of Friends who are also users of the system.

New ways for community formation

SNS support new ways for people to connect between themselves. Users of these sites may choose to communicate through various digital objects, such as tags and in-built applications within the SNS.

Sharing SNS provide the ideal platforms through which users with similar values and interests can come together to collaborate effectively and cheaply.

Ease of use A major attribute of SNS' popularity is their simplicity. Anyone with basic internet skills can create and manage an online SNS presence. SNS are free of charge and open for anyone to join. Most of them require registration, while others limit membership through an invitation from members who are already members of the site.

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Table 2.2: Advantages of SNS

Advantages Description

1) Sense of community

Users of social networking sites may develop a sense of community among each other (Promnitz-Hayashi, 2011).

2) Ease of interaction

Users may easily interact with one another in the comfort of their own homes. Interaction has indeed become easier and flexible (Ashraf Jalel, 2012).

3) Sharing Users of social networking sites share interests, knowledge and others during their interactions (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).

Table 2.3: Disadvantages of SNS

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Disadvantages Description

1) Privacy Social networking sites are open for anyone who wants to participate. Studies have shown that users will express very powerful concerns about privacy of their personal information, but be less than vigilant about safeguarding it (Ashraf Jalel, 2012).

2) Surface friendship The integrity of friendship developed through social networking sites can be questionable. Information may not be accurate, honest and reliable (Ashraf Jalel, 2012).

3) Health Asraf Jalel (2012) states that social networking sites may affect on health of individuals who spend too much time on it, because spending a lot of time browsing these social networks can affect the way the genes operate within the human body, and weakens the immune and hormone levels, and function of arteries.

4) Miscommunication Social networking sites do not afford the users with the same opportunities of explanation and clarification that occur in face-to- face interaction, therefore there is a possibility of miscommunication. Face to face allow individuals to body language whereas in an online environment these are lacking.

2.3.2 History of Social Networking Sites

During the early stages of social networking sites, some of the most

popular early web services consisted of online matchmaking, classified ads, and

virtually establishing one’s offline relationships (Boyd & Ellison, 2007; the

virtual campfire). The first recognizable social network site, SixDegrees.com,

was launched in 1997 and it allowed users to create profiles, list their Friends

and surf the Friends lists. (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). SixDegrees promoted itself

as a tool to help people connect with and send messages to others. While

SixDegrees attracted millions of users, it failed to become a sustainable

business (Boyd & Ellison, 2007) and due to both the limited number of people

using the Internet at the time as well as a lack of new interactive features, in the

year 2000, the service closed (Ryan, 2008).

The next wave of SNSs began when Ryze.com was launched in 2001 to

help people leverage their business networks. Ryze's founder reports that he first

introduced the site to his friends—primarily members of the San Francisco

business and technology community (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). However, Ryze

never acquired mass popularity, Tribe.net grew to attract a passionate niche user

base, LinkedIn became a powerful business service, and Friendster became the

most significant but eventually lost its popularity due to profile regulations

which prompted MySpace to grow rapidly by capitalizing on Friendster's

alienation of its users. Teenagers began joining MySpace en masse in 2004

(Boyd & Ellison, 2007).

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Unlike previous SNSs, Facebook was designed to support distinct

college networks only. Facebook began in early 2004 as a Harvard-only SNS. In

2006, Facebook founders allowed the site to become mainstream and have now

become the most popular form of social networking (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).

Facebook is a social network service that is operated and privately owned by

Facebook, Inc. According to Facebook, there are 901 million monthly active

users at the end of March 2012 and during March 2012, on average 398 million

users were active with Facebook on at least six out of the last seven days

(Facebook.com, 2012). These statistics show that Facebook is indeed a very

popular social networking site for the masses. Below is Figure 2.2 which

illustrates the timeline of major social networking sites.

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Figure 2.1 Timeline of the launch dates of many major SNSs and dates when community sites re-launched with SNS features (taken from Boyd and Ellison, 2007)

2.3.2 Social Networking Sites for Learning

Social networking sites serve many purposes including networking,

communication, recruitment, and sharing knowledge. “Social networking media

engages the user in the content and allows them to be included as an active

participant as they construct a learning landscape rooted in social interaction,

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knowledge exchange, and optimum cognitive development with their peers”

(Baird & Fisher, 2006, p.24). SNS are already affecting the ways in which

people find, create, share and learn knowledge, through rich media

opportunities and in collaboration with each other (Redecker, Ala-Mutka, &

Punie, 2010).

With social networking sites playing an increasingly important role in

today's society, educators are exploring how they can be used as a teaching and

learning tool. Membership in social networking sites is increasing rapidly. The

proliferation of digital, social and mobile technologies has created a culture in

which youth participate more in creating and sharing content, profoundly

changing the way students communicate, interact, and learn. According to

Phillips and colleagues (2011), in many cases students spend as much (or more)

time online in an informal learning environment where they interact with peers

and receive feedback rather than they do with their teachers in the traditional

classroom.

2.3.1 Facebook for learning

In an article focused on social networking site applications, Demski

(2009) discussed how 49 primary schools have created internal social

networking sites to support learning, develop communities, and prepare students

for the real world. These internal SNS primarily support writing performance

and collaboration. Skiba (2008 as cited in Davis, 2010) studied the use of

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Twitter in higher education to facilitate discussions and “tweet” or message,

nuggets of knowledge. In Malaysia, various researches on benefits of Facebook

usage among students of higher education have been explored (Hazadiah et al,

2010; Kabilan et al, 2010; Zaidatun et al, 2011). Research on using Facebook

for teaching and learning of History among secondary school students by

Mohamad and Mohamad Shariff (2011) found that social networking sites were

able to increase motivation to learn and student understanding. It is therefore,

possible for Facebook to become a learning tool.

