The Relationship between Conversation and Reading Approach in
Inquiry-Social Media Based Learning
Harisa Mardiana
Study Program Information Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Buddhi Dharma, Tanggerang,
Indonesia
Keywords: Conversation and Reading Approach, Characteristics of Social Media, Inquiry-Based Learning, and Inquiry-
Social Media Based Learning.
Abstract: This research aims to determine the relationship between conversation and reading approach with social
media and to find out their implication in inquiry-based learning. The author also aims to find out how
social media as new literacies can help students to challenge and improve their responsibility in learning,
also develop their skills and knowledge through giving comments, sharing information, and finding
information resources. This case study is using quantitative method. The object of this study was the
students in semester 6 in one of the university located in Tangerang. Data collection was done by
conducting observations, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that using technology in
supporting inquiry-based learning had positive impact on student’s engagement with the class, and
increased the student’s capability of learning significantly. Furthermore, the results showed that there is a
strong relationship between conversation and reading approach in inquiry-social media based learning, and
that this learning model considered as effective for teaching and learning.
1 INTRODUCTION
As a platform, social media is distinctive from
traditional broadcast and print media, but it has
become powerful tool for communicating rapidly
and without intermediary gatekeepers, like editors
which it is a great way to spread new ideas
(Mardiana, 2016), and other digital texts on the
Internet contribute towards the changing not only in
forms of reading, but also the media technologies are
used in the classroom teaching or reading (Groshek,
2016). Conversation and reading are the most
important thing in social media. People talk to each
other to make the conversation and read the
comments, share it to other people. The way people
talk and make the conversation are by writing
comments, recommends and shares with others (Van
der Westhuizen, 2014). As the teachers take the
sources of learning from the book, Internet, friends,
school and social media, the value of learning comes
when the students understand what the teachers
teach (Exline, 2004). The teachers spend a lot of
energy preparing lectures by reading various texts
and synthesizing the information, picking out the
most important point and organizing the learning
process in a cohesive manner, writing lecture notes
and delivering the information to students who sit
passively but thinking of everything, so the teachers
are doing all of the work process (Hurst et al., 2013).
And social media is facilitating the connection
between peers with common interest and the process
of learning begin to rise significantly and likely to
imply for education practice and provision
especially in term of connecting with students or
teachers to access news and appear in their walls
(Patel, 2016).
On the other side, inquiry-based learning is the
umbrella in term of covering a range of pedagogical
approach. It is the central place to give the students
to investigate their work, for example when the
students have some questions of problem, and they
can solve it together, as a pedagogical approach,
inquiry-based learning is widely recognized and
advocated in higher education (Exline, 2004). The
Boyer Commission, 1998 argued that research
universities should make inquiry-based learning the
standard pedagogical approach in each universities
of undergraduate education and also concerned with
teaching practices in research-intensive universities,
but other scholars have argued that inquiry-based
664
Mardiana, H.
The Relationship between Conversation and Reading Approach in Inquiry-Social Media Based Learning.
DOI: 10.5220/0007172906640669
In Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference
on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017) - Literacy, Culture, and Technology in Language Pedagogy and Use, pages 664-669
ISBN: 978-989-758-332-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reser ved

learning should be mainstream in all university
(Spronken-Smith, 2010). Using social media as a
tool in inquiry-based learning is a form of learning,
from face-to-face learning to online learning to
discuss the subject. And the new literacies,
conversation and reading approach help students to
change the way that the students learn. Moreover,
there is a great potential in using social media in the
education interaction, and this is a huge gap between
claimed learning potential and a negative effects that
currently appears (Active, 2010).
