The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Students in the Faculty of Education at Kuwait University

Waleed Alenezi; Thomas M. Brinthaupt

doi:10.30935/cedtech/11476

Waleed Alenezi ¹ ^* , Thomas M. Brinthaupt ²

More Detail

CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep340

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476

Submitted: 04 February 2021, Published Online: 03 January 2022

OPEN ACCESS 5516 Views 10356 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of social media by students in the Faculty of Education, University of Kuwait. The study was conducted within the context of the socio-cultural characteristics of Kuwait, and was underpinned by Alsaied’s (2017) Social Media - Learning Performance model, designed for female Arab students. A volunteer sample of 35 Kuwaiti undergraduate students (88.6% female) was interviewed. Students reported frequently using social media informally for socialization and entertainment, but less frequently as a formal educational tool. Most of the students perceived that social media facilitated interaction with peers, interaction with faculty, engagement, and collaborative learning. However, technical difficulties, and certain negative attitudes towards women using social media, were identified. We recommend that Kuwait University needs to harness the full benefits of social media for teaching and learning and to formulate official guidelines to control the use of social media by all faculty members and students.

Keywords: social media, Kuwait, learning performance, interaction with peers, interaction with faculty, student engagement, collaborative learning

References

Abbas, H. A., & Fadhli, M. S. (2008). The ethical dilemmas of Internet pornography in the State of Kuwait. SIGCAS Computers and Society, 38(3), 22-23. https://doi.org/10.1145/1413872.1413877
Al-Ansari, H. (2006). Internet use by the faculty members of Kuwait University. The Electronic Library, 24(6), 791-803. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470610714224
Alhouti, I. (2020). Education during the pandemic: The case of Kuwait. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 5(3/4), 213-225. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-06-2020-0050
Al-Khalifa, H.S. (2013). The state of social media in Saudi Arabia’s higher education. International Journal of Technology and Educational Marketing, 3(1), 65-76. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijtem.2013010105
Almatrouk, L. (2016). The relationship between gender segregation in schools, self-esteem, spiritual values/religion, and peer relations in Kuwait. Near and Middle Eastern Journal of Research in Education, 2016(1), 1-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.5339/nmejre.2016.3
Al-Menayes, J. (2016). The Fear of Missing Out Scale: Validation of the Arabic version and correlation with social media addiction. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 6(2), 41-46. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.ijap.20160602.04
Al-Menayes, J. J. (2014). The relationship between mobile social media use and academic performance in university students. New Media and Mass Communication, 25, 23-29.
Al-Menayes, J. J. (2015). Dimensions of social media addiction among students in Kuwait. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 4(1), 23-28. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20150401.14
Al-Muomen, N., Morris, A., & Maynard, S. (2016). Modelling information‐seeking behaviour of graduate students at Kuwait University. Journal of Documentation, 68(4), 430-459. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411211239057
Al-Sabah, M. A. (2013). Gender and politics in Kuwait: Women and political participation in the Gulf. I. B. Tauris. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755607914
Alsaied, H., I., K., K. (2017). Perceived effectiveness of social media as an English language learning tool. Arab World English Journal, 8(1), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no1.7
Al-Sharki, L., & Hashim, K. (2016). University students’ perceptions of social media as a learning tool. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 5(1), 65-88.
Al-Taweel, D., Al-Haqan, A., Bajis, D., Al-Bader, J., Al-Taweel, A. M., Al-Awadhi, A., & Al-Awadhi, F. (2020). Multidisciplinary academic perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 35(6), 1295-1301. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3032
Bensaid, B., & Brahimi, T. (2020). Coping with COVID-19: Higher education in the GCC countries. In A. Visvizi, M. D. Lytras, & N. F. Aljohani (Eds.), Research and innovation forum 2020: Disruptive technologies in times of change (pp. 137-153). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62066-0_12
Brooks, J., McCluskey, S., Turley, E., & King, N. (2015). The utility of template analysis in qualitative psychological research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 12(2), 202-222. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2014.955224
