The comparison of teachers and students opinions on the use of social networking sites for educational purposes in a private high school

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2017

Öğrenci: Seda Karabulut

Asıl Danışman (Eş Danışmanlı Tezler İçin): ÖMER DELİALİOĞLU

Özet:

This study aims to investigate the use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) by high school students and teachers by (i) comparing their preferences in using these webbased social environments, and (ii) questioning how they affect their face-to-face communication. Survey research design with convenience sampling method was used to descriptively compare social media usage behaviors of teachers and students and their perceptions toward SNSs. As the data collection instruments two surveys, one for teachers and another for students were utilized. The data were collected from 445 high school students and 61 high school teachers. Descriptive statistics and t-test were used to analyze the collected dataset. Results indicated that teachers and students prefer to use similar SNSs like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They both perceive SNSs as an online environment for entertaining, socializing, and communicating. Moreover, both groups indicated that SNSs provide an opportunity to access information easily and instantly whenever and wherever they needed. According to some remarkable results, while teachers use SNSs mainly for communication reasons, majority of the students use them for entertainment reasons. Educational purpose is the most frequently stated reason by students for interacting with their teachers in SNSs. Chatting is the most preferred SNSs activity that students do for interacting with other students. Majority of students and teachers vi aware of the privacy and security settings on SNSs. Majority of the students stated that use of the SNSs do not affect their face-to-face communications. This study has important implications for practice and research in that the findings drawn from this study can inform teachers and researchers how to design and tailor SNSs for their courses or studies.