Students' Perception About Online Social-Media in Higher

Education: An Empirical Study

Mihai Caramihai, Irina Severin and Daniel Chiș

University Politehnica, Spl. Independenței, 313, Bucharest, Romania

Keywords: Social Media, Higher Education, Students’ Perspective.

Abstract: Technological evolution had a significant impact on human interactions and digitization transformation

increased usage of social networking. The use of social networks in education represents the recognition of

the social change produced by this phenomenon. Social media may cover part of the digital domain and

provide another dimension for education where space and time limitations no longer exist. The aims of this

paper are to investigate and understand academics’ attitudes towards integrating social media into Education,

but from a student’s perspective. After reviewing the literature, it can be suggested that there is great potential

for social networking integration in education. However, it is understandable the existence of obstacles which

restricts its integration among the students. Finally, it can be concluded that from students’ perspective the

university is still in the initial stages of recognizing the educational benefits of social networking, but indeed

it observed that it has been an attempt to accommodate students time by time with online learning and thus, a

positive attitude being present.

1 INTRODUCTION

Social networking refers to platforms used by

different categories of people for social interaction.

Social networks significantly changed the way people

communicate and interact with each other. It gave the

opportunity for people to not just be consumers, but

producers of content as well, be it educational or not,

too. The usage of Social Networking can represent a

fast-growing phenomenon both in day to day and

academic life.

These tools also became relevant in academia.

Using social networks tools in the education field can

bring significant differences from traditional classes

and can also enhance teaching. Many of these tools

provide many materials and useful information in

different types of forms (video, educational games,

etc.) in order to make the students more active and

understand the subjects better, other tools help the

students and teachers to communicate regardless of

time and place. Examples of those tools are

Facebook, YouTube, Moodle, Wikipedia, etc.

(Purgat, 2017) All these social networking platforms

can make education or the learning process more

flexible, accessible and can increase the student’s

engagement through active communication

(Draskovik et al., 2017). The main platforms can be

split in two categories: Learning Management

Systems, which include: Moodle, Canvas,

Blackboard and Brightspace (

Bouchrika, 2022) and

social media: LinkedIN, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram

and Facebook (Freehan, 2021).

Complementary to such an approach, George

Siemens (2005) outlined in his article about learning

theory in the digital age: hence, contrary to traditional

view, learning does not happen inside the person, but

rather the process is facilitated by a large number of

connections. Thus, Siemens stated a new learning

theory called connectivism which follows principles

such as “learning and knowledge rests in diversity of

opinions”, “learning may reside in non-human

appliances”, “nurturing and maintaining connections

is needed to facilitate continual learning”, but other

three principles, too. Hence, education can be

enhanced and developed through SM platforms,

therefore, all of these principles may be respected

using social networks which facilitates the process of

learning in the digital era (Draskovik et al., 2017).

Many higher education institutions or even

tertiary education have integrated e-learning

platforms (Course Management Systems) such as

Moodle which enhance and facilitate student

collaboration, engagement, interaction with other

292

Caramihai, M., Severin, I. and ChiÈ

Z, D.

Students’ Perception About Online Social-Media in Higher Education: An Empirical Study.

DOI: 10.5220/0011922300003612

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Automation, Information and Computing (ISAIC 2022), pages 292-298

ISBN: 978-989-758-622-4; ISSN: 2975-9463

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

students or with teachers, in this way it ensures a more

satisfactory experience (Dumpit et al., 2017)).

However, this kind of systems does not satisfy the

collaboration and sharing in contrast to those

facilitated by social media (Bryer and Chen, 2012).

Also, it is very clear that student-learning style has

drastically changed because of these technologies and

because of this, as Bynum (2011) said, the teaching

style and curricula also need to be changed in order to

align with students’ life-style development.

2 EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES:

OPPORTUNITIES AND

CHALLENGES

2.1 Opportunities of Employing Social

Networking in Education

In the last few years, as technology has developed

fast, social networking has highly influenced people’s

lives, especially the adult generations. Moreover, the

majority of students tend to use platforms such as

Facebook or YouTube in a more informative way and

not just for leisure, spending their free time or

entertainment, but to collaborate and learn (Freehan,

2021). Teachers also tend to look for new technology

to meditate and promote active learning for students.