Buisson, J. (2013). Gender segregation in Islam: Protection or destruction? Academic Journal, 2(1), 99-121.
Cain, J. A. (2020). I’m the one: Social media, social identity, and elections. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 10(4), e202025. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/9142
Chaijum, N. (2020). Using brainstorming through social media to promote engineering students’ teamwork skills. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 8(4), 170-176. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/9555
Dinkha, J. (2018). The dichotomy of education: Public vs. private. Gender and Women’s Studies, 2(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.31532/GendWomensStud.2.1.001
Dragseth, M. R. (2018). Building student engagement through social media. Journal of Political Science Education, 14(2018), 243-256. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2018.1550421
Froment, F., Gonzalez, G., Javier, A., & Rocio, B. M. (2017). The use of social networks as a communication tool between teachers and students: A literature review. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 16(4), 126-144.
Garbe, A., Ogurlu, U., Logan, N., & Cook, P. (2020). COVID-19 and remote learning: Experiences of parents with children during the pandemic. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 4(3), 45-65. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/8471
Giannetto, D., Chao, J., & Fontana, A., (2013). Gamification in a social learning environment. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 10, 195-207. https://doi.org/10.28945/1806
Green, J., & Thorogood, N. (2009). Qualitative methods for health research (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and validity. Field Methods, 18(1), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903
Gwet, K. L. (2014). Handbook of inter-rater reliability: The definitive guide to measuring the extent of agreement among raters (4th ed.). Advanced Analytics, LLC.
Hamade, S. (2009). Internet addiction among university students in Kuwait. Digest of Middle East Studies, 18(2), 4-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-3606.2009.tb01101.x
Hamdan, A. (2005) Women and education in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and achievements. International Education Journal, 6(1), 42-64. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-3-1-3
Hawamdeh, S., & Raigangar, V. (2014). Qualitative interviewing: Methodological challenges in Arab settings. Nurse Researcher. 21(3), 27-31. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2014.01.21.3.27.e357
Junco, R., Elavasky, M., & Heiberger, G. (2012). Putting Twitter to the test: Assessing outcomes for student collaboration, engagement and success. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(2), 273-287. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01284.x
Kabilan, M. K., Ahmad, N., & Abidin, M. J. Z. (2010). Facebook: An online environment for learning of English in institutions of higher education? Internet and Higher Education, 13(4), 179-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.07.003
Kaposi, I. (2014). The culture and politics of Internet use among young people in Kuwait. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 8(3), 38-50. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2014-3-9
Karahoca, A., Yengin, I. (2018). Understanding the potentials of social media in collaborative learning. Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, 14, 7168-7180. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2255-3.ch623
Karaiskos, D., Tzavellas, E., Balta, G., & Paparrigopoulos, T. (2010). Social network addiction: A new clinical disorder? European Psychiatry, 25(1), 855. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-9338(10)70846-4
Khamis, R. M., & Geng, Y. (2021). Social media usage in health communication and its implications on public health security: A case study of COVID-19 in Zanzibar. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 11(1), e202101. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/9575
Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online social networking and addiction: A review of the psychological literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(9), 3528-3552. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph8093528
Kuwait adopted long-distance teaching in 2020. (2020, December 28). Kuwait Times. https://news.kuwaittimes.net/website/kuwait-adopted-long-distance-teaching-in-2020/
Kuwait concludes scholastic year (2019-2020). (2020, July 16). Kuwait News Agency. https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2909107&language=en
Kuwait National ICT Indicators Internet usage report. (2016). Central Agency for Information Technology, The State of Kuwait. https://www.e.gov.kw/sites/kgoArabic/Documents/OpenData/Internet%20Module

