Perceptions of Saudi Male and Female Postgraduate Students Regarding the Impact of Social Networking Sites and Apps on their Academic Life: A Study of Umm Al-Qura University – Makkah

Abdulelah A Alghamdi,Margaret Plunkett

doi:10.3991/ijet.v13i05.7981

Abstract

This paper outlines a study exploring the perceptions of Saudi male and female postgraduate students regarding the impact of using Social Networking Sites and Apps (SNSAs) on their academic engagement and academic relationships. While research on SNSA use within the higher education environment does exist, mixed gender research has often presented challenges in Saudi Arabia, due to the educational segregation. A mixed methods approach was used to collect data through surveys, individual interviews and focus groups involving 313 male and 293 female postgraduate students at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) in Makkah. Findings illustrated that both males and females engaged with SNSAs at a moderate level of use for academic purposes, and they perceived more positive than negative impacts associated with the academic use of SNSAs. Correlational analysis demonstrated a large positive correlation between academic engagement and academic relationships. Gender differences were not extensive however, the quantitative analysis highlighted more prominent involvement with SNSAs by females which is interesting, in light of social restrictions experienced by females in Saudi society.

Highlights

Saudi Arabia provides an unusual setting for technological research in education, as while it is relatively advanced in terms of technological capacity [1], there are social limitations due to the gender based educational segregation [2, 3].Research into the use of Social Networking Sites and Apps (SNSAs) by Saudi university students reveals some interesting patterns
Survey data were analyzed in SPSS while qualitative data were transcribed into textual data, and thematically analyzed [52] to develop the main themes and subthemes described
Due to the dearth of studies relating to the intensity of SNSAs use by Umm AlQura University (UQU) postgraduate students, two questions on the survey focused on the time spent daily using SNSAs and the level of involvement in friends’ accounts

Summary

Introduction

Saudi Arabia provides an unusual setting for technological research in education, as while it is relatively advanced in terms of technological capacity [1], there are social limitations due to the gender based educational segregation [2, 3]. Research into the use of Social Networking Sites and Apps (SNSAs) by Saudi university students reveals some interesting patterns. The results showed that YouTube was used by 70% of participants, followed by Twitter at 47%, with the majority using social media networks in the home (89%), with only 13-15% using it at the university. The results indicated a high level of satisfaction with the speed of news transfer and information, while freedom to express opinions was valued by females [4]

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Conclusion