Learning activities based on social constructivism theory to promote social interaction and student’s performance (EPSISM)

Abstract

As language learners in second language context, learning English is deemed to be difficult for students to master. Because of the low proficiency and lack of confidence to use the English language, this contributes to low interaction between student and teacher, student and student as well as interaction towards the learning content itself. Therefore, concern should be given to this matter to increase student’s proficiency in English language. As for that, through latest technology development, this research adopting social media platform as a tool to improve student’s social interaction in English learning. In a way to improve the potential of this platform, researcher integrated Social Constructivism Theory by Vygotsky (1), in promoting the student’s social interaction that eventually able to improve student’s performance in the language. According to Karen Swan (2), social interaction through online technology supported in three perspectives which are student-teacher, student-student and student-learning content interactions, while the student’s performance was evaluated through their writing skill. In this research, social media Facebook, WhatsApp and Google Meet had been implemented in a qualitative research design which involved 6 stage 2 primary students that had been chose through purposive sampling for 5 weeks learning. Observation through video towards student’s interaction in social media and learning activities as well as document analysis had been the instruments for data collection in this qualitative research. From the findings, it shows that learning activities based on Social Constructivism Theory through social media able to help improving and increasing the social interaction between student-teacher, student-student as well as student-learning content which eventually able to improve the student’s performance in English language. In conclusion, by integrating social media, it can help to increase the social interaction not only between teacher and peers, but also towards the learning content that contributes to the increasing of performance in English language.