. Mila Nu Nu Htay; . Kate McMonnies; . Thokozani Kalua; . Dylan Ferley; . Mayada Hassanein
Volume 10, Issue 3 , March 2020, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
CONTEXT: In the era of technology, social networking has become a platform for the teaching–learning process. Exploring international students’ perspective on using Twitter ...
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CONTEXT: In the era of technology, social networking has become a platform for the teaching–learning process. Exploring international students’ perspective on using Twitter would reveal thebarriers and potential for its use in higher educational activities.AIMS: This study aimed to explore the postgraduate students’ perspective on using Twitter as alearning resource.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted as part of a postgraduate programat a university in the United Kingdom. A focus group discussion and five in‑depth interviews wereconducted after receiving the informed consent. The qualitative data were analyzed by R packagefor Qualitative Data Analysis software.ANALYSIS USED: Deductive content analysis was used in this study.RESULTS: Qualitative analysis revealed four salient themes, which were (1) background knowledgeabout Twitter, (2) factors influencing the usage of Twitter, (3) master’s students’ experiences onusing Twitter for education, and (4) potential of using Twitter in the postgraduate study. The studentspreferred to use Twitter for sharing links and appreciated the benefit on immediate disseminationof information. Meanwhile, privacy concern, unfamiliarity, and hesitation to participate in discussiondiscouraged the students from using Twitter as a learning platform.CONCLUSIONS: Using social media platforms in education could be challenging for boththe learners and the educators. Our study revealed that Twitter was mainly used for socialcommunication among postgraduate students however most could see a benefit of using Twitterfor their learning if they received adequate guidance on how to use the platform. The multiplebarriers to using Twitter were mainly related to unfamiliarity which should be addressed early inthe learning process.