The Value of Social Media Platforms in Improving Education

Students’ Engagement: A Systematic Review

Villarante, Chressyle Anne F.

INTRODUCTION:

Social media platforms have grown in popularity in recent years and have become an
integral part of our daily lives. As these platforms have become more widely used, educators
have begun to investigate their potential as a tool to enhance learning and improve students'
educational outcomes. Social media platforms provide numerous opportunities for students to
collaborate and interact with their peers, teachers, and other educational resources. Therefore,
these platforms enable people to connect and interact with one another, share information, and
express their opinions and views. They offer a variety of features, such as messaging, photo
sharing, and video sharing, that allow users to engage in various types of communication that
will assist students in more effectively addressing their needs.

Over the years, social media platforms have transformed the way people connect and
share information, including teachers. It has evolved and added new features that have
significantly influenced how teachers teach and communicate with their students, colleagues, and
the larger education community. Thus, it became an important tool for students to use in order to
improve their technical vocabulary. Students can improve their technical vocabulary and
knowledge and understanding of specific subjects by interacting with other users, reading
technical articles, and participating in discussions. Students interact with other learners who
share similar interests through the use of specific platforms, allowing them to ask more questions
and learn from others, which can help them improve their technical vocabulary.

The advancement of technology and the proliferation of various social media platforms
have fundamentally altered the way we communicate by removing physical and temporal
boundaries. Technology and social media, with their global reach, have enabled people to
connect with people from all over the world. Individuals are now able to communicate and share
information with people they would never have met in person otherwise (Tobin, 2019). In
today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, it's clear that social media will play an
increasingly important role in our lives. Social media is expected to have a wide range of effects
on its users as a result of this ongoing evolution, including potential educational benefits (Kapoor
et al., 2018). Social media is a term that refers to a wide range of online applications and
websites that emerged alongside the evolution of Web 2.0 and place a strong emphasis on user-
generated content and user collaboration. Individuals can use these platforms to interact with one
another and create, share, and exchange information in a variety of formats, such as text, images,
videos, and audio recordings (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010).
 Furthermore, Web 2.0 technologies have transformed how people interact with the
internet, including in the field of education. Students can now engage in more interactive and
collaborative learning experiences than ever before. With the advent of Web 2.0, the internet
transitioned from a static, one-way platform to a dynamic, interactive space where users can
interact in real-time. Web 2.0 technologies such as social media platforms such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok have fundamentally altered how we communicate,
share information, and collaborate with others. Education is one area where Web 2.0
technologies have had a particularly large impact. These platforms are being used by both
teachers and students to engage in new and innovative ways of learning, ranging from
collaborative group projects to online discussions and debates. Educators can provide students
with more personalized and engaging learning experiences by leveraging the power of Web 2.0
technologies, assisting them in developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration
skills (Augustsson, 2010).

Given the benefits of social media, concerns have been raised about its negative effects
on students. As students' use of social media grows, there is growing concern about the impact it
may have on their academic performance and overall well-being. The use of social media in
education has been emphasized in healthcare literature, particularly as a means to educate
students on the ethical and legal responsibilities associated with social media usage. To become
proficient users of social media in an educational context, students must adapt to new teaching
models that incorporate social media and promote self-efficacy and dialogue (Isik & Jallad,
2019). However, educators and students alike must be mindful of e-professionalism when using
social media and learn to distinguish between personal and professional communication with
peers, friends, and family for students’ active learning.

As an increasingly popular mode of communication, social media has the potential to

open up new channels for students to connect with their peers, instructors, and the larger
academic community. With the rise of online learning, social media, including various platforms,
has emerged as an essential tool for facilitating student engagement in the digital realm. The
significance of student engagement for enhancing students' learning experiences and
performance is widely acknowledged. While several studies have focused on evaluating student
engagement in traditional face-to-face learning settings, there has been less attention paid to
understanding its effects on student performance in online learning environments, particularly in
project management education (Afzal & Crawford, 2022). In the past and present, student
engagement has primarily been accomplished through in-person interactions and communication
on campus. However, others can also promote engagement through the use of online tools like
Blackboard, which is the most commonly used learning management system (LMS), and other
similar modern LMS platforms that offer an alternative learning experience (Martin and Torres,
2016).
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