The Pedagogical Affordances of a Social Networking Site in Higher Education

329 Pages·2015·3.89 MB·English

The Pedagogical Affordances of a Social
Networking Site in Higher Education

Submitted by
Amal Abdullah Alibrahim,
To the University of Exeter as a thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Education,
November, 2014.
This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright
material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper
acknowledgement.

I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified
and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a
degree by this or any other University.

Signature:……………………………..
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Abstract
In recent times, higher educational institutions have faced a challenge from the
radical demands of their students. With the spread of students’ use of Web 2.0
applications, educational institutions also need to move with this trend and adopt
Web 2.0 applications in education. As a contribution to the field of innovation in
higher education, this study explores the pedagogical affordances of a social
networking site (SNS) in higher education in Saudi Arabia. A case study
methodology informed by Design-Based Research DBR approach was used. This
approach was characterized by iterations of design and evaluation. The study was
applied in two phases: Phase One was applied in the University of Exeter to evaluate
a previously designed course, “The ICT Future”, with the innovation of a social
networking site. The result of this phase was a framework which was applied in
Phase Two, in King Saud University, which contributed to the design of an innovative
course using social networking site, on "Web design".
The data were collected by mixed methods: using stimulated recall interviews,
reflexive report, and observation of the interaction on the social networking site. The
findings of the study were used to help revise the framework for the design of a
course which utilised the social networking site. The framework developed in this
study was based on the findings of the pedagogical affordances of the SNS.
The study concludes that the pedagogical affordances of the social networking sites
are: reflection, stimulation, content-creation, collaboration, and online discussion.
These affordances support students in higher education. Some important challenges
in implementing the social networking site in higher education were highlighted. The
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study presents the need to change pedagogical practices in universities, and
discusses various ways in which these changes could be implemented.
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Acknowledgements
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) said: “He will not be thankful to Allah, he
who would not be thankful to people” (Corrected-Reported by Tirmethee).
All praise is due to Allah alone, I thank Allah Almighty for giving me the inspiration,
patience, time, and strength to finish this work. With Allah's well and mercy I have
been able to achieve all of this.
I express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to a number of important and valued
people who directly or indirectly assisted and supported me during this study. First I
wish to express my sincere gratitude to my first supervisor, Professor Rupert Wegerif,
for his support and encouragement. Sincere thanks are also due to Dr. Judith Kleine-
Staarman for her help and suggestions in all stages of the research.
In addition, I owe a debt of gratitude to my mother, may her soul rest in peace; her
words have supported me throughout and have given me encouragement to
continue my study. Special appreciation and thanks go to my father, Abdullah, for his
prayers and encouragement.
My special thanks and appreciation are due to my husband, Qassem for his patience
and persistence, support and continuous encouragement. My love and deepest
gratitude go to my children, Lina, Naif, Nuf and baby Arwa, who suffered a lot as they
shared the ups and downs of this journey.
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List of Contents
The Pedagogical Affordances of a Social Networking Site in Higher Education ........ 1
Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... 4
List of Contents .......................................................................................................... 5
List of Tables ............................................................................................................ 12
List of Figures ........................................................................................................... 13
Definitions ................................................................................................................ 15
Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 1 : Introduction ............................................................................................ 18
1.1 Overview ......................................................................................................... 18
1.2 Background and Rationale ............................................................................. 20
1.2.1 Digital Native students ............................................................................. 20
1.2.2 New Web 2.0 technology ......................................................................... 22
1.2.3 The new challenges for education ............................................................ 23
1.2.4 My personal rationale for the study .......................................................... 25
1.3 Significance of the Research....................................................................... 26
1.4 Purpose of the Research ................................................................................ 27
1.5 Research Questions ....................................................................................... 28
1.6 Organisation of the thesis ............................................................................... 28
Chapter 2 : Context of the Study .............................................................................. 30
2.1 The country and the people ............................................................................ 30
2.1.1 Women’s education .................................................................................. 32
2.1.2 The Internet in Saudi Arabia..................................................................... 33
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2.2 Higher Education ............................................................................................ 35
2.2.1 ICT and technologies policy ..................................................................... 38
2.2.2 ICT in higher education ............................................................................ 43
2.2.3 New knowledge age skills in Saudi Arabia ............................................... 48
2.3 Students’ background ..................................................................................... 50
Summary: ............................................................................................................. 52
Chapter 3 : Literature Review ................................................................................... 53
3.1 Social Networking Sites (SNSs) ...................................................................... 53
3.2 Theoretical aspects of social networking site .................................................. 59
3.2.1 Social constructivism ................................................................................ 59
3.2.2 Affordance theory ..................................................................................... 70
3.2.3 The pedagogical affordances of ICT ........................................................ 76
3.3 Social networking sites in education ............................................................... 79
3.3.1 Facebook Studies .................................................................................... 81
3.3.2 Education-related use of Web 2.0 ............................................................ 89
3.3.3 Institutional and practitioner practice ...................................................... 102
3.3.4 Implications of applying Web 2.0 in education ....................................... 109
3.4 New knowledge skills .................................................................................... 113
3.5 Rationale of the study ................................................................................... 118
Summary: ........................................................................................................... 122
Chapter 4 : Research Design and Methodology ..................................................... 124
4.1 Research Questions ..................................................................................... 124
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4.2 Research Methodology ................................................................................. 125
4.3 Research Methods ........................................................................................ 133
4.3.1 Observations and message analysis ...................................................... 135
4.3.2 Semi-structured interviews ..................................................................... 136
