Abstract

The current literature on students’ perceptions towards the use of Social Media (SM) for language learning reports mixed findings. While some studies indicate learners’ positive perceptions towards using SM for academic purposes (e.g., Bani-Hani et al., 2014; Borau et al., 2009; Cheng, 2012; Lee & Markey, 2014), others suggest that learners’ perceptions might vary as a result of their proficiency in the language (e.g., Gamble & Wilkins, 2014). In addition, there is evidence that suggests students have negative attitudes towards the use of SM for educational purposes (Venkatesh et al., 2016). The current study aims to investigate Saudi students’ attitudes towards the use of SM (WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter) for learning English as a foreign language.
One hundred adult learners from a university in Saudi Arabia participated in this mixed-methods study, stratified among two proficiency levels: beginners and advanced. Data collection instruments consisted of individual surveys and interviews. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there are differences between beginner and advanced students in their perceptions of the usefulness of SM applications for language learning, but not in their affective feelings towards SM use outside the classroom, nor their choice of SM application to use for learning. Frequency counts indicated that the groups’ choices of SM varied according to different language purposes and the skills to be learned (e.g., they preferred WhatsApp for communication with family and friends, Twitter for reading, and Snapchat for learning aural skills). Further qualitative analysis revealed advanced learners’ disinclination towards using SM for academic purposes, considering it to be used solely for personal reasons. The research also reports students’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of using these technologies for language learning.