The Use of Social Media Tools in the Classroom: Perceptions Among Community College Students Research Paper

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Updated: Feb 29th, 2024

Summary

The chosen dissertation is titled “The use of social media tools in the classroom: Perceptions among community college students,” and it was written by Shivochie L. Dinkins in 2018. The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of community college students in Mississippi about the use and effects of social media. The study involved 201 undergraduate students from a large community college, and the author used convenience sampling to recruit participants for the study. The research addressed the following research questions (Dinkins, 2018, p. 52):

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  1. To what extent do students use social media and social networking sites?
  2. What is the relationship, if any, between the use of social media and social networking sites by select student demographics?
  3. What is the relationship, if any, between the effects of using social media and social networking sites by select demographics?
  4. What are the perceptions of community college students about the effects of the use of social media and social networking sites on their active learning skills?

A descriptive quantitative design was used to address each of these questions, with a survey as the primary method of data collection. The survey was a modified version of the social Social Media Updates Survey created by Pew Research Center, an independent research group located in the United States. The author modified some of the questions to fit the goals of the study, so the final survey included 16 statements rated by participants based on the Likert Scale.

After data from the participants was collected, the researcher used statistical tools to analyze it. Descriptive statistics, the Chi-Square test, and frequency analysis were used to produce quantitative results. The findings revealed that most students prefer using Facebook, that the use of social networking sites was more important to participants aged 25 and above, and that students’ general perceptions of social media use for learning were positive. Dinkins reports that “41.3% of the respondents agreed to social networking sites help them academically in getting educational materials for assignments or projects in class and 48.8% agreed that social networking sites are an effective tool for e-learning” (p. 96). Based on the information provided by the study, social media can be used to enhance learning and improve students’ engagement. The study is relevant to my dissertation project because the topics and some research questions are comparable. Hence, it would be useful to learn more about Dinkins’ (2018) methodology to understand its limitations and avoid them in my research.

Critique

Definitions of Terms and Concepts

In the introductory section of the dissertation, the author provides definitions of key terms and concepts to be applied in the research. The items discussed include theoretical ideas, such as involvement, technical terms, such as Web 2.0 and social networking sites, and names of specific formats or websites used in online communication, including blogs, Wikis, Youtube, and more (Dinkins, 2018). The researcher provides basic definitions of these terms based on other research studies and publications.

My topic is “Students’ Perceptions toward the Use of Social Media in Education,” and it is comparable to Dinkins’ (2018) topic. The two main research questions that I will be addressing are “What are the perceptions of students toward the use of social media as learning tools?” and “Are there differences in students’ perceptions toward social media based on their gender and age?” The questions posed by Dinkins (2018) about students’ perceptions and their correlation with demographic factors are similar. However, the author also considers the extent of social media use and its effects. The addition of these research questions explains the need to define more terms and concepts. The key terms in my research are mostly technical and include Web 2.0, social media, net generation (net savvy), and social networking sites. Dinkins (2018) added information on specific social networks and online communication formats because their research also studied the patterns of social media use. Another definition that does not match my list is that of involvement, and Dinkins (2018) likely included it because they studied the effect of social media use on this variable.

There are also some differences between the definitions provided by Dinkins (2018) and the ones I used. For example, Dinkins defines Web 2.0 based on Tucker’s (2014) work, stating that it refers to the social use of the web that allows individuals to collaborate. Nevertheless, as I have noted, the term was initially used to describe the shifts in the online software market and thus refers to the technological changes that allowed making the Web a collaborative environment (Ellison & Boyd, 2013). My definition appears to be more precise and complete because it links technical developments to the use of the Web. The definitions of social media and social networking sites are comparable offered by Dinkins (2018) are similar to my description of these concepts. The fact that my work adds the term “net generation” to the list is justified by the need to discuss not only technological but also social and behavioral developments that prompted the increased use of social media. Dinkins (2018) addresses the generational nature of these changes briefly but does not identify them as a distinct phenomenon.

The Setting and Subjects

The setting of Dinkins’ (2018) study was a large community college in Mississippi, which draws students from all across the state and has a diverse student population. The subjects chosen for the study were freshman and sophomore students from traditional and non-traditional backgrounds. Based on the information provided by Dinkins (2018), convenience sampling was used, so the primary factors affecting the choice of setting and subjects were location and the number of enrolled students. Although convenience sampling makes the research process more manageable, it is often criticized due to reduced sample representativeness. Etikan, Musa, and Alkassim (2016) state that convenience sampling is associated with a high risk of bias, which is why it affects the validity and reliability of quantitative research studies.