4.3.3 Reflexive report ...................................................................................... 137
Summary: ........................................................................................................... 137
Chapter 5 : The pedagogical affordances of social network technology: A study in an
undergraduate course in Exeter University ............................................................ 138
5.1 The Participants ............................................................................................ 139
5.2 Data collection and Data analysis ................................................................. 139
5.2.1 Methods ................................................................................................. 139
5.2.2 Using Nvivo software ............................................................................. 143
5.2.3 Interview questions ................................................................................ 144
5.3 Results and findings ..................................................................................... 144
5.4 Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................... 149
Summary: ........................................................................................................... 151
Chapter 6 : A study in an undergraduate course in King Saud University: Phase Two
............................................................................................................................... 153
6.1 Site of the study ............................................................................................ 153
6.1.1 The Hive ................................................................................................. 154
6.1.2 Participants ............................................................................................ 154
6.2 Data collection and analysis ......................................................................... 156
6.2.1 Data collection process .......................................................................... 156
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6.2.2 The process of analysis ......................................................................... 164
6.3 Ethical principles considered in the research ................................................ 169
6.4 Trustworthiness ......................................................................................... 171
Summary: ........................................................................................................... 172
Chapter 7 : Results and Findings ........................................................................... 173
7.1 The pedagogical affordances of a social networking site in a course in higher
education in Saudi Arabia ................................................................................... 174
7.1.1 Tutor perceptions ................................................................................... 175
7.1.2 Student perceptions ............................................................................... 178
7.2 Factors impeding efficient use of SNS in higher education in Saudi Arabia . 200
7.2.1 Pedagogical factors ................................................................................ 201
7.2.2 Cultural factors ....................................................................................... 213
7.2.3 Tutors’ and students’ perception ............................................................ 217
7.2.4 Technical factors .................................................................................... 219
7.2.5 Other factors .......................................................................................... 221
7.3 The added value of social networking sites for learning and teaching in higher
education ............................................................................................................ 222
Summary: ........................................................................................................... 231
Chapter 8 : Discussion ........................................................................................... 234
8.1 The affordances of the social networking site ............................................... 234
8.1.1 Reflection ............................................................................................... 236
8.1.2 Stimulation ............................................................................................. 237
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8.1.3 Content-creation ..................................................................................... 237
8.1.4 Collaborative learning ............................................................................ 238
8.1.5 Online discussion ................................................................................... 241
8.2 The affordances of social networking sites in supporting student learning in
higher education in Saudi Arabia ........................................................................ 244
8.2.1 Enhancing new knowledge age skills ..................................................... 245
8.2.2 Supporting women education in Saudi Arabia........................................ 245
8.2.3 Self learning ........................................................................................... 246
8.2.4 Dialogue and criticism ............................................................................ 247
8.2.5 Electronic documents ............................................................................. 247
8.2.6 Active learners ....................................................................................... 248
8.2.7 High quality collaboration ....................................................................... 249
8.2.8 Transparency and Facilitation ................................................................ 249
8.3 Applying a social networking site successfully in a higher education course in
Saudi Arabia ....................................................................................................... 250
8.3.1 Activities ................................................................................................. 257
8.3.2 Students ................................................................................................. 257
8.3.3 Tutors: experience, values, beliefs, skills and perceptions ..................... 259
8.4 Challenge to designing courses with social networking sites SNSs in SA .... 260
8.4.1 Educational Culture ................................................................................ 261
8.4.2 Lack of new knowledge age skills .......................................................... 261
8.4.3 Social network ........................................................................................ 262
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8.4.4 Actual identity ......................................................................................... 263
8.4.5 New assessment methods ..................................................................... 265
8.4.6 Plagiarism .............................................................................................. 266
8.4.7 Teacher’s Role ....................................................................................... 267
8.5 The pedagogical affordances of ICT technology (in general) ....................... 268
8.5.1 Properties of ICT .................................................................................... 269
8.5.2 Activities ................................................................................................. 269
8.5.3 Students ................................................................................................. 270
Summary: ........................................................................................................... 270
Chapter 9 : Conclusion ........................................................................................... 272
9.1 Contributions................................................................................................. 272
9.2 Implications for educational practice ............................................................. 273
9.3 Recommendations ........................................................................................ 276
9.4 Suggestions for further research ................................................................... 280
9.5 Challenges and limitations ............................................................................ 281
9.6 Summary of the main themes of the thesis ................................................... 284
Appendices ............................................................................................................ 286
Appendix 1 .......................................................................................................... 286
Appendix 2 .......................................................................................................... 287
Appendix 3 .......................................................................................................... 288
Appendix 4 .......................................................................................................... 289
Appendix 5 .......................................................................................................... 290
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