In the previous study by Van der Westhuizen,
(2014) with the topic about the role of social media
reading in electronic forms, he argued that the
learning conversation and reading is enhanced
through the use of social media which they are able
to interact each other in the group, and how social
media is changing the reading practices and making
a learning conversations as a necessary condition for
progress in reading development and information
literacy (p. 98). The argument is developed that
reading development or performance may be greatly
enhanced through learning conversation. And
Topping and Terry (1999) mentioned that simply
using technology in the classroom will not prepare
student for the new literacies, but the type of
instruction will develop the essential skills,
strategies and dispositions that define to the new
literacies. Saxena (2013) indicated that mobile
learning environments provide a plethora of possible
for inquiry-based learning, with the wireless mobile
devices extend the learning experience to outside the
classroom and enhance the thinking abilities of the
students within gathering information and taking
notes, recording their observations and taking
picture with Internet access. Based on the other
studies and the problems above, this research
purpose.
 To explore the relationships between
conversation and reading approach in social
media;
 To implement social media into inquiry-based
learning;
 To seek whether inquiry-based learning
improves students’ perception toward the
implementation of social media as a platform
in inquiry-based learning.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Theory Inquiry-Based Learning
There are various definition of inquiry-based
learning, one of them is from Spronken-Smith
(2010) suggested that inquiry-based learning is a
pedagogy which best enables students to experience
the processes of knowledge creation and the key
attributes are learning stimulated by inquiry, a
student-centered approach, a move to self-directed
learning, and an active approach to learning. Caputo
(2014) pointed out that inquiry-based learning is in
particular emphasizing the responsiveness,
authenticity, and intellectual engagement that make
this approach a useful, means of ensuring that
students get the most out of their shared learning
environment. The other scholar is Ajit et al. (2016)
defined that inquiry-based learning is a way of
learning through questions and experimentations.
Based on the scholars’ opinions, this study research
defines that inquiry-based learning is a pedagogical
way to engage students to have driving force to
move them to get information and data into
knowledge by asking questions and having an
analytical thinking.
2.2 Social Media in Learning Process
Social media is computer-mediated technologies that
facilitate sharing information, ideas, video, images
or other forms via virtual community network
(Hughes, 2016), and it rises significantly and likely
to imply for education practices and provision
especially in term of connecting with other students
or colleagues to access news and appear in wall and
they can comments or create contents and a means
of communicating with their social graph (Anderson
and Caumont, 2014). From elementary school to
college students, social media is empowering
students, parents and teachers to share information
in new ways and build a new sense of community,
and it can be said that social media is changing the
education system and how the teachers are
approaching the platform (Brenton, 2016). It is a
strategy believed by the teachers to provoke more
thoughtful responses from students’ ideas when they
know their comments can be read by peers and not
just by their teachers, they not only consider what to
say more carefully but pay more attention to how
they write it and take more care with grammar,
spelling and punctuation (Active, 2010). And Van
der Westhuizen (2014) mentioned that social media
is a platform from traditional broadcast and print
The Relationship between Conversation and Reading Approach in Inquiry-Social Media Based Learning
665

media becomes powerful tool for communicating in
computer-mediated technologies. With new kinds of
online media and all participants contribute and
gives comments and feedback, share information
with no barriers at all (Muscat, 2012). Based on the
scholar opinions the research study indicated that
social media is a technology’s use either in the
classroom or outside the classroom and it has an
additional positive influence on students learning.
Because by using social media, learning goals are
clearly articulate to the technology’s use.
2.3 Conversation and Reading
Approach as New Literacies
Conversation and reading are new forms of literacy
which they are made by digital technology
development. The way people do the conversation in
traditional way changes in social media by having
instant messaging, email messaging and writing
letter (Leu et al., 2004). These are examples of the
reading material which require not only different
places and purpose of reading can also be used in
classroom reading lesson; so, these are all expanded
opportunities to read requiring different amounts of
time used for reading, as well as changes in reading
strategies. Coiro (2003) mentioned that as a new
form of text-web based, the interaction on multiple
media offers new opportunities of reading and it has
addressed the need for changes in the way of
thinking about reading comprehension as influenced
by technology. Van der Westhuizen (2012) reported
that the interaction of conversation is authentic,
once-off opportunities that involve turn talking,
response preference and repair actions in dimension
of learning interaction of social media which it can
explore the potential reading advancement of
sustainable of learning. This research concludes that
conversation and reading in social media in learning
process are the way of writing comments, replies,
recommends, shares of information and subject
studies and teachers, students can collaborates. The
teachers are the one who organize the learning
process and also, teachers do not need to spend
energy preparing the lectures. The innovation in
technology and electronic media and the challenge is
to consider how conversation is used and benefited
in social media which it refers in this study research.