Higher education institutions can make good use of

this opportunity to employ social networking

platforms in order to align with the digital era

(Anderson 2017). Another situation which may

represent an opportunity of employing social

networking in education has been the appearance of

Covid-19. Due to the pandemic, the education field

had to be adapted in order to deal efficiently with the

drastic regulations.

2.1.1 Accessibility

Accessibility represents one of the main reasons why

social networking is integrated in education. This

feature encourages the students, but also the lecturers

to use social networking in their community. Many

authors such as Vandeyar (2020) and Akabri (2012)

showed that the users of these tools (students,

teachers, trainers etc.) value the accessibility as it can

give immediate and continuous engagement with

knowledge, but also with people, regardless of their

place. Therefore, the accessibility can be seen from

two perspective, as follows:

1. Accessibility of Knowledge: Social Networking

systems offer a great opportunity to access universal

knowledge and a range of methods for learning and

communication (Jabr, 2011). Moreover, the

knowledge can not only be accessible during the class

or learning time, but also outside of them, therefore it

can be said that the accessibility of knowledge via

social networks is not limited in time.

2. Accessibility of People: Several studies have

shown that via social networking tools people around

the world can connect efficiently and even in real

time, regardless of distance. In their study, Arquero

and Romero-Frias (2013) mentioned that many

subjects agree with the fact that social networking

tools are a convenient way to communicate and feel

closer to teaching staff.

2.2 Flexibility

Flexibility is another plus in education. In the study

of Arquero and Romero-Frias (2013) the respondents

particularly appreciated this feature: about 93% of

students agreed that using social networking allows

them to manage their time better to study for the

subject. Also, the resources are more flexible, and

students could use them any time, in this way it

provides more time for learning. Students could have

their own schedule and still keep in contact with

others. They can be independent by using online

resources and available online information.

Flexibility and independence also make interactions

more efficient. As Piccoli et al. (2001) have stated, an

important advantage using social networking in

education is the convenience and flexibility over

traditional education.

2.3 Involvement in Collaboration

Social networks represent an environment which was

created to meet the people needs for interaction. This

environment allows individuals to interact with other

individuals without time and space limits (Greenhow

et al., 2009). In many studies, the respondent’s

opinion stated that social networking tools enhance

collaboration significantly, provide helpful tools for

project teams and also help students to exchange their

opinions freely, learning from other student’s point of

view. Gleason & all (2020), highlighted two

important features of Social Networks usage in

teaching: sharing subject material and collaborating

on learning opportunities.

Students’ Perception About Online Social-Media in Higher Education: An Empirical Study

293

2.4 Challenges of Employing Social

Networking in Education

2.4.1 Student Productivity and Time

Management Skills

Regardless of the benefits related to information

accessibility and communication improvements, there

is still a debate related to the negative impact on

productivity in learning (Falahah and Rosmalab,

2012).

It may be stated that the time management skills of

the student may play a major role in controlling his

usage of social networks which can lead to a certain

level of productivity.

2.4.2 Lack of Training

The lack of training or technology expertise may also

play a major role which can challenge the employing

of social networking in education. Both parties, the

teachers and students may need training seasons.

Technical expertise is needed for teachers to

efficiently integrate and use social networking in the

teaching process as a teaching tool and in the case of

students, they also should be trained in order to make

good use of the learning tool. If there exists a lack of

training, a high possibility may occur to complicate

the teaching learning process so as the facilitation

offered by social networking may be lost.

2.4.3 Overwhelming Information

Most Social Networks are based on the web which

provides an ocean of information because of the large

number of users. The information is overabundant

and searching for the right resources may be time-

consuming. However, even social networks apps

(Teams, WhatsApp) in which the users are much

fewer, overabundance of information may appear

because, for example there will be a probability that

many messages in a learning group chat will contain

redundant information, which is not all the time

related with a specific education subject and

therefore, the activity of searching of that essential

information is also time-consuming.

2.4.4 Lecturer–Student Relationships

Different points of view exist in literature. In general

cases, it is believed that using social media the

student-lecturer relationship can be improved. In

other cases, there are findings (Camas et al, 2021)

which show that faculty members are not convinced

if by using social media impact on the relationship

between them will be positive or negative. The study

showed that the education or accounting lecturers

tend to not be too involved in their offline

relationship.

