EXPLORING THE EFFICACY OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR LEARNING:

A CASE STUDY OF FACEBOOK

MINOR RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO

UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISION (UGC)

BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG

NEW DELHI – 110002

By

Dr. Shanthini Pandiaraj, Head,

Department of Electronics and Media Technology,

Karunya University

Coimbatore – 641105
Department of Electronics and Media Technology, Karunya University

Submission of Proposal for Minor Research Project

1. Broad Subject : ICT and Learning

2. Area of Specialization : E Learning/Networked Learning

3. Duration : 4 years

4. Principal Investigator

i Name : Dr. Mallika Vijaya Kumar

ii Sex: M/F : Female

iii Date of Birth :

iv Category : General

v Qualification : MA Ph.D.

vi Designation : Head

vii Address

Office : Department of Media and Communications ,

Karunya University,Coimbatore- 641114

Residence :

Email :

Phone :

Mobile :

Department of Electronics and Media Technology, Karunya University, Coimbatore

 5. Co- Investigator : One

6. Name of the Institution where

the project will be undertaken Karunya University

Coimbatore - 641105

a) Department : Electronics and Media Technology

b) University : Karunya University

c) Whether the institute is
located in rural area/backward area : Rural area

7. Whether the college is approved under Section 2(f) and 12 B of the UGC Act? :
Yes (copy enclosed)

8. Teaching and research experience of Principal investigator

a) Teaching experience : UG PG Seventeen years

b) Research experience : Presented papers in National and International

Conference
National: 6
International: 5

c) Publication :
Papers Published:
National: 2
International: 5

Books Published:

Department of Electronics and Media Technology, Karunya University, Coimbatore

 PART – B

Proposed research work

9 (i) Project Title:

EXPLORING THE EFFICACY OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR LEARNING:

A CASE STUDY OF FACEBOOK

(ii) Introduction

Web 2.0 technologies like You tube, Twitter, Instant Messaging, Blogs, Internet Chat and
Social Networking Sites have paved way for youth interactions like never before,
overcoming the barriers of time and space. Facebook is a Social Networking Site where
membership is free. It features creation of a profile page, a home page, facilities to chat
online, send and receive messages, and write on friends’ walls which is again an
asynchronous chat facility. Apart from this, individual groups may be formed, friend lists
may be managed, and videos, web links and photographs may be shared on friends’ walls
apart from groups which may be local or global. As young people keep in touch, interact,
plan get- togethers and share photographs and videos on Facebook, they are introduced to
a whole new world of interaction. This interaction may also be a viable learning platform
on Facebook leading to a Personalised Learning Environment.

Origin of the research problem

Personal Learning Environment is a facility for an individual to access, aggregate, configure,

and manipulate digital artefacts of their ongoing learning experiences. One of the most
common informal and formal learning applications of network software is the capacity to
store, organise and annotate network resources. If these resources are stored in accessible
networked locations and tagged or identified by the user, they can be combined with other
people’s resources to create aggregated collections. These collections allow users to discover
what others have found, to rate and comment on these resources and generally add value to
the individual collection by collective aggregation (Dron & Anderson, 2007). It is unrealistic
to expect a high degree of institutional support for these emerging technologies as we have
for earlier educational technologies. However, by guiding and facilitating the use of social
networking to encourage learners to support each other, we can create largely self-supporting
and cost effective learning technologies` (Anderson, 2009).

 Interdisciplinary relevance

Communities of practice: Situated Learning

Learning is usually considered an individual exercise and as a result of teaching.

How would it be if learning was said to be social and from our daily life? Lave and
Wenger’s (1991) model of situated learning proposed that learning involved a
process of engagement in a community of practice. Over time our interaction with
others in pursuit of enterprises of all kinds, become a sustained pursuit of a shared
practice. Members of a Community of Practice are brought together by joining in
common activities and by what they have learned through their mutual engagement
in these activities. In this respect a COP is different from a Community of Interest
or geographical Community in that it involves a shared practice.
In situated learning, learning is in the relationship between people. Learning does
not belong to individual persons but to the various conversations of which they are
part. Rather than looking to learning as the acquisition of certain forms of
 knowledge, Lave and Wenger have placed it in social relationships- of co
participation. This form of learning shall support existing forms of learning.

 Review of research and Development in the subject

International Status

SNS and Learning:

The ubiquity of online social networking has resulted in their pedagogical applications in higher
educational institutions. Earlier studies on online social networking have primarily focused on
social identity presentation, privacy, and social network formation and analysis (Jones and
Soltren 2005; Mayer and Puller 2008). However, seldom has research tapped into the impacts of
online social networking (e.g., on Facebook in particular) on college students’ learning from a
pedagogical paradigm perspective. In general, academic learning and social learning constitute
two basic components of college students’ learning (Tinto 1987). It is desirable for higher
educational institutions if both academic and social learning outcomes can be promoted. But the
fact remains that most institutions emphasize academic learning while ignoring social learning
among students, especially in Asian regions. Thus, it is necessary to clarify the relationship
between academic learning and social learning. More importantly, it is necessary to investigate
the impact of online social networking applications such as Facebook in universities on
students’ learning outcomes and its underlying mechanism. ‘Such an exploration, although
challenging, will provide ideas and evidence for universities to advocate new pedagogical
orientation and practices.’ (Anderson,2009).