%20report%20English_FINAL_12-04-2017.pdf
Mason, M. (2010). Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative interviews. Forum: Qualitative Research, 11(3), 8. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-11.3.1428
Mehdinezhad, V. (2011). First-year students’ engagement at the university. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 3(1), 47-66.
Meyer, D. Z. & Avery, L. M. (2009). Excel as a qualitative data analysis tool. Field Methods, 21(1), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822x08323985
Murad, D., & Al Awadhi, L. (2018). Report: The quality of education in Kuwait. The Cross Cultural Diwaniya. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae5dab125bf0240808df943/t/5baca382e4966bf0037ab2b0/1538040718718/Report+-+The+Quality+of+Education+in+Kuwait.pdf
Murphy, L., Eduljee, N. B., & Croteau, K. (2020). College student transition to synchronous virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic in northeastern United States. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485
Naik, G. L., Deshpande, M., Shivananda, D. C., Ajey, C. P., & Manjunath Patel, G. C. (2021). Online teaching and learning of higher education in India during COVID-19 emergency lockdown. Pedagogical Research, 6(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/9665
Nashmi, E., Cleary, J., Molleda, J., & McAdams, M. (2010). Internet political discussions in the Arab world: A look at online forums from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. The International Communication Gazette, 72(8), 719-738. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048510380810
Neier, S., & Zayer, L.T. (2015). Students’ perceptions and experiences of social media in higher education. Journal of Marketing Education, 37(3), 133-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475315583748
Ouder, M., & Abousaber, I. (2018). A study on the impact of social media usage on student academic performance: University of Tabuk an example. American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences, 40(1), 77-88.
Putnik, G., Costa, E., Alves, C., Castro, H., Varela, L., & Shahl, V. (2015). Analysing the correlation between social network analysis measures and performance of students in social network-based engineering education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 26(2016), 413-437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-015-9318-z
Ritesh, C., & Umar, R. (2018). Social media in higher education: A literature review of Facebook. Education and Information Technologies, 23(2), 605-616. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9621-2
Saleh, Y. (2020). ICT, social media and COVID-19: Evidence from informal home-based business community in Kuwait City. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 15(3), 395-413. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-07-2020-0131
Saunders, B., Sim, J., Kingstone, T., Bakers, S., Waterfield, J., Bartlam, B., Burroughs, H., & Jinks, C. (2017). Saturation in qualitative research: Exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Quality and Quantity, 52(4), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-017-0574-8
Sendur Atabek, G., & Atabek, U. (2020). Techno-cultural narrations: How did the media technologies impact social life in Turkey? Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 10(4), e202026.
Shiskina, A., & Issaeve, L. (2018). Internet censorship in Arab countries: Religious and moral aspects. Religions, 9(11), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9110358
Smith, P. B. (2004). Acquiescent response bias as an aspect of cultural communication style. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35(1), 50-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022103260380
Social media in Kuwait: A double-edged sword. (2016, July 29). Kuwait Times. https://news.kuwaittimes.net/pdf/2016/jul/30/p03.pdf
Social Media Stats in Kuwait. (2021, March). Statcounter. https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/kuwait
Tesfamicael, S. A., & Ayalew, Y. (2021). Mathematics education in Ethiopia in the era of COVID-19: Boosting equitable access for all learners via opportunity to learning. Contemporary Mathematics and Science Education, 2(1), ep21005. https://doi.org/10.30935/conmaths/9680
Tfaily, F., & Samarah, A. (2018). The effect of female gender segregation in schools on academic performance, self-confidence, and peer relations: a case of colleges and universities in Kuwait. International Journal of Education and Research, 6(3), 211-234.
Welch, B., & Bonnan-White J. (2012). Twittering to increase student engagement in the university classroom. Knowledge Management E-Learning: An International Journal, 4(3), 325-345. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2012.04.026
World data on education: Kuwait. (2010/2011). International Bureau of Education (7th ed). United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Culture Organization.
Zachos, G., Paraskevopoulou-Kollia E-A., & Anagnostopoulos, I. (2018). Social media usage in higher education: A review. Education Sciences, 8(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040194

Citation

Alenezi, W., & Brinthaupt, T. M. (2022). The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Students in the Faculty of Education at Kuwait University. Contemporary Educational Technology, 14(1), ep340. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476

Alenezi, W., and Brinthaupt, T. M. (2022). The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Students in the Faculty of Education at Kuwait University. Contemporary Educational Technology, 14(1), ep340. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476

Alenezi W, Brinthaupt TM. The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Students in the Faculty of Education at Kuwait University. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2022;14(1), ep340. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476

Alenezi, Waleed, and Thomas M. Brinthaupt. "The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Students in the Faculty of Education at Kuwait University". Contemporary Educational Technology 2022 14 no. 1 (2022): ep340. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476

Alenezi, Waleed et al. "The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Students in the Faculty of Education at Kuwait University". Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2022, ep340. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476

Alenezi W, Brinthaupt TM. The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Students in the Faculty of Education at Kuwait University. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2022;14(1):ep340. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476