Group 1

Theoretical Framework

The Effects of the Use of Social Networks while

Learning English on Grade 12 Students in MMNHS

Socializing and Learning Provides Motivation

Informality

Figure 1: The Use of Social Networks while Learning English

Figure 1 illustrates the theoretical framework of the use of social networks while learning

English and its effects on the students related to the theories; socializing and learning;

informality; and provides motivation.

Using social networks while learning English both possess positive and negative effects onto

the students. It is said that social networks provide help to people trying to learn new languages

such as English and it is one good way to enhance your skills because you are able to

communicate to people that are native to the language you are trying to learn. However being on
social media for way too long may also provide some negative impact on people learning a new

language.

Socializing and Learning

Studies has shown that social media provide advantages that either distinctly enhance or

occasionally support users’ efforts to learn the English language. These skills are valued since

people today receive a lot of presentational or understandable language input through articles,

writings, and vocabularies on social media platforms. (Bhatti, Shaheen, Kamal, & Ali, 2020).

People also have the chance to use the language in any social media collaboration,

correspondence, associations, and information sharing. The fact that online life and other

associated advancements are deeply ingrained in contemporary world and culture is another

strong link between social media and language learning.

According to Dhanya (2016), daily observations and recent scholarly traditions indicate that

some learning occurs outside of the bounds of the human mind. Learning a different language

involves social variables that influence how people learn language. Language learners can

improve their language skills thanks to the various paths that modern social media have offered.

Social media allows the learner to participate in authentic, real-time, relevant online

conversations while also learning the target language with or without the assistance of an

experienced teacher.

Informality
 Social networking is considered to present challenges for natural language processing in a

study published by Baldwin (2012). The most obvious response is the infamously free-form

nature of language in social media, which includes spelling errors, the spontaneous adoption of

new terms, and frequent violations of English grammar rules. He refers to this as the benefit of

“lexical normalization” in the same linguistic context. Thurairaj et al. (2015) investigated this

issue by looking at how social media networks affected academic English and how irregular

spelling and infrequent online code-switching affected language learning in non-native speakers.

Their findings showed that while the learners were more conscious of the differences between

their online casual meta-language and their formal academic language, the discourse they

utilized on social media had not affected their English language ability.

This is somewhat true because social networks is being used by people throughout the world

and in any ages. Social networks may be divided into different forms of community and different

uses of words. There are times in which users use slangs and shortcuts, ungrammatical forms of

sentences and foul or explicit words which can influence the other users of the said platforms

hence lowers the possibility of effective language learning.

Provides Motivation

The use of social media has been found to considerably improve learning English in terms of

writing, reading abilities, listening and vocabulary variety, ability to communicate, and

grammatical usage, according to the conclusions of a study conducted by Muftah (2022).

Facilitating the flow of ideas and knowledge among members of a learning community boosts

intrinsic desire to learn. (Koh et al., 2010; Rasiah, 2014). According to Blumenfeld et al. (1991),

simply presenting high-level projects that are interesting and relevant to students does not
guarantee that students will be driven to acquire the knowledge and develop the skills needed to

accomplish them. Researchers have shown that social media can help increase student

motivation and improve the learning environment. These fresh approaches have the potential to

change the nature of learning limits and contribute to the growth of student teaching. (Celik et

al., 2014).

Researchers discovered that using social media in higher education gives a collaborative

learning environment that allows for enhanced collaboration among peers as well as contact

between both teachers and pupils (Collins & Halverson, 2010; Wodzicki et al., 2012). Unlike

older generations, most students are members of Generation Z, those born between 1995 and

2012. They are knowledgeable about technology and use social media on a daily basis. (Singh,

2014). According to Palfrey and Gasser (2013), digital native pupils from the digital age

experience the world differently than previous generations. In comparison to older generations,

their perceptions are founded on less rigid notions of privacy, self, close relationships,

data ownership, ways of communicating, creativity, risk, and efficiency. They don’t worry about

using social media into their academics since they perceive it as a normal part of their lives..

They regard social media as a beneficial phenomena that encourages lively conversation and

involvement with teachers as well as peers, and it can develop a positive relationship with faculty

members, breaking through the typical barriers between teachers and students in a traditional

classroom.

Conceptual Framework
 Advantages Disadvantages Recommendations

Students are able to socialize Students may be using social Put limits on everything, even

and communicate with other networking applications and if social media has been proven

people which are native to the websites in the middle of class to provide help to students

language the students are hence distracting them and learning English. Students must

learning. shifting their attention from the learn how to use social media

lesson to their mobile phones. on the appropriate time and

place since it is guaranteed that

students can learn much more

in school.

With the exposure of different Social networks being an Students must be guided and

social networking platforms, application or website with have the proper knowledge to

students are able to surf for different users, students may use social media. It is crucial

different things available on encounter the use of slangs and for an individual to be media

social networks just like; shortcuts, grammatically and information literate.

Stories, Poems, Online incorrect sentences, spelling

language learning, Trivia and mistakes, use of explicit words

more. and misinformation/

disinformation that are

spreading across social

networks.
Figure 2: Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Social Networks while Learning English

Figure 2 demonstrates the conceptual framework of the research. The usage of social

networks, just like any other thing, has both positive and negative outcomes for its users. Social

networks have become a part of the Generation Z students’ lives, and they are using them every

day to communicate, interact, learn, and be able to provide enjoyment for themselves.

Students that are learning English can have a full conversation with other people who are

native English speakers, which will help them construct better English sentences and improve

their grammar. Students are able to adapt to the form of the language or the way it is being

constructed.

Social media also has professional users such as teachers, book authors, or journalists who

can share information or teach users on the platform. For example, in applications like TikTok,

there are teachers who provide free informational and fun lessons regarding the English language

and help you improve your knowledge of English grammar. Book authors can help you expand

your creativity and imagination and can give you tips on how to write a story. Aspiring writers

on social media tend to upload their works online, which is accessible to anyone. There are many

aspiring writers on Facebook who upload their works to their timelines for you to read. Wattpad,

for example, is a social media application where writers can upload their works and readers can

give comments on them.

However, social media’s ability to provide help to students learning English also has negative

effects and disadvantages. In some cases, students tend to be on social media too often, resulting
in distractions and splitting their attention. Students use social media in the middle of class hours

and are not paying attention to what the teacher is discussing in front of them.

Social media gives its users “free speech,” which means that they are able to express

themselves in any way they want, whether positive or negative. Users may like to use forms of

slang, which means that their sentence structure is informal and may create confusion for

students that are learning English. Users are sometimes unaware of their own grammar and

spelling, and so students will encounter users who post grammatically incorrect sentences and

spelling errors. Since social media provides free speech, users use explicit words like swears in

some of their uploads, which is not a good influence for students. Social media is filled with

people who are up to no good and who love to spread disinformation all over the platform,

deceiving and fooling other users.

Students must be guided and taught how to properly use social media. As a user, they must be

responsible for what they post on social media. Students must also be able to analyze information

and do fact-checking. Students must also limit their usage of social media and learn how to use it

at the proper time and place. Teachers must monitor their students and tell them to keep their

phones away by the time classes start.