With the popularity of Facebook among various walks of life, it is

entirely possible for it to become a tool for learning English among students.

While the age demographics among Facebook users have changed rapidly, the

teenager user base has been increasing with 13-18 age demographic growing

(Theobald, 2011). From a pedagogical perspective, Ertmer (2005) believes

high-level technology such as synchronous chat, discussion forums and social

networking websites are usually promoting constructivist practices in which the

students have to collaborate as compared to low tech variety such as Microsoft

Office applications. According to Luke (2006), Internet-based activities can

involve quality learning experiences through specific communication

technologies that are transforming society. High-tech e-learning technologies

are the way of the present and the future and, as Prensky (2007) noted, the

twenty-first century will be characterized by even more enormous, exponential

technological change. Facebook is a powerful learning tool that is not only built

off of the synchronous and asynchronous technologies that has transformed

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learning but has also extended the reach of those communicative tools.

There are various applications within Facebook, among them is Groups.

Joining Groups in which users share similar interests is another feature that is

extremely popular on this Social Network Sites (SNS) and it is the pedagogical

potentials of this particular application. Any user can create a group which can

be open to any users or restricted to a targeted, pre-selected audience. The very

nature of the site is rooted in community building, social networking, and inter-

personal relationships but the Group application can be utilize in language

classes in a variety of constructive manners. As Garrison and Kanuka (2004)

pointed out, a sense of community is necessary to sustain a dynamic and

meaningful educational experience over time and is a valuable asset to promote

higher level thinking and the construction of knowledge.

Recent investigations have pointed out that Facebook can have a

positive effect on the student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationship

(Mazer, Murphy & Simmonds, 2007). Mazer and his colleagues noted that by

accessing a social networking sites, students may see similarities with peers and

instructor’s personal interest which can lead to more comfortable

communication and learning outcomes. Erik Mobrand, an Assistant Professor of

Political Science at the National University of Singapore (Ragupathi , 2011),

highlights three pedagogical advantages of Facebook: 1) engage students in a

discussion; 2) allow students to easily post and view video clips and pictures

and; 3) bring the learning environment to students’ social space.

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Students are fully engaged in 21st century technology, therefore, it is

reasonable to assume that they will rapidly take advantage of such opportunities

to collaborate and develop a mutual interdependence if they have not yet done

so. According to Blattner and Fiori (2009), technology is an inherent part of

students’ daily activities. Teachers need to capitalize on the fact that Facebook is

already an integral part of many students’ e-routine. Consequently, if educators

decide to provide guidance to the students to use such a site it will be an

invaluable asset to their educational and social experience. This makes

Facebook and its Group application a very noteworthy learning tool ripe for

introduction into the language classroom. Although Facebook's primary purpose

is to provide an online communication platform for users to make new friends

and interact with them, it can also foster online communities of practice for

students to work together to enhance collaborative learning.

2.4 Communities of practices (CoP)

The theory of Community of Practice (CoP) was first coined by Lave

and Wenger (1991) and used it to describe learning through practice and

participation. CoP puts an emphasis on communication, sharing of ideas,

passions, common problems and issues, and learning together as a team.

Community of practice was a term coined by Lave and Wenger nearly two

decades ago. Although the term is relatively new, the concept, however, is not.

Historically, communities of practice have been formed everywhere and we are

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generally involved in them, whether at work, home or for leisure and interest.

According to Lave and Wenger (1991), community of practice is defined as:

“a group of people who share a concern, a set of problems or a passion about a topic and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis” (p 4).

In a community of practice members interact and engage mutually with

one another; sharing ideas and stories as they work, have lunch, or socialise

outside of work. Through this mutual engagement, knowledge is shared and

created. Members also share insights, adopt or critique others’ practices and

share frustrations (Iverson & McPhee, 2002). Mutual engagement is understood

as relationships that are grounded in mutual interest, not just information

exchange, networking, or interaction. Communities of practices support

engagement by facilitating members to share what they have done and what

they have been (Brosnan & Burgess, 2003).

Practice is the unifying factor in a community of practice. It is important

to understand that communities of practice are about shared practices and are

learning communities (Wenger, 1998). People in a community of practice have

a certain level of competence and knowledge of a domain (Lai et al, 2006). It

implies that they learn together through joint activities and build a community

around a domain. In a typical CoP, there is a range of levels and types of

expertise to support the knowledge creation and sharing process. Members in a

community of practice have different roles, such as moderators, mentors, and

learners (Fontaine, 2001).

27

2.4.1 Online Community of Practice (CoP)

With the advent of the Internet, communities of practice have expanded

into the virtual world. According to Baran (2006), many online communities of

practice have emerged due to the development of new information and

communication technologies and have become important for learning and

teaching. The main features of Facebook are ideal for online communication

and sharing, thus it is an ideal platform to implement online CoP environments.

In online communities of practice, communication is primarily computer-

mediated rather than face to face (Molphy, Pocknee & Young, 2007). Unlike

conventional communities of practice, online communities overcome barriers of

time and distance and offer advantages of convenience and flexibility as

communication can occur at any time and from any place (Lieberman & Mace,

2010). Since the membership of online CoPs is more open compared to that of

conventional CoPs, their sizes, consequently, are also relatively bigger.

Preece (2000, p.10) defines online communities of practice in terms of

its four defining characteristics, which are

“people who interact socially to satisfy their own needs or perform special roles; a shared purpose, such as interest, need, information exchange or service that provides a reason for the community; policies in the form of tacit assumptions, rituals, protocols, rules and laws that guide people’s interactions; computer systems to support and mediate social interaction and facilitate a sense of togetherness.”