2.4.5 Faculty Members’ Online Identity

In higher education, professional online identities

have become an important subject. A wrong worded

post can get a professor fired. Faculty members have

concerns regarding their online identity, they have the

tendency to separate their professional life from

personal life, as stated in G. Veletisanos (2012) study,

it is present a necessity of intentionally maintaining

professional and personal boundaries: “I think that

it’s okay for students to not know everything about

their professor”. The findings from Prescott’s (2014)

study revealed that the concern about identities has a

significant influence on the faculty members’

approaches to use these social platforms in teaching

and learning activities. Regarding this, Jones et al.

(2011) stated that there are issues raised by lecturers,

because of potential for defamation of character and

harassment — which represents an important issue

regarding the integration of social networking. It’s

true that some faculty members need some guidance

in order to protect their identities in this context.

3 INTEGRATING SOCIAL

NETWORKING INTO

EDUCATION: A STUDENT’S

PERSPECTIVE TO ENHANCE

THE ACQUISITION OF SKILLS

As the world is evolving and new generations are

digital ones, there are risks and opportunities in

introducing more social media and LMS in the

educational process. Our approach looks at the impact

of those new platforms on student’s behaviours and

goals. The objectives of learning haven’t changed

much in the last years, but the means did. We will

analyse the behaviour loop changes.

3.1 Description and Justification

The aims of this study are to investigate academics’

attitudes towards integrating social networking into

Education, but from a student’s perspective, and more

exactly how the usage of social media in their

perception can enhance the acquisition of skills. After

reviewing the literature, it can be suggested that there

is great potential for social networking integration in

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education. However, it is understandable the

existence of obstacles which restricts its integration in

education. In this paper, the focus will be on the

student responses so that developers and other

interested parties can use the information in order to

know what to emphasize when creating a social

networking-based learning tool in an educational

setting for the parties studied.

3.2 Study’s Objectives

Thus, 2 research questions were formulated each

corresponding with an objective to be filled.

Research Questions:

1) What is students’ attitude towards using social

networking in education? 2) Is there a relationship

between the factors analysed? Are the factors

influencing each other?

Study’s Objectives:

1) To ascertain the attitude of students towards using

social networking in education 2) To identify the

influence between the factors analysed (like

interactivity, collaborativeness, enrolment and active

performance) based on students’ attitude.

3.3 Study Design and Method

The study was carried out at University Politehnica of

Bucharest, Romania with 81 students of Faculty of

Automatic Controls and Computers who formed the

sample of this study. The sample consisted of 36

females and 45 males. The research design has

included a structured questionnaire with quantitative

responses, measured on a 6-point scale from 0 to 5 (0

= Not important, 1 = Fully disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3

= Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Fully agree).

The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions

classified in 5 categories/items (each with 4 questions)

concerning 5 different learning aspects, such as

interactivity with other students, interactivity with

teachers, collaborative e-learning, active enrolment,

learning performance. Cronbach’s Alpha was

calculated in order to see the internal consistency of

the questionnaire and the value obtained was 0.773

which shows that the internal validity of the

questionnaire is accepted. Table 1 illustrates the

mapping of questionnaire items.

Table 1: Mapping of questionnaire items

Questionnaire Items Questions

Interactivity with other students Q:1, 2, 3, 4

Interactivity with teachers Q:5, 6, 7, 8

Collaborative e-learning Q:9,10, 11, 12

Active enrolment Q:13, 14, 15, 16

Learnin

erformance Q17, 18, 19, 20

To follow the aims of the study, the analysis of the

questionnaire was divided in 2 parts. First, a

descriptive analysis was realized to see students’

attitude toward integrating social networking,

therefore every item (category) with its questions

were represented with a stacked bar, to see the

proportion of responses. Second, to see the

correlation and therefore the influence between the

items analysed, a Pearson coefficient analysis was

used. All the analysis was conducted using the IBM

SPSS statistical software. Based on the objectives of

the study, the following model and hypotheses were

developed. In Figure 1, the followed model and the

hypotheses is represented:

Figure 1: Social Media (SM) & Academic studies

Based on the objectives of the study, the following

model and hypotheses were developed, as follows:

H1: Student interaction with other students via SM

will increase student collaborative learning activity;

H2: Student interaction with other students via SM

will increase student enrolment; H3: Student

interaction with teachers via SM will increase student

collaborative learning activity; H4: Student

interaction with teachers via SM will increase

student’ enrolment H5: Student enrolment via SM

will improve student learning performance; H6:

Student collaborative learning activity via SM will

improve student’ enrolment; H7: Student

collaborative learning activity via SM will improve

student learning performance.