This is what conversation and reading mean in social
media and with the inquiry-based learning, students
are able to learn better, at this point, conversation
and reading in inquiry-based learning in social
media has moved from the margins to the
mainstream (Donnelly, 2014).
3 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Method
The aim of the research is to conduct the quantitative
research which it is to determine the relationship
between conversation and reading approach and
social media which social media and implements the
social media into inquiry-based learning. Therefore,
it provides alternative strategies for the learning
process which increasingly adapt to new technology
due to demands of faculty and students.
The stratified sampling selection was applied to
68 students and 64 responses were received from
Social Media Analysis class, semester 6. Data
collection technique regarding to qualitative was
collected from 8 students to be interviewed with last
for 2-3 hours in March and April 2017. And series of
works had been undertaken to collect data for the
research. Related literature was reviewed and
questionnaire was developed by the researcher. The
study research was also followed by semi-structured
interviews conducted with the researcher.
3.2 Research Material
A major portion of the study was the creation and
the deployment of interact between students and
students, students and teachers in the class and the
used computers or laptops, power points, Internets,
and other social media such as Facebook or Twitter.
The questions is developed to measure respondents’
usage of conversation and reading in relation to
social media in implementing inquiry-based
learning. Prior to the study, an extensive exploratory
phase was conducted in order to better ascertain that
issues of importance to users and nonusers of social
media in inquiry-based learning. The questionnaires
are divided into 3 categories:
 Conversation and reading approach relates to
social media (H1);
 There is an implementation of social media in
inquiry-based learning (H2);
 The relationship of social media and inquiry-
based learning (H3).
3.3 Research Procedure
Lickert-scale was used for the items, of which 3
different types of questions are about conversation
and reading approach related to social media in
inquiry-based learning. The questionnaires are used
to the questions from [1] strongly disagree, [2]
CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology
Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education
666

disagree, [3] agree, [4] strongly agree. Respondents
for this study research are 94% (n=64). The
interview was given to 8 students regarding to the
conversation and reading approach in social media
with inquiry-based learning.
4 HYPOTHESIS
This section is a brief explanation prior to the study
an extensive exploratory phase was explained in
order to accomplish the hypothesis. The study
research issues of importance to check 3 categories
to divide in hypothesis.
The hypothesis of the research:
 There is a relation of conversational and
reading to social media (H1);
 There is an implementation of social media in
inquiry-based learning (H2);
 The relationship of conversation and reading
in social media with inquiry-based learning
(H3).
5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
From the questionnaires, it was found that the
frequencies and percent values in the morning class
is the largest class 30 students or 36.14%; and the
afternoon class in the second largest or 33.7%; the
smallest class is in the evening class 25 students or
30.12%. The students’ backgrounds were analysed
and from the questionnaires about conversation and
reading approach has related to the social media in
inquiry-based learning. The study research is
indicated that the value of research use SPSS version
19.
Table 1 Data Collection Results
No
Var.
R
R
Square
Change Statistics
F
Sig. F Change
1
H1–H2
0.469
a
0.220
8.584
0.001
2
H1–H3
0.745
a
0.554
77.160
0.000
3
H2–H3
0.572
a
0.327
30.095
0.000
1. a. Predictor (Constant) H2, H1 b. Dependent Variable: H3
2. a. Predictors: (Constant), H1 b. Dependent Variable:Total H
3. a. Predictors: (Constant),H2 b. Dependent Variable: H3
Based on the table 1, it is indicated that the
relation between H1 and H2 to H3 is 0.469 and it is
shown that it has the effect of a moderate
relationship and the simultaneous contribution of
variables H1 and H2 is 0.220 or 22%, and other
contribution is from somewhere else. The formula
is: H0: the competency of H1 and H2 has no
relation to H3; Ha: the competency of H1 and H2
has relation to H3.