Research identified the importance of creating a community of learners

in educational environments a few decades ago and defined the term “sense of

28

community” in a variety of ways (McMillan & Chavis, 1986; Lave & Wenger

1991) among them as mutual interdependence among members, connectedness,

trust, interactivity and shared expectations and goals. Davidson and Goldberg

(2009) states that ‘the single most important characteristic of the Internet is its

capacity to allow for a worldwide community and its endlessly myriad subsets

to exchange ideas, to learn from one another in a way not previously available.

These positive characteristics create an intrinsically rewarding reason to

continue participation in such a group (Kuo, 2003).

2.4.2 Facebook as an online community of practice

Facebook can be an asset in building an online community of practice.

Facebook offers opportunities for learners to connect on different levels.

Collaborative learning through discussion can “foster the development of

critical thinking, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of others’ ideas”

(Gokhale, 1995, p.25). Social networking sites have created “an (online)

community that is able to draw from multiple social Web resources to meet a

learner’s intrinsic needs, while still providing opportunities to participate with

their peers in a collaborative, social exchange of information” (Baird & Fisher,

2006, p.23). Facebook, if used appropriately, fulfils the criteria of an online

community of practice.

Students can use online tools to discuss school work, confer with

friends, and seek assistance. An established online community simply provides

29

them a moderated, centralized location to do what many of them are already

doing. Facebook can also be an important tool to increase general

communication between student and student and between student and teacher.

Aside from responding to the discussion on the wall, students can post questions

to be answered by other students or by the teacher. Also, Facebook has a chat

feature allowing immediate feedback to address trouble with assignments or

other general questions. The sense of community cultivated online could carry

over into the face-to-face classroom and promote a stronger sense of community

in the physical class (Theobald, 2011).

Networking, socializing, and discussing are all things that many students

are already doing in virtual spaces. According to Theobald (2011), creating an

educational space that taps into that already existent craze seems a natural

transition. Students can debate and discuss in real time and stretch the confines

of the traditional classroom. Thus, Facebook as an online community of practice

will enrich the students' experience in learning English.

2.5 Conceptual foundations and theoretical background

By providing additional avenues and purposeful communication among

students and teachers such as social networking sites, it can become a

contributor to successful learning. According to Robyler and colleagues (2010),

interaction is a key indicator of quality in online learning. This heading attempts

to identify various theories that are embedded in social networking sites.

30

2.5.1 Vygotsky’s Theory of Social Constructivism

Online CoPs subscribe to the social constructivism theory of learning

(Murugaiah, Azman, Yaacob & Siew, 2010). As Facebook is identified as an

online CoP therefore this theory would be applicable. Unlike earlier theories

that claim that learning is largely a product of behavioural and later, cognitive,

process, Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism contends that learning is a

social and collaborative activity (Liu & Matthews, 2005). Learners, according

to Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism, are active constructors, or co-

constructors, of their own knowledge (Liu & Matthews, 2005). Proponents of

social constructivism favor processes over products. Constructivist learning

environments support collaborative construction of knowledge through social

negotiation, not competition among learners for recognition (Powell, 2008).

Students will construct their own knowledge through their interactions with

others in their Facebook interaction.

New information gained via the course of these interactions is then fitted

to the existing mental schemas in our head (Johnson, 2001). Learning, therefore,

is the result of the continuous process of negotiation of meaning and adjustment

of our mental models or schemas to accommodate new experiences (Brooks,

2002). Facebook allow students to get together to exchange ideas, resources and

expertise. They also have the opportunity to engage in collaborative problem

solving. Students who participate in Facebook to learn English work together to

31

construct new knowledge and adjust their existing one (Sobrero & Craycraft,

2008). Whatever they learn through these virtual interactions is therefore the

product of a social and collaborative process, which is aligned with Vygotsky’s

view on learning.

2.5.2 Lave’s Theory of Situated Learning

Social networking sites such as Facebook are also in line with Lave’s

theory of situated learning. Similar to Vygotsky’s theory of social

constructivism, Lave’s theory also views social interaction as a critical

component of learning (Hanewald & Gesthuizen, 2009). Learning, according to

Lave (1991; as cited in Drisoll, 2000), is situated within an authentic activity,

context and culture, hence the term ‘situated learning’. Stein (1998; as cited in

Powell, 2008) claims that situated learning is “to place thought and action in a

specific place and time and in everyday actions and social processes”. For

learning to occur, students must be placed in a real-world situation or authentic

context and allowed to interact with other people (Powell, 2008).

The focus of situated learning is on learning by doing and on addressing

real problems (Heeter, 2005). This explains why Lave (1991) suggests for

learners to be placed or participate in communities of practice. Participating in

SNSs which allow for CoPs allows students to interact with other students and

construct knowledge with the help of others. Students who participate in

Facebook, for instance, have the opportunity to discuss real problems with

32

regard to learning English and work collaboratively to solve them. The SNSs,

themselves, serve as the authentic context in which learning could take place.

Solving problems about English language learning requires students to interact

with other students (Heeter, 2005). Language learning cannot and must not be

separated from the context of its use (Swain, 1995).

2.5.3 Incidental Learning

Incidental learning refers to some form of unintentional or unplanned

learning within an informal or formal learning situation that often results from

other activities (Marsick & Watkins, 2001; Kerka, 2000). It is a natural way of

learning and has characteristics of what is considered most effective in learning

situations as it is situated, contextual and social (Kerka, 2000). Fodor (as cited

in Mealman, 1993) defines incidental learning as a natural and individual

response to the learning experience as a whole. According to Kerka (2000),

incidental learning occurs:

through observation,

repetition,

social interactions,

problem solving,

implicit meanings in classrooms,

by watching and talking to colleagues or experts about tasks,

from mistakes, beliefs, assumptions and attributions.

