The prime objective of this research was to
investigate whether Facebook helped undergraduate students of Universiti Sains
Islam Malaysia (USIM) improve their English language proficiency, critical
thinking, comprehension skills, and motivation. A triangulation method
(quantitative, qualitative, and descriptive) was employed in the investigation.
A total of 900 undergraduate students participated. The 900 participants were
first year students from USIM. The instruments used in this research were
questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Results from a pre-test and a
post-test showed that students who used Facebook i.e. the control group outperformed (88.8% passed) the students who
were not exposed to Facebook (60% passed) in all the three categories. The
findings indicated that Facebook indeed helped students to improve their English
proficiency, besides learning new words and terminologies. This research offers
guidelines to future researchers on the methodology of learning English
language and helps them design an effective interactive multimedia learning
environment in their classroom. The findings of this research would also contribute
to the expansion of the paradigm of Constructivism. The findings of this
empirical research could be prototyped for learning other languages in the
classroom.
Cite this paper
Faryadi, Q. (2017). Effectiveness of Facebook in English Language Learning: A Case Study. Open Access Library Journal, 4, e4017. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104017.
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