Usage and Gratification of Social Media in Higher Education: A Survey on the Perceptions of International Students in Turkey

Rajab Idd Muyingo

doi:10.29333/ojcmt/2605

Abstract

This study grounded in the user centered media theory of uses and gratification; it investigated on the usage and gratification of social media among international students pursuing higher education in Turkey, through a survey conducted on a sample of international students in Istanbul City, Turkey. The study was quantitative in nature in which structured questionnaires were used to get data on a randomly selected sample. Findings indicate that 68.2% of the respondents used social media for more than twice a week to interact with peers for studying outside classroom. Likewise, social media platform commonly used included YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Google group and Twitter. As a gratification, the respondents used You Tube to watch educational video clips on lectures delivered from other universities, watched Turkish videos to improve on their Turkish language skills. Facebook and Whatsapp were used for instant messaging, sharing academic information with classmates and professors. Findings indicate that using Social Media positively influenced their lifestyles and helped them to excel academically as reflected in the responses. The study therefore concludes that Social Media is an essential communication tool among international students in Turkey in supporting their higher education.

Highlights

Social media it is perceived as an informal environment mainly used for knowledge sharing and as an information source, it has a great capability for communication
Findings showed that majority of the international students composing of 37% agreed that using different social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and others supports their educational learning, whereas 36% strongly agreed with the same assertion
Social Media Tools Used by International Students As Bueltner (2015) identified a number of social media tool which are used by students for educational purposes, like You Tube, Face book among others, findings of this study indicate that students frequently used different tools, others denominated as reflected in table 3, below. (Likert scale of 1 Never 5 Very Often)

Summary

Introduction

Social media it is perceived as an informal environment mainly used for knowledge sharing and as an information source, it has a great capability for communication. Teachers may be able to take advantage of this situation and of the students' predisposition to using social media to incorporate them into their teaching They further note that the use of social media, blogs and video applications implies taking information and education to the places that students associate with entertainment and where they may approach them with fewer prejudices (Gómez, Roses & Farias Pedro, 2012: 2). Basing on this we can note that together with a merely social use, as a space and a route for communication, information and entertainment, social media possess vast potential for the educational sphere and evidence emerged that students are favorably disposed towards the academic use of social media

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Conclusion