33

These characteristics often occur in social networking sites when users interact with

each other and incidental learning may have occurred without users realising it.

Incidental learning has its advantages and disadvantages. Below are the advantages and

disadvantages of incidental learning.

Table 2.4: Advantages and disadvantages of Incidental Learning

2.5.4 Second language acquisition (SLA): Swain's Output Hypothesis

In the 1980s, the word “output” was used to indicate the outcome, or product, of

the language acquisition device. Output was synonymous with “what the learner

has learned”, however Swain believes the act of producing language constitutes

as a part of the second language learning process therefore the term has shifted

in meaning towards process (Swain, 2007). Krashen (1984) believed that we

acquire language in only one way which is when we understand messages in

that language and when we receive comprehensible input. Swain however had

doubts particularly about the argument that comprehensible input was the only

true cause of SLA (2007). Swain (1995) claims that practicing the language

34

Advantages Disadvantages

- can result in improved competence

- changed attitudes

- growth in interpersonal skills

- growth in self-confidence or self- awareness

- personally meaningful

- “hit or miss” nature

- often not recognised as learning by learners or others

- can easily result in misconceptions and uncertainty of the learned material

helps learners observe their own production, which is essential to SLA. It is her

contention that “output may stimulate learners to move from the semantic,

open-ended non-deterministic, strategic processing prevalent in comprehension

to the complete grammatical processing needed for accurate production”

(Swain, 1995: 128). Swain (1995) identifies three functions of output:

1. the noticing / triggering function - The claim here is that while attempting to

produce the target language, learners may notice that they do not know how

to say (or write) precisely the meaning they wish to convey. The activity of

producing the target language may prompt second language learners to

recognize consciously some of their linguistic problems: it may bring their

attention to something they need to discover about their second language.

2. the hypothesis testing function - The claim here is that output may

sometimes be, from output may sometimes be, from the learner’s

perspective, a “trial the learner’s perspective, a “trial run” reflecting their

hypothesis run” reflecting their hypothesis of how to say (or write) their of

how to say (or write) their intent.

3. metalinguistic (reflective) function of output - The claim here is that

using language to reflect on language produced by others or the self,

mediates second language learning.

Upon interacting in social networking sites, students may notice that

35

they cannot say what they want to say in the target language. Therefore, they

will start to notice that the language form is different from their own use. As

they try to produce output in the desired target language they are undergoing

various hypothesis testing of how to say something correctly. As they produce

output, students reflect on the language produced either individually or through

collaborative dialogue with other students. Learning English through Facebook

may be feasible as it allows students to produce desired target language.

Swain explains that “learners may notice a gap between what they want

to say and what they can say, leading them to recognize what they do not know,

or know only partially” (p. 126). She highlights that ‘noticing’ is essential to

SLA and also hypothesizes that output has other two functions: to test

hypothesis and to trigger reflection, a metalinguistic function. She explains that

learners ‘may output just to see what works and what does not” (p. 132) and

that they reflect upon the language they produce when negotiating meaning.

When students use Facebook in learning English language they are negotiating

meaning with one another and they will try to express themselves using the

language form.

36

CHAPTER 3METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

In this chapter, several aspects that are essential to the research will be

discussed. They include the design of the research, the selection of the location

and respondents, the instrument and the methodology used in the collection of

the data and how the data is analysed.

3.1 Research design

Student feedback has been recognized as one of the most important

factors in assessing teaching (Holmes & Brown, 2000). The students’ feedback

was obtained by mean of a questionnaire, which utilized both closed and open-

ended questions, so students had to use the Likert scale grading system and they

were able to comment in their own words. The instrument that was used to

collect the data was through a survey questionnaire. The quantitative data was

analysed using SPSS 17.0 and qualitative data was analysed using Weft QDA.

This survey research is descriptive-data driven that attempts to investigate the

general practices and uses of Facebook among secondary school students and

whether they consider Facebook as an online environment that facilitates their

English language learning. This type of research is chosen because it is a

systematic method of collecting data in a short period of time. A few students

are randomly selected for a semi structured interview to further gain insights on

37

Facebook usage and English language learning. Below is an illustrated figure of

the study’s research design:

Figure 3.1: Research design of the study. Graphical diagram by the researcher

3.2 Participants and setting

The participants in this study were Form Four students from two

secondary schools in the Timur Laut district of Pulau Pinang. Both are urban

schools and English is taught as a second language in these schools. The

number of participants was chosen based on the random sampling techniques.

The number of samples chosen is based on Krejcie and Morgan's sample size

38

Open-ended question

SPSS Analysis

Quantitative Data

Research Population

Report Data Analysis

Questionnaire

Weft QDA

Qualitative Data

Semi structured interview

Random selection

Coding

Research Questions

table (1970). The two schools are SMK(P) Sri Mutiara and SMKA Al-Mashoor

(L). Data was collected from 130 participants, with 70 participants from

SMK(P) Sri Mutiara and 60 participants from SMKA Al-Mashoor (L).

3.3 INSTRUMENT

This research employed quantitative research designs that involve a

questionnaire with a five level Likert scale grading system and open-ended

questions where respondents were able to comment in their own words. The

questionnaires were distributed to participants. A semi structured interview was

done to randomly selected students to provide more opportunities for the

researcher to learn on the topic addressed. The description of the instrument is

as follows:

3.3.1 Questionnaire

The questionnaire consists of four sections, Section A, B, C and D

(Appendix A). Section A consists of respondents’ demographic data, language

proficiency and Facebook account which comprises of 8 questions. Section B

consists of three questions enquiring information in the students' general

practices and uses of Facebook. Section C consists of 3 open-ended questions

on reasons of having Facebook and Section D, four questions on learning

English with Facebook. In the study, respondent answered on a five-level Likert

scale of “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”. Open-ended questions were

39

used to allow students the opportunity to elaborate on their answers.

