Using WhatsApp for Teaching a Course on the Education Profession

Abstract

Social media has gained popularity in the realm of education. However, little research has examined empirically the extent to which students interacting using social media experience a different level of social presence, sense of community and perceived learning compared to those interacting face-to-face. As many as 100 students who were taking a course on Education Profession at the Department of Primary School Teacher Education at Halu Oleo University were recruited for this study. The students were randomly divided into two groups: Group one attended conventional face-to-face classroom instruction over the course of seven weeks and Group two used WhatsApp for learning. Questionnaires measuring social presence, sense of community and perceived learning were pre- and post-tested, followed immediately by interviews. The WhatsApp group reported a stronger sense of community, but both groups experienced an equal level of social presence and perceived learning. Reported benefits of WhatsApp far outnumbered its drawbacks.