Primary Pupils’ Use of Social Media to learn ESL

Abstract

The next generation of school-going pupils of elementary level will soon be made up of children from generation Alpha, born from the year 2010 to 2025. These technology-savvy young children will soon be dominating the classrooms demanding for digitalised instructional experiences. Technology-infused learning experience has been a prevalent concept in the education field in recent years. Many studies have been carried out to explore how social media and technology assists second language learning in the contexts of secondary and tertiary education. However, little is known about how elementary pupils learn English as a second language (ESL) using social media platforms, primarily in the Asian context. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate how Chinese primary school pupils learn English on social media. Drawing on the original data from a questionnaire survey and document analysis, the findings revealed that the research participants lack the experience of learning English on social media sites although they have access and the necessary competency in handling those sites. The implication derived from this study is that it would be advisable for teachers to steer and plan suitable instructional practices on social media platforms for elementary aged ESL learners in line with their learning preferences and needs.