The items in the construct of learning English in the Facebook

environment, emphasised aspects of students' improvement of language skills,

motivation, attitude and confidence towards English language learning. The

questionnaire, with a very high Cronbach alpha score of 0.977, was adapted

from a previous study by Kabilan et al (2010) on Facebook as an online

environment for learning English in institutions of higher education. A pilot

study was carried out in a secondary school in the Timur Laut District

consisting of 30 respondents to test the reliability of the questionnaire. Some

minor adjustments in terms of language use were done to accommodate the

students’ level of language.

The data analysis in this study was done quantitatively through mean

scores, frequency and percentages were used, and qualitative data were analysed

to answer the research questions:

1) what are students' general practices or uses of Facebook? and

2) do the students consider Facebook as an online environment that facilitates

their English language learning?

40

3.3.2 Semi structured interview

A semi structured interview was conducted on eight randomly selected

participants to obtain more information relevant to the study. A semi structured

interview was chosen because it is less intrusive and encourages two-way

communication. The participants were two students who did not have a

Facebook account, two students who have a Facebook account and login at least

once a day, two students who have a Facebook account and believe it can

facilitate English language learning and lastly two students who have a

Facebook account but do not believe that it can facilitate English language

learning. A summary of the respondents are tabulated in table 5. Questions were

designed based on three themes, Facebook practices, English language

improvement from Facebook interaction and Facebook as tool to learn English

language (Appendix B). The semi structured interview was done by the

researcher for approximately five to eight minutes for each participant.

41

Table 3.1: Respondents randomly selected for interview

No. Respondent Facebook Facebook for English

language learning

Yes No Yes No

1 FB 001 √ √

2 FB 005 √ √

3 FB 023 √ √

4 FB 055 √ √

5 FB 092 √ √

6 FB 096 √ √

7 FB 120 √ √

8 FB 124 √ √

3.3.3 Research Procedures

The research procedures explain how the study was carried out. The

survey was conducted in a classroom setting. Their English teachers distributed

the questionnaires to the students. The students completed the questionnaire

within 20 to 25 minutes. At the beginning of the survey, it was explained to the

students on how to respond to the questionnaire and any queries regarding the

questionnaire were entertained during the administration of the survey. After

analysing statistical data, eight students were randomly selected for semi

structured interview to further probe the issue. Each interview took

approximately 8 – 10 minutes and questions were asked based on their initial

responses in the questionnaire. The qualitative data was analysed using Weft

QDA, a free qualitative data analysis tool.

42

This chapter has given a thorough discussion on the methodology of this

study, which is a descriptive-data driven research. This study focused only on

Form Four students two schools in the Timur Laut District of Pulau Pinang. A

questionnaire is the main instrument used for data collection in this study. The

next chapter focuses on the analysis and discussion of the data.

43

CHAPTER 4FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

4.0 Introduction

The goal of the study was to identify to identify students' general practices or

uses of Facebook and to identify whether the students consider Facebook as an

online environment that facilitates their English language learning. A survey

questionnaire and semi structured interview was carried out to probe the issue.

The findings are presented in four sections: demographic data, secondary school

students’ general practices, Facebook to facilitate English language learning and

semi structured interview findings.

4.1 Demographic data

A total of 130 secondary school students participated in this study. There

were 60 males, with a percentage 46.2%, and 70 females, with a percentage of

53.8%, who participated in this study. These figures are almost representative of

the general Malaysian secondary school enrolment in terms of gender of 49.9%

male and 50.1% female (Educational Management Information System, 2012).

In terms of English language proficiency, 44.6% gained A, 35.4% gained B,

13.8% gained C and 6.2% gained D in Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) or

Lower Secondary Assessment. This result reflects that 93.8% of the students are

graded fair to excellent in the command of English language. A mere 6.4% of

the students only achieved a minimum passing mark for the subject. PMR is a

Malaysian public examination taken by all Form Three students in both

44

government and private schools throughout the country. The English language

usually has both an oral and written examination. The oral examination tests the

students' proficiency in speaking the language; has a listening comprehension

examination and tests the students' ability to comprehend speech in daily

situations. A written examination tests the student's composition skills and in

grammar and vocabulary.

Most of the secondary school students believed their language to be at

least moderate to fair in all the English language skills: reading (99.2%), writing

(99.5%), speaking (91.8%) and listening (100%). The languages used by most

of the students in informal situations are their first language, Bahasa Malaysia

with a mean score of 4.42 and mother tongue with a mean score of 4.02.

Sometimes English is used but usually with a mix of their first language. The

data shows that the secondary school students are more comfortable in using

their first language in informal interactions compared to other languages.

4.2 Students’ general practices or uses of Facebook

From the 130 students who participated in this study, 83.6% have a

Facebook account while 16.4% do not have an account (Figure 4.1). From these

figures, 46.1% are male and 53.9% are female. Respondent FB023 answered

during the interview of not having a Facebook account because no Internet

connection at home while respondent FB120 stated that parents would not allow

her to have a Facebook account even though she has Internet connection at

45

home. It was discovered that 60.8% of the secondary school students logged at

least once a day into their Facebook account. Most of them, 63 respondents,

stated that finding old or new friends as the main reason for creating Facebook

account in the first place in the open-ended question. The most frequent activity

done when logged into Facebook is commenting on others’ sharing (mean score

= 3.92) and commenting on others’ comments (mean score = 3.44). This is

further strengthened from the interview as respondent FB092 claimed, “I love

reading walls and write comments to my friends. I always wait for the

notification of comments”.

