Social Media in ESL Classroom: Wechat

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the perceptions of undergraduates regarding the relevance of social media, the WeChat application platform, towards improving reading comprehension skills in English as a Second Language. At the same time, the study wants to find out the influence of social media platform usage on language learning towards improving students’ critical thinking skills given its association with the reading comprehension skill. The results show important information on students' use of WeChat for ESL learning intentions. The ease of use and the structural characteristics of these tools engage students in critical thinking; enhance communication, reading, and writing skills while sharing information and modification. As for educators, it is to be noted that students prefer their presence in an online learning community. They need a teacher to guide them and provide helpful feedback related to learning. It is concluded that although using social media provides students with an enriched learning experience, students shared that they need a teacher to plan and execute teaching and learning activities effectively. Consequently, teachers can opt for more reference sources to consider when they design curricula.