From the formula above it is shown that the
significance of the test is shown that the probability
value of the test (Sig. F Change) or p 0.001 and
p<0.05. It is indicated that Ho is rejected and Ha is
accepted. The conclusion, there is a relationship
between conversation and reading to social media in
inquiry-based learning.
It is indicated that the relation between H1 and
H3 is 0.745 and it is shown that it the effect is very
good. And the simultaneous contribution of
variables H1 and H total is 55.4% which it is good
enough and other 44.6% is from somewhere else.
Also, it is shown that the probability value of the test
(Sig. F Change) or p 0.00<0.05. The result is the
relationship between conversation and reading to
social media and inquiry is accepted.
The relationship between H2 and H3 is 0.572a
and it is indicated that the effect of the relationships
is good enough. The simultaneous contribution of
variable H2 and H3 is 0.327 or 32.7% which the
contribution is good enough and other contribution
67.3% is from somewhere else. It means social
media is not the strong contribution for the inquiry-
based learning; the students may communicate
without social media. And it is indicated that the
probability value of the test (Sign. F Change) or
p.000<005, and the result, the relationship between
H2 and H3 is accepted.
From the result above, all students (64),
indicated that conversation and reading has good
contribution in social media, which students can
interact with other students, students with teachers
or vice versa. Even though the contribution of
conversation and reading in social media (H1) is
only 55.4%, but it is good enough, because almost
half of the interaction of the study is using social
media, the other 44.6% is face-to-face discussion.
The inquiry-based social media learning expands
students’ depth of knowledge, the knowledge
acquired through this learning which it is dynamic
and expanded to students’ exploration (Saxena,
2013).
Another point is that the students’ interest is
maintained and engagement is increased, because it
required performing authentic investigation and it is
supported in inquiry-based social media learning.
Moreover students will be responsible for their own
learning by designing their learning from developing
the question and methods to data collection and
analysis and presenting their work (Brenton, 2016).
The Relationship between Conversation and Reading Approach in Inquiry-Social Media Based Learning
667

By using technology to support inquiry-based
learning, it has a positive impact on student
engagement because social media facilitates the
learning process significantly, and has the
opportunity for data collection, communication and
troubleshooting (Rohs, 2014). As an online reading
electronic text in the context of social network such
as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, the intention is to
explore the students’ achievement and strengthened
and improve the learning process through inquiry-
based social media learning (Coiro, 2011). It is set
that inquiry- social media based learning is used to
converse about a reading which it implies to use
conversation by teachers and information literacy to
peers, scholars or experts (Caputo, 2014). However,
the relation of conversation and reading with
inquiry-based social media learning process enhance
in authentic settings and the participants draw on
personal experience and resources (van der
Westhuizen, 2014) and finally, the students are
focused on group and clearly indicated that they
need the relevant and engaging content in order to
drive them to social media sites to post for academic
purpose.
6 CONCLUSIONS
Social media is the platform for in inquiry-based
learning in which the students are able to use their
real-time to increase their value of learning. The
learning of conversation and reading is enhanced
through the use of social media which they are able
to interact each other. The set of practice was
derived from off-line reading and they talked and
had the conversation. From the effectiveness of the
practice, the use of social media is widely expanded
and can be considered for enhancement the learning
process. Using inquiry-social media based learning,
the students will contribute to collect the data,
information, share with other students, other
students from other countries, teachers or experts
which it is customized the learning pace and process
and received the individual attention and guidance.
The online reading electronic text in the context and
the threads of electronic conversations can be
pursued, and the teacher as moderator or facilitator
can remind participants to stay with one or more
questions. Because of the flexibility of the use and
the possibility of spreading interactions and the
conversation can go in many directions, and adding
to interpretation as the teaching and learning go for
the 21
st
century learning process. Based on those
reasons, the use of social media can not be ignored;
it is a part of the daily life.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to thanks various people for their contribution
to this research. Dr. rar. nat. Gregoria Ilya as Dean
of Faculty of Science and Technology for the
valuable support on this research, my husband, sons
for lovely supports.
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