Figure 4.1: Percentage of Facebook users among students

46

Among the 19 constructs on the frequency of activities done on Facebook,

10 constructs scored a mean score over 3, which shows that they did these

activities at least once a week.

Table 4.1: Mean score of activities done in Facebook

Construct Mean scoreSharing ideas 3.14Sharing opinions 3.07Sharing pictures 3.03Commenting on others’ sharing 3.91Commenting on others’ comment 3.44Commenting on others’ pictures 3.33Update profile 3.08Chat with online friends 3.86Search for old friends 3.71Keep in touch with friends 3.40

4.3 Facebook to facilitate English language learning

4.3.1 Language Interaction

It is important to see whether there is interaction between the students using the

target language. From the survey, the percentage of language used for

interaction in Facebook is tabulated below:

47

Table 4.2: Percentage of language used in Facebook interaction

4.3.2 English Language improvement

In general, students believe that they have an improvement of English

language due to their Facebook interaction. With a minimum mean of 3.0 for all

the constructs for English language improvement, the data shows a favourable

use of Facebook in terms of English language. The mean score for the

constructs are in Table 8. 83.5% of the students believe that their interaction in

Facebook has increased their overall proficiency in English at least a little.

Table 4.3: Mean score English language improvement since Facebook interaction

Construct Mean ScoreMy overall proficiency in English has increased 3.23I use English more often in my daily life as a student than before

3.0

I have learnt new English words 4.0I have learnt new sentence structures in English 3.0

48

Language Never Seldom Sometimes Frequently Mean score

English only 3.1 21.5 59.2 14.6 2.9Bahasa Malaysia only 1.5 4.6 14.6 9.2 4.42Mother tongue only 10.8 9.2 9.2 8.5 4.02A mix of English & Malay

2.3 18.6 41.1 19.4 3.33

A mix of English & Mother Tongue

19.4 17.1 24.8 26.4 2.95

A mix of Bahasa Malaysia & Mother Tongue

8.5 9.3 23.3 12.4 3.79

A mix of English, Bahasa Malaysia & Mother Tongue

15.5 24.8 22.5 21.7 2.96

4.3.3 Facebook as an English language learning environment

The general opinion of the secondary school students is that they

(96.33%) agree Facebook can facilitate the learning of English language. Figure

4.2 shows the percentage of students who regard Facebook as a learning

environment to learn English.

Figure 4.2: Percentage of students who regard Facebook as a learning environment to learn English

49

Students generally agreed that Facebook can be a learning environment to prac-

tice language skills and enhance students’ English communication skills. Table

4.4 shows the percentages.

Table 4.4: Students perception of Facebook as a learning environment to learn English

Facebook interaction has also increased motivation towards the English

language. Most students had at least a little improvement in motivation. This

data again shows a favourable aspect of Facebook in students’ motivation level

towards English language as summarised in Table 4.5.

50

Question

Practice writing in EnglishPractice reading in EnglishLearn new words in EnglishEnhance students’ English communication skills

Strongly disagree

0.90.90.91.8

Disagree

2.82.80.92.8

Slightly agree

35.834.922.929.4

Agree

38.546.847.750.5

Strongly agree

22.014.727.515.6

Mean Score

3.783.724.03.75

Table 4.5: Percentage and mean score of students’ motivation towards English language learning

Construct No Unsure Yes, a little

Yes, moderately

Yes, a lot Mean Score

I am motivated to learn new English words

5.6 11.2 43 25.2 15 3.0

I am motivated to read English materials

5.5 19.3 29.4 31.2 14.7 3.0

I am motivated to write more in English

2.8 20.2 37.6 32.1 7.3 3.0

I am motivated to communicate with friends in the real world using English

8.3 16.5 27.5 34.9 12.8 3.0

I am motivated to communicate with Facebook friends (or other online friends) using English

8.3 14.8 37 27.8 12 3.0

I am motivated to communicate with teachers in English

9.2 22.9 34.9 24.8 8.3 3.0

With a mean score of 4.0, 81.2% of students believed that their participation in

Facebook has instilled a positive attitude towards English as a second language

at least a little. This figure is important as secondary school students have a

generally positive attitude towards English language due to their interaction in

Facebook. Table 4.6 shows their attitude towards English language learning

after they began interaction in Facebook.

51

Table 4.6: percentage and mean score of attitudes towards English language

Construct No Unsure Yes, a little

Yes, moderately

Yes, a lot

Mean Score

I have a more positive attitude towards learning English as a second language.

3.7 10.1 34.9 38.5 12.8 3.0

Learning English is easier.

5.5 10.1 37.6 31.2 15.6 3.0

Learning English is more interesting.

3.7 7.3 30.3 38.5 20.2 4.0

Learning English is more useful.

2.8 3.7 29.4 35.8 28.4 4.0

I am not worried about making mistakes.

11.9 18.3 35.8 22.9 11.0 3.0

4.4 Interview Findings

To further explore the general practices or uses of Facebook among secondary

school students, an interview was carried out on eight respondents. Below is a

table summarising is the main reason for the respondents of using or not using

Facebook:

52

Table 4.7: Reasons for having or not having Facebook

Most of the students admit to logging into their Facebook account for

social purposes such us updating profile, reading walls and chatting. None of

the respondents in the open-ended questions or the interview commented on the

use of Facebook for learning. Respondent FB023 has no computer or Internet at

home, thus no Facebook account. Respondent FB120 says, “My father said no

to Facebook but I’m allowed to surf the Internet every night for other things”.

Friends play an important result in Facebook practices as more activity is done

if friends are also involved. They utilise the chat application among each other

as it is free and save money from buying mobile prepaid cards as respondent

FB096 claims, “I don’t have to waste money on topping up that much when I

chat unlimitedly”.

