The Pedagogical Affordances of Social Media Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study has been conducted to explore the students and teachers’ perception of the pedagogical affordances at the University of Ha’il in Saudi Arabia. Three social media that this study aims to explore its pedagogical affordances are: Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp. The participants in this study might perceive different affordances of each tool based on its own functions and actual use. Therefore, the context of using social media was explored in order to gain a deep understanding of this issue in light of the socio-cultural theory as the theoretical framework of the study. In terms of the research methodology, this study adopted a case study using observation of classroom, observation of the students and teachers’ interaction on the social media, and semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data. The sample comprised eighteen respondents; three teachers and fifteen students. Each teacher and five students attended different class and used different social media platforms. The study concludes that the pedagogical affordances of the social media are: the social construction of knowledge, reflection, connectivity and collaboration. Furthermore, students and teachers’ social, teaching and cognitive presence shaped their perception of the pedagogical affordances of social media which was, in turn, contribute to their digital identity development and their understanding of agency on social media. Besides, various challenges facing the implementation of social networking sites were also discussed and highlighted.