Peer Support

Numerous studies have demonstrated that peers are the most potent influential source of college
students’ life (Astin 1993; Ellison et al. 2007; Helliwell and Putnam 2004; Steinfield et al. 2008;
Tinto 1987). Students’ social networking with peers is important for developing psychological
well-being, such as self-esteem and satisfaction with life (Bargh et al. 2002; Helliwell and
Putnam 2004).Peer attitudes and pressures affect individual commitment to universities (Thomas
2000; Tinto 1987). According to Tinto’s social integration model, students’ social networking
with peers reflects their social integration while the commitment to their situated university
shapes their academic integration. Social integration and academic integration potentially link
students’ social networking to their learning outcome. Thus, this study attempts to conceptually
articulate and empirically support how online social networking (via Facebook in particular)
affects college students’ learning from the social integration perspective.

The National status

In 2010, a research organisation, Social Bakers stated that Facebook shall reach one billion users
by 2012. While United States boasted of the largest number of Facebook users, followed by the
United Kingdom, Brazil was extending its base of Social Network users, tremendously.
Indonesia, Philippines and Mexico followed strongly behind. India held the sixth place in the
growing numbers of Facebook users. Egypt recorded a strong Facebook growth despite its
political uncertainties and in fact the Social Media aided and abetted the rise of the revolution in
Egypt and other Western Asian nations. In 2012, India emerged as the number three in utilising
Social Networking Site Facebook, behind the United States and Brazil. The number of monthly
active users of Facebook in India has shot up by 5 per cent to 82 million for April-June period of
this year. (TOI, August, 2013). Today. Indians are second only to the United States of America
in Facebook Usage. However little has been done in the field of facebook or SNS and learning in
India.
Need for the Study

Social Networking Sites (SNS) with their inherent features of interactivity, resource sharing,
asynchronicity (Anderson, 2009), possess an immense potential to be employed in meaningful
pursuits like learning. These SNS shall definitely offer pedagogical and technological solutions
to learners in developed and developing economies (Pimmer, 2012). This study is centred on the
premise that, Facebook, the most popular SNS in the world today, can provide the optimum
platform for situated learning, within the framework of a virtual community of practice.

Significance of the Study

Some of the oft repeated problems of online, face-to face, blended and distance learning are: lack
of student-teacher-peer interaction, poor quality of content, feelings of isolation, teacher apathy,
attrition, lack of a sense of belonging and lurking or passive participation. Technologically
empowered, Online Learning Management Systems like Moodle and Blackboard are expensive,
and mimic the traditional classroom learning. A Situated Learning approach on Facebook, which
is immensely popular among youth, may infuse the much needed social and academic
integration (Tinto, 1997) to provide an ideal support structure to formal online, distance,
blended, and traditional brick and mortar classrooms.

Objectives of the Study

1) To ascertain learners’ willingness to incorporate Facebook for learning.
2) To identify the potential of Facebook as a platform for Situated Learning.
3) To explore faculty-student-peer interaction on Facebook.

(iv) Methodology

. The methodology adopted was Action Research, which enables the researcher to gain an emic
perspective and become an integral part of the research process. The research endeavour
comprised four stages of Action Research employing four consecutive cycles of Planning,
Observation, Interpretation and Reflection.
(v) Year- wise Plan of work and targets to achieve

First Quarter:

 To select the target respondents

 To categorise into three types
 Appraising the research project
 Gathering basic information about the focus group
 Buying books, journals, collection of literature

Second Quarter:

 Developing and monitoring the group

 Imparting the technology to the group

Third Quarter:

 Evaluating the acquired knowledge through interpretation

 Recording their interactions about learning

Fourth Quarter:

 Data Analysis
 Interpretation
 Report writing
 Conclusion

(vi) Details of collaboration, if any intended : Not applicable

10. Financial Assistance required: Three lakhs and forty thousand

Item Estimated Expenditure

(1) Books and Journals : Rs.75, 000.00

(ii) Laptop, Voice recorder : Rs 70,000.00

 (iii) Sony Handy cam : Rs 40,000.00

(iv) Field Work and travel : Rs 75,000.00

(v) Contingency fund : Rs 80,000.00

Total : Rs 3,40,000.00

11. Whether the teacher has received support for the research project from the UGC or
other agency?

Nil

12. (a) Details of the projects/schemes completed or ongoing with the P.I.

Nil

(b) Institutional and departmental facilities available for the proposed work:

13. Any other information which the investigator may like to give in support of this
proposal which may be helpful in evaluating

To certify that:

a. The University/College is approved under Section 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act
and is fit to receive grants from UGC.
b. General physical facilities, such as furniture/space etc. are available in the
Department/College.
c. I/we shall abide by the rules governing the scheme in case assistance is provided to
me/us from the UGC for the above project
d. I/we shall complete the project within the stipulated period. If I/we fail to do so and
if the UGC is not satisfied with the progress of the research project, the
Commission may terminate the project immediately and ask for the refund of the
amount received by me/us.
e. The above research project is not funded by any other agency.
Name & Signature

(a) Principal Investigator

(b) Registrar /Principal