All six participants who had a Facebook account believed that their

overall English language proficiency has improved due to the reading and

53

No Respondent Gender Facebook account

Main reason for using or not using Facebook

Yes No

1 FB001 M √ Influence of friends and read walls

2 FB005 M √ Update profile and read walls

3 FB023 M √ No Internet or computer at home

4 FB055 √ Find new friends and chat

5 FB092 √ Update wall and comment friends

6 FB096 √ Always use chat application

7 FB120 √ Parents do not allow the use of Facebook

8 FB124 √ Playing games and chat

writing done in Facebook interaction. They only refer to these two language

skills as they have not done any speaking in Facebook interaction. Respondents

FB055 and FB092 believe that they are more confident in reading and writing

because of sharing comments among their friends. Respondent FB124 says her

English language improved because she reads update by her favourite Western

artists.

Four students who have Facebook believed that it can be used to facilitate

English language learning as they can practice writing comments to their friends

in English. Two students, respondent FB023 and FB120, who did not have

Facebook account, believe that it could facilitate English language learning.

Respondent FB005 prefers to use Bahasa Malaysia in Facebook interaction as

he is more comfortable using his first language. Similarly, respondent FB096

believed that she has not increased her English language proficiency during her

interaction in Facebook as she used Bahasa Malaysia, “...use BM, easier for me.

Not good in English, what if it’s wrong? Malu (embarrass)”. She is much more

comfortable using her first language and afraid to make errors in front of her

friends.

Seven out of the eight participants claim that they would complete English

language homework given on Facebook. Respondent FB001 says, “I would do

it, it’s much more fun than doing grammar”. As the respondents had access to

Facebook, they were more open to the idea of using Facebook to complete tasks

given by their English teacher. Respondent FB023 however did not think she

would be able to complete task given through Facebook as she has no Internet

54

access and limited funds and time to go to the Internet cafe. Respondent FB120

said, “if teacher gave me work on Facebook, I’m sure my dad would allow me

to use it”.

4.5 Negative findings

Among the negative findings from the survey discovered that 3.67% of

the secondary school students disagreed that Facebook can be used to as a

learning environment to learn English. Although 96.33% of the secondary

students believe that Facebook can be a learning environment to learn English,

only a small percentage use English in Facebook interaction either on its own or

mixed with their first language. Thus, the students are not attempting the use of

English language for learning but merely for social purposes. None of the

respondents commented on the use of Facebook as a learning tool. 16.5% of the

students who have a Facebook account are unsure or do not think that their

overall proficiency in English has increased. Respondent FB055 stated in the

interview, “I don’t think I can learn English as I always use BM (Bahasa

Malaysia), and all my friends also use BM. I rarely use any other language”.

The interference of first language in Facebook interactions may impede the

learning of English language as the use of the target language becomes nearly

non-existent.

55

CHAPTER FIVECONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5. 0 Introduction

This study explored whether or not Facebook, a social networking site,

could facilitate English language learning among secondary school students.

Secondary school students' general practices and uses of Facebook were

identified. Form Four students were quantitatively studied for their general

practices or uses of Facebook and their considerations of Facebook as an online

environment that facilitates their English language learning. Interviews were

carried out on selected respondents to further answer the research questions.

Majority of the students in this study believed that Facebook can be used to

facilitate English language learning. They believe the possibility of enhancing

communication skills in English with Facebook. The chapter begins with a brief

summary of study to provide context. Next, the research findings are restated,

followed by the conclusions reached. The conclusions are presented in order of

the research questions. Implications of the study and recommendations for

future research are presented, followed by a summary.

5.1 Summary of Study

The growth of social media and Web 2.0 technologies affects both

teachers and students in the educational context. There are new pedagogical

methods and approaches between teachers and their student which results in

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increased interaction and knowledge. Web sites, online business applications,

blogs, real time chats, and SNS are some of the tools that teachers implement to

remain relevant and in line with various technological development that are

occurring. As teachers and students embrace new Web 2.0 tools and

technologies, the impact of Facebook or any other social networking site on

English language learning is threefold. Currently the demands on secondary

school students are great, but their time is limited. Secondary school students

are encouraged to network to increase their access to knowledge, language skills

and resources. As secondary school students join SNS, the questions that

emerged are whether social networking sites could serve as an online

environment that facilitates their English language learning. The related

literature reviewed covered on technology in language classroom, social

networking sites, Facebook, online community of practice, learning theories and

second language acquisition.

5.2 Summary of Findings

The research sample for the study was comprised of 130 Form Four

secondary school students. The sample group completed a questionnaire survey

that consisted questions related to demographic information, Facebook general

practices or uses and constructs on learning English language with Facebook.

The items were statistically analysed. Interviews were carried out to further

explore and reduce researcher biasness and speculation. The results were as

follows:

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i. 83.6% of the students have a Facebook account

ii. 63 students or 57.8% state that the main reason they sign up for Facebook

is to search for old and make new friends.

iii. 60.8% of the students log into Facebook at least once a day

iv. 83.5% of the students believe that their overall proficiency in English

language has increased at least a little.

v. 81.2% of the students have developed a more positive attitude towards

English as a language at least a little from their Facebook interaction.

vi. 86.2% of the students have a more positive attitude towards learning

English as a second language after interaction in Facebook

vii. 93.6% of the students believe that learning English is more useful after

interaction in Facebook

viii. 96.3% of the students believe that Facebook can be an online learning

environment to learn English.