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My study will be conducted at Albaha University, and the subjects will involve 600 graduate students. The sample size will be 252 students, which is similar to Dinkins’ (2018) sample. However, instead of convenience sampling, I will use random sampling to select participants. Random sampling is considered to be more reliable than non-random techniques, and thus provides better results (Singh & Masuku, 2014). Therefore, my research differs in terms of setting, participants, and sampling method to increase its validity.

Data Collection and Analysis

The survey is among the most popular methods of data collection in quantitative research. Dinkins’ (2018) study used a modified version of the Social Media Updates Survey, developed by Pew Research Center. The revised survey involved items on students’ demographics, perceptions of social media use, and perceptions of its effect (Dinkins, 2018). The survey items were statements graded on the Likert Scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Dinkins (2018) performed data analysis using various methods, including the Chi-Square test, which is a statistical instrument with proven validity and reliability, descriptive statistics, and frequency analysis. All of these methods are reliable and have been used in quantitative research successfully.

The methodology of data collection and analysis described by Dinkings (2018) will help to guide my research. First of all, my study will also use a survey for data collection, and the items will be somewhat similar to those chosen by Dinkins (2018) because the research questions and topics overlap. Descriptive statistics will be calculated to present the results, and the ANOVA test will be applied to understand the correlations between demographic characteristics and students’ perceptions of social media. The ANOVA test is somewhat similar to the Chi-Square test because both methods analyze differences between groups of participants (Ary, Jacobs, Irvine, & Walker, 2019). Hence, Dinkins (2018) study will help me to plan and implement my research because it relies on excellent data collection and analysis methods.

Limitations of the Study

Although the study has some important strengths, it also shows certain limitations that affect the results by increasing the probability of bias. The primary limitation of the study is the use of convenience sampling. This sampling technique involves “nonprobability or nonrandom sampling where members of the target population that meet certain practical criteria, such as easy accessibility, geographical proximity, availability at a given time, or the willingness to participate are included for the purpose of the study” (Etikan et al., 2016). Although it is easier to conduct a study using this method, the choice of participants is biased, which might affect the results.

The second limitation of the research is that the researcher did not apply any means to ensure that the sample is representative of a larger population. When convenience sampling is used, researchers may ensure that the demographic characteristics of the sample match those of the wider population. For example, Dinkins (2018) could have made sure that the sample reflects the gender, race, and ethnic characteristics of the sample mirror those of the general student population in the state. Representativeness of a sample is important because it enables generalizing the results to other communities. Non-representative samples create a threat to the external validity of the study because similar studies with another sample might produce different results (Ary et al., 2019). Because Dinkins (2018) study used non-random sampling and did not ensure that the sample is representative, the results obtained in this research cannot be extended to other students. This minimizes the impact of the study for practice and future research due to its low external validity.

The primary way of overcoming these limitations in my study is by using random sampling. According to Ary et al. (2019), random samples are more representative, meaning that the results of studies based on these sampling techniques are more reliable. Additionally, it would be useful to compare the demographic characteristics of the sample to that of the general student population in the country. This would allow highlighting if and how the results might change when the same study is repeated at a different university.

Besides sampling, there are also some other challenges that my study might face. Firstly, it may be challenging to create a list of quantitative survey questions or items that would accurately reflect students’ perceptions regarding the use of social media. To address this challenge, it would be helpful to study surveys constructed by other researchers who studied this topic and outline the most reliable items to include. Secondly, the response rate for the survey may be lower than anticipated. This might affect the final sample size, leading to lower representativeness of the sample (Ary et al., 2019). To prevent this, it might be best to make the initial sample size larger than required and send the survey to more participants from it as needed. Together with random sampling, these measures will help to ensure that the results are reliable and can be used in future research and practice with other student populations.

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References

Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Irvine, C. K. S., & Walker, D. (2019). Introduction to research in education (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Dinkins, S. L. (2018). The use of social media tools in the classroom: Perceptions among community college students. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Ellison, N. B., & Boyd, D. M. (2013). Sociality through social network sites. In W. H. Dutton (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of internet studies (pp. 151–172). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1-4.

Singh, A. S., & Masuku, M. B. (2014). Sampling techniques & determination of sample size in applied statistics research: An overview. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 2(11), 1-22.

Tucker, S. Y. (2014). Transforming pedagogies: Integrating 21st century skills and Web 2.0 technology. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 166-173.

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