International Journal of Volume 1 Number 2 (2023)

Multidisciplinary Sciences ISSN : 2986-7665 (Media Online)

The Effectiveness of Using Social Media in the Learning Process

Amare Manfredo
University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
amaremmanfredo@gmail.com

Abstract
Social media has become a tendency among young people nowadays, as well as a
learning activity, especially during the pandemic. Social media has become the means of
communication in online learning used by educators in the learning process. The research
purpose of this study is to describe the kinds of social media and their application, as well
as the effectiveness of using social media as a means of communication in online learning.
The method used in this research is qualitative descriptive Collecting data; the method
used were observation, interview, and closed questionnaire using Google form. The result
shows that the social media used in online learning are WhatsApp and Google Forms,
WhatsApp is used as written communication to share teaching materials, and Google
Form is used to fill the current lists for midterm and final exams. This research concludes
that those three social media, WhatsApp and Google Forms, can be used as a means of
communication for online learning, yet very effective during the pandemic time
nowadays, so the teaching-learning process can still be implemented.

Keywords: Social Media; Online Learning; Means of Communication

Introduction
The coronavirus pandemic, better known as covid-19, has made people in the
world feel the consequences. Many places had to be closed in activities, not to be spared
in the education sector. The call to keep a distance means that the teaching and learning
process, usually done face-to-face (offline), must now be carried out online. In every city
in Nigeria, schools, be it kindergartens, elementary schools, junior and senior high
schools, to tertiary institutions, carry out the learning process online (Hamilton-Ekeke,
Egumu & Inengite, 2020).
Online learning has advantages, including the learning process being more
accessible both in time and place. Developing online learning communities is a promising
pedagogical approach in online learning contexts for adult tertiary learners, but it is a
challenging task (Khoo & Cowie, 2011; Gikandi & Morrow, 2016). The success of
implementing online learning also depends on the readiness of the organizing institution
and its teaching staff. In online learning, students can interact quickly and directly with
two-way text, images, sound, data, and video, with the guidance of a teacher.
The implementation of online learning is not without problems. In several countries,
it was reported that the average actual benefit was much smaller than expected among
those who adopted online learning. Network problems, lack of training, and lack of
awareness were cited as the main challenges faced by educators. Lack of understanding
is the most important reason for those who do not adopt online learning, followed by a
lack of interest and doubts about the usefulness of online learning.
According to Stoian, Fărcașiu, Dragomir, & Gherheș (2022), distance restrictions
and the application of study regulations at home have changed the way learning is
communicated that should be face-to-face to virtual worlds; this forces almost all
educational institutions to provide other alternatives in carrying out learning so that it

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remains effective and optimal. One of the steps implemented is utilizing social media to
convey various subject matters. Social media is a site where anyone can create a private
webpage and connect with friends to share information and communicate. The largest
social network, among others, is Facebook, myspace, and Twitter. If traditional media
uses print and broadcast media, social media uses the internet. Social media invites
anyone interested to participate by contributing and feedback openly, commenting, and
sharing information quickly and unlimitedly. The relationship between media and
individuals is no longer linear (one way). Individual relations with social media also form
new (cultural) behaviors among users, such as a culture of narcissism.
Social media that can be used to communicate in learning today is very diverse.
However, not all of these social media follow the characteristics of teachers and students.
Various factors can inhibit social media from being used as a means of communication;
for example, the application and difficulty level in applying social media rarely used.
This study focuses on how to describe the types of social media, the difficulty in accessing
them, and the effectiveness of using social media as a means of communication in
learning. So, the explicit aim of this study is to describe the types of social media, the
level of difficulty, and the effectiveness of using social media as a means of
communication in learning.
The use of social media as a means of communication in learning has also been
studied before. Evans (2014), in his research entitled Twitter for Teaching: Can social
media be used to Enhance the learning process? The selective impact of Twitter usage
suggests ways in which the medium might best be exploited to increase connections
between students themselves, students and their tutors, and students and educational
resources. In particular, using Twitter is an effective way to engage students, and tutors
need to be confident that it will result in a drop in attendance at lectures or seminars.
Liu (2010) also conducted research with the title "Social Media Tools as a Learning
Resource” with the conclusion that using social media tools in teaching sometimes can
be very challenging for instructors. Students can be excellent consulting sources because
they are the experts and have a better understanding of the tools. Future technology
integration in education should focus on what students use instead of what the school
wants them to use to guarantee maximum efficiency. When students become the
stakeholders of their learning, education will be genuinely revolutionalized through
effective collaboration between educators and students.
Al-Rahmi & Zeki (2017), with the research title "A Model of using social media
for collaborative learning to enhance learners' Performance on Learning." The
conclusions of this study also reveal high student satisfaction using social media, which
enhances collaborative learning and leads to better performance. The current study
recommends that future studies include other and extra elements to assess the influence
of the different factors on learners’ performance through collaborative learning. Of the
three studies above, there is still no specific research on the type of social media users,
the level of difficulty, and the effectiveness of using social media as a means of
communication in learning, especially during a pandemic like today.
The study in this research is essential to be carried out as an effort to anticipate the
world of education-especially junior high schools and teachers and at the same time as a
basis for future (futuristic) policy-making. So that in the future, we will become more
literate about the progress of the times, science and technology, and contextual learning.