Eight interviews were conducted and content analysed. Themes that emerged

from content analysis included the following:

i. Gain perspectives on emerging trend, practices of Facebook

ii. Gain insights on students' beliefs of English language learning through

Facebook

iii. Motivations and barriers to participation in learning English using

Facebook

5.3 Conclusion and discussions

A majority of secondary school students have Facebook accounts. They

use Facebook mainly for various sharing and commenting activities. Students

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are aware of the technical functions and applications in Facebook and

competent in its usage. Using Facebook for academic purposes is possible

because students are not limited by technical skills.

This study provides evidence that Facebook can be an online environment

that facilitates English language learning among secondary school students.

96.3% of the students believe that Facebook can be an online learning

environment to learn English. This finding is consistent with findings found in

previous research (Kabilan et al., 2010; Grosseck et al.,2011; Promnitz-Hayashi,

2011; Mohamad & Mohammad Shariff, 2011). It is therefore possible for

English teachers to use Facebook to facilitate language learning as students are

aware of the benefits of Facebook for English language learning.

The use of Facebook will also broaden students’ understanding of the

subject matter. The use of a variety of teaching-learning resources has the

potential of making students understand the subject matter easier as they get

different perspectives; however, proper use of such resources is what brings the

impact. Such tasks tend to be more fruitful when they are clear, teacher guided

and students have the necessary technical skills, otherwise students tend to

immerse themselves in searching for unnecessary information. Technical skills

are important for full utilisation of ICT. Such skills emanate from experience

and constant use of social networking sites such as Facebook. Absence of ICT

in some homes limits their use and to a certain extent will impede learning of

English language through this particular medium.

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Secondary school students’ first language may be barrier to English

language learning in Facebook. 70% and 62.3% of the students always use

Bahasa Malaysia and Mother Tongue, respectively, in their Facebook

interaction. This interference of first language will hinder the learning of

English language. Students who do not use English language in their Facebook

interaction will not be able to ‘pick up’ the language as suggested by Swain’s

Output Hypothesis. Language learners should produce language in order to be

competent (Swain, 1995). Language input is not merely enough. As the students

do not use English language often in Facebook interaction thus language output

and practice seems limited. Nevertheless, it is interesting that although most

respondents always use their first language, 96.3% of them believe that

Facebook can facilitate English language learning. This indicates a positive

attitude towards learning English through Facebook and should therefore be

fully utilised by both teachers and students.

A total of 91.6% of the students reported to have learnt new English

words and 79.8% have learnt new English sentence structure from their

Facebook interaction. These figures indicate that incidental learning has

occurred during their Facebook interaction. Although students may not be

consciously learning English, they still developed English language skills.

Mealman (1993) concluded that small group activities provided especially rich

opportunities for learning. As students interact with their friends on Facebook,

opportunities for learning English is also amplified. This further proves that

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Facebook can be an online learning environment to learn the English language.

The English language teacher therefore has to further guide students to use

English language in their interaction by setting out specified learning outcomes

in order for them to acquire the language. This is further supported by

Mealman’s study where facilitator led discussions increased incidental learning

possibilities (1993).

Critical success factors for Facebook, which is online CoP, are shared

understanding, sense of purpose, members’ technology skills, and acceptance of

technology as a communication means (Gannon-Leary & Fontainha, 2007).

These critical success factors should be present in the online environment of

Facebook for learning English language. Sharing and learning need to be

combined to form the sense of purpose; training practices, theories, and

concepts are the shared understanding; training terms comprise the common

language. English language teachers and students should accept using the

Internet as a means of communication and to learn the language in an effective

and authentic setting.

5.4 Future research and recommendations

This study leads to further research in regards to how we can help

students involved in more supportive online community learning environments;

how we can further distinguish the ways in which students can achieve positive

benefits that are not possible in face-to-face environments; and how online

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community learning approaches are currently impacting teachers’ knowledge

and practice.

This study has proven that Form Four secondary school students do, to a

certain extent, consider the effectiveness of participation in a Facebook online

environment for learning English language. Thus, English language teachers

should harness on this knowledge to improve students’ language proficiency.

Tasks and discussions should be assigned through Facebook to motivate

students to use English. English language teachers should be more open to

using Facebook to learn English as students are highly motivated to learn the

language through this medium. English language teachers should be technical

competent and aware of the various applications found in Facebook to fully

utilise this tool for the teaching and learning of English. First, teachers and

students must learn these new tools. Second, teachers must understand what

existing and emerging theories apply to learning when using Web 2.0

technologies. Finally, teachers must be able and ready to provide guidance to

their students and training in the use of these technologies to facilitate English

language learning.

Apart from that, this study also shows, albeit indirectly, that secondary

school students are not taking full advantage of Facebook as an environment for

online learning. One barrier identified in this study, which is poor Internet

access and connection, needs to be addressed. One of the main obstacles to

participation has always been access or more specifically a lack of access.

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Access and connection to the Internet is the backbone of learning English

language through Facebook. Without Internet connection, online learning will

cease to exist and participation non-existent. Thus, there is a need for the

parents and schools to provide better access and connectivity if participation is

to be encouraged. There is also a need for efficient technological support and

maintenance for Facebook as an online community of practice to be effective

(Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002). Social networking sites are already here

and, we suspect, they are here to stay. It is high time that we recognize this

important fact and start to take full advantage of this wonderful learning tool.

5.5 Conclusion

This study has focused on an analysis of students' general practices or

uses of Facebook and how the students viewed Facebook as an online

environment that facilitates their English language learning. Of particular note

is the secondary school students' favourable response to the use of this activity

as a means to learn English language. There are some benefits and obstacles that

face the using the social networking as educational tool. As few studies within

learning of English language among secondary school students through

Facebook have been done, additional research is needed to explore how this

social networking site might be best used, and how secondary school students

might perceive its usefulness in a variety of contexts.

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