4 DISCUSSION AND RESULTS

A number of 81 students formed the subjects of this

research. The study was carried out at University

Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania on students of

Faculty of Automatic Controls and Computers.

Main results:

1. Conclusion 1: 95% of students see a positive

impact of SM tools in student-student interactivity.

Students’ Perception About Online Social-Media in Higher Education: An Empirical Study

295

Figure 2: Conclusion 1

2. Conclusion 2(a): The opinions regarding student-

teacher interaction are divided. As we can see 48% of

students don’t consider SM positive for student-

teacher relationship, while 32% actually find

employing SM tools useful in this regard.

Figure 3: Conclusion 2(a)

Conclusion 2(b): A high % of students consider

possible negative impacts on student-teacher

interaction comes from the fact that 42% of the

students agree there is a „to-friend/not-to-friend”

dilemma between parties in SM.

3. Conclusion 3: 88% of the students agree that

employing SM tools could easily facilitate

collaborative learning due to the possibility of

knowledge sharing and high accessibility.

Figure 4: Conclusion 2 (b)

Figure 5: Conclusion 3(a)

4. Conclusion 4: In this case the opinions of students

are divided too, however not so much: only 31% of

students find a negative impact on active enrolment

due to employment of SM tools due mostly to serial

switching between tasks.

Figure 6: Conclusion 4 (a)

Conclusion 4(b): 40% of students consider the

negative impact is due mostly to serial switching

between tasks.

Figure 7: Conclusion 4(b):

5. Conclusion 5(a): Lastly, learning performance is

one aspect that needs to be taken into consideration

when talking about using SM in HE processes.

According to the next graph, 63% of students agree

that SM employment produces a positive impact on

learning performance.

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Figure 8: Conclusion 4

Conclusion 5(b): However, 34% also agree that there

might be possible drawbacks, such as producing more

knowledge than receiving, or social-media becoming

more of a distraction rather than a tool to help its

completion.

Figure 9: Conclusion 5

Finally, using a multiple regression and correlation

analysis, all the 7 hypothesis statements were

confirmed. Therefore, the variables chosen in the

model do influence each other in a direct positive

direction.

Table 2: Hypothesis validation

Hypoth Pearson

Coeff.

Regression

Coeff.

Confirmation?

H1 0.415 0.556 Yes

H2 0.281 0.392 Yes

H3 0.316 0.243 Yes

H4 0.267 0.225 Yes

H5 0.416 0.274 Yes

H6 0.442 0.479 Yes

H7 0.418 0.284 Yes

5 CONCLUSIONS

This paper was concerned with exploring students’

attitude toward integrating social networking in

education and what influences exist between the

factors analysed, interactivity with students,

interactivity with teachers, active enrolment,

collaborative learning and learning performance.

In the first part, a theoretical conceptualization was

conducted in order to understand how these social

platforms are integrated in teaching practices, what

advantages and disadvantages online learning have

both for students and teachers and how social

networking integration in education is perceived in

other studies by other authors across the world.

In the last chapter, the case study offered an

understanding from a student perspective about how

they perceive the use of social media in their learning

activity. The findings have indicated that the use of

social media in education can offer a very good

environment for their interactivity with other students

and the collaborative learning activity, therefore most

of the students have a positive attitude toward

integrating social networking.

On the other hand, about interactivity with teachers,

and learning performance there exist different

opinions and some students may feel reluctant or not

really conscious of SM contribution in these aspects,

in this case action should be taken to raise the

awareness of the students.

Finally, it can be concluded that from students’

perspective the university is still in the initial stages

of recognizing the educational benefits of social

networking, but indeed it observed that it has been an

attempt to accommodate students time by time with

online learning and thus, a positive attitude being

present.

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