Method
The research approach used in this research is a qualitative research approach with
descriptive qualitative research methods. Sources of data in this study consisted of

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primary data and secondary data. This study's Primary data sources include interviews
with principals, vice principals, and homeroom teachers and questionnaires distributed to
students and parents. This study's Secondary data sources include books, research
journals, research reports, and national seminar papers. This study uses data collection
techniques: observation, interviews, questionnaires, and documentation. The interview
used was semi-structured, and the questionnaire used was closed. The data analysis steps
in this study used the Miles and Huberman model of qualitative data analysis techniques,
namely: data reduction, data presentation, data verification/conclusion

Results and Discussion

1. The Role of Social Media
Social media is used as a means to find information, entertainment, and
communication with friends on social networking sites. According to Ali (2013); Selwyn
& Stirling (2016); Faizi, El Afia & Chiheb (2013), there are six general categories of
types of social media, which are as follows.
a. Social networking media (social networking)
b. Journal Online (blog)
c. Journal online simple or microblogging
d. Media sharing (media sharing) such as WhatsApp, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram
e. Social bookmarks
f. Shared content media or Wiki.

2. Types of Social Media Used as a Means of Communication in Learning

Social media is an application designed to facilitate interaction and communication
in cyberspace through the internet, but due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic, the function
of social media has changed. Now that there is a study-from-home program, educators in
every school are trying to find alternatives to convey their learning material through social
media, which is the easiest and most commonly used. The school also applies the same
thing in the use of social media in learning; based on the value of the questionnaire
assessing the level of use of social media in learning as an alternative to learning, the
following data is obtained:
Use of Social Media in Learning
7

0
Whatsapp Google Form

Figure 1. Use of Social Media in Learning

At school, social media used in learning are WhatsApp and google forms. These
two social media are easier to use because they do not need stable internet.

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3. The Effectiveness of Using Social Media in Learning
According to Rasiah (2014), the use of social media, such as Facebook, has rapidly
grown to become a popular and influential form of computer-mediated communication.
The effectiveness of using social media as a means of communication in learning is a
milestone in the success of online communication between teachers and students in the
learning process. The effectiveness of using social media to communicate in learning is
measured after the end-of-semester exams. The results will be compared later with those
from the previous semester, which still used offline techniques. The following is the
percentage of the effectiveness of using social media as a means of communication in
online learning and its comparison with offline learning.
Levels of Ease and Difficulty of Using Social Media as a
Means of Communication in Learning by Teachers
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
WhatsApp Google Forms

Very Easy Easy Difficult Very Difficult

Figure 2. Levels of Ease and Difficulty of Using Social Media as a Means of

Communication in Learning by Teachers

Usage WhatsApp 60% very easy, 30% easy, 7% difficult, and 3% very difficult.
Meanwhile, the use of Google Forms is 25% very easy, 45% easy, 20% difficult, and 10%
very difficult. The following shows the effectiveness of using social media as a means of
communication by students.
Level of Effectiveness of Using Social Media as a Means of
Communication in Learning by Students
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
WhatsApp Google Forms

Effective Ineffective

Figure 3. Level of Effectiveness of Using Social Media as a Means of Communication

in Learning by Students

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 Students answered 45% WhatsApp effective and 55% not effective for use in
learning, 65% Google Forms effective, and 35% were not effectively used to
communicate in learning.
Comparison of Student Scores Online and Offline
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Semester 1 Semester 2

Perfect Score Good Score Enough Score

Figure 4. Comparison of Student Scores Online and Offline

There has been a decrease in the scores of perfect and good students during online
learning, but the decrease is not much, just a little. Students with a perfect score of 10%,
a good score of 75%, and an adequate score of 15%.
Based on the findings above, the role of social media, initially to seek information,
entertainment and as a means of communication for millennials, has shifted its use. Social
media can also be used to communicate in online learning for teachers and students. Use
WhatsApp to get a percentage of 65%, and google forms to 35%. These two social media
can be used to communicate in online learning. Whatsapp is used for written
communication and distributing teaching materials; meanwhile, google Forms is used to
fill out the attendance list, midterm exams, and final exams. In this case, teachers can also
take and send video material related to students by sending the video link to WhatsApp
(Anggraini & Mahmudi, 2021).
Terms the application of social media, which consists of WhatsApp, and Google
Forms, also has difficulty and ease of application during online learning. For teachers
using WhatsApp, 60% very easy and 30% easy, and 10% difficult. This is because social
media, WhatsApp, has been used in everyday life for a long time. Social media use Google
Forms also includes social media that is new to students, especially at school. 25% of
teachers think social media is easy, 45 are easy, 20% are difficult, and 10% are difficult.
Of course, this is because teachers are still not used to using social media, especially for
making student attendance lists.
Students also experience difficulties in using social media as a means of
communication in learning. In using, WhatsApp, 93% of students answered very quickly,
and 7% answered easily. It is the same with social media. WhatsApp has also been known
and used by students for a long time, so communication using social media is very easy
compared to other social media.
The effectiveness of using social media in learning to use WhatsApp is 45%
effective and 55% ineffective. The use of Google Forms is 65% effective and 35%
ineffective. The effectiveness of using social media as a means of online learning can be
seen from the results of comparative data on the scores obtained by students in semester
1 (offline) and semester 2 (online). The scores obtained by perfect, reasonable, and
adequate students are not much different. There is a decrease in value, but not significant.

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This is because there is still a need to adapt from offline to online learning. This change
in learning methods does not make a significant difference, so it can be concluded that
social media like WhatsApp and Google Forms can be used as a means of online learning
communication.

Conclusion
A pandemic like conid-19 does not just happen at the moment. Since ancient times,
there have been many kinds of pandemics that have hit. Various fields have felt the impact
of the pandemic, and education is no exception. The government implements Online
learning in Nigeria, so the need for communication media to support online learning
activities. Social media can also be used to communicate in this online learning. Social
media like WhatsApp and Google Forms can be used to learn communication from
school. Whatsapp is used for written communication and distributing teaching materials.
Meanwhile, google Forms is used to fill in the attendance list, assignments, midterm
exams, and final exams. This change in learning methods does not make a significant
difference, so social media like WhatsApp and Google Forms can be used as a means of
online learning communication.

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