Instructional Designers Conducting Professional Learning Using Social Media: A Phenomenological Study of Their Experiences Through a Self-regulated Learning Lens

Because the instructional design and technology field is dynamic (Sharif & Cho, 2015; Wang et al., 2021), instructional designers need to pursue continuous, just-in-time professional learning (Carliner, 2018) to improve knowledge, skills, and abilities (Sharif & Cho, 2015; Ritzhaupt & Martin, 2015), without being constrained by location, budget, and time (Muljana et al., 2020; Muljana et al., 2021). On the one hand, the omnipresent social media technologies offer affordances for facilitating this type of professional learning. Such technologies allow instructional designers to reach out to colleagues, search for ready-to-implement strategies, and find relevant, timely information. On the other hand, conducting continuous learning requires proactive and strategic planning, in which self-regulated learning (SRL) plays a role. Unfortunately, not all working professionals are aware of the strategies to develop SRL skills. In addition, using social media may be perceived as a learning distraction. A call for an in-depth exploration of intersecting instructional designers’ continuous professional learning, social media, and SRL emerges to address such challenges. This qualitative study is aimed to explore instructional designers’ SRL experiences conducting professional learning using social media. Three research questions guide this study: (1) How were instructional designers’ SRL experiences conducting professional learning in a social media environment? (2) How did instructional designers support their SRL by using social media? (3) What challenges did instructional designers experience when conducting professional learning using social media? These questions are addressed through a phenomenological study that employs semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis using multiple coding approaches. The findings suggest that an application of SRL seems to occur while instructional designers use social media for professional learning (e.g., through determining the sources of motivation, setting proximal goals and strategic plans, seeking help, trying the strategies offered by colleagues, an adaptation of strategies, and open-minded attitudes during self-reflection activities). Additionally, there appears to be a gradual development of SRL skills while instructional designers interact in social media environments. They also encounter challenges, but some challenges can potentially be overcome by applying SRL strategies. Discussion and implications inform (a) instructional designers who pursue continuous professional development, (b) educational programs and instructors who educate prospective instructional designers regarding ways to promote relevant skills by scaffolding SRL skills and considering social media-supported learning, and (c) employers and those with supervisory roles who support employee’s just-in-time learning

THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN GENRE-BASED APPROACH : A Case Study to Teach Argumentative Writing and Critical Thinking

This case study aims to investigate the use of social media in genre-based approach. Three data collection triangulation techniques were used in this study, i.e. the documentation of students’ argumentative writings, observation and interview. The data were the analyzed using the theory of Genre-Based Approach (GBA), Critical Thinking (CT), Argumentative Writing, and The Use of Social Media in Tertiary Education. In addition, to show the effect of social media in genre-based approach, the students’ writings were analyzed using Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). The results of the present study revealed two findings related to the research questions. First, when used appropriately in GBA, social media is proven to be helpful in developing the students’ argumentative writing and critical thinking. Social media exposes students to lots of information online and when immersed in GBA, it was confirmed that the students’ argumentative writing significantly improved. Second, the interview data uncovered that although familiar with the concepts of critical thinking, Indonesian students still believe themselves as uncritical thinkers. This is due to the social factor such as the authoritarian society which demands them to remain uncritical. Moreover, the interview data unfolded that students perceived social media as a helpful learning tool to build arguments in their writings. The findings above suggest that using social media in GBA to develop students’ argumentative writing and critical thinking by techno-literate teachers is worth trying to create more effective teaching and learning activities. Keywords: social media, genre-based approach, argumentative writing, critical thinking, systemic functional gramma

Informal learning of English through social media among higher education students in Finland

Abstract. Social networking and media have generated a large userbase in the last decade and continue to do so in an accelerating pace. This raises questions about the effects of social media on humans. This thesis addresses this topic in the context of English language learning (ELL) among Finnish university students. A small-scale online survey was conducted in a Finnish university to understand the personal experiences of university students regarding social media and ELL, compare the positive and negative effects reported, to examine whether learning through social media is mainly informal, and whether social media can be used as an effective tool in learning. The thesis applies mixed methods of analysis to address these questions, including quantitative analysis and qualitative content analysis. The results show that learning through social media is largely informal in nature, and social media has both positive and negative effects on learning, although the positive side outweighs the negative. It seems that social media affects the learning of English language skills positively, but that it also has an important role as an auxiliary learning tool to consolidate the already possessed skills and language proficiency. Among negative effects discussed, the disruptions to active learning and the detriments to grammar or spelling stood out. Most importantly, this thesis found that the skills of critical media literacy and thinking are in a vital role regarding ELL in social media, which is an unexpected result on the basis of previous research on the subject. These results suggest that the individuals who possess adept critical media literacy and thinking skills were seemingly more likely to learn more English through social media, whilst those who lacked the same level of skill were found to report less positive or even negative experiences.Tiivistelmä. Sosiaalinen media ja verkostoituminen ovat keränneet suuren käyttäjäkunnan viimeisen vuosikymmenen aikana kiihtyvällä tahdilla. Tämä puolestaan on korostanut kysymyksiä sosiaalisen median vaikutuksista ihmisiin. Tämä tutkielma keskittyy ongelmaan suomalaisten yliopisto-opiskelijoiden englannin kielen oppimisen näkökulmasta. Tutkielman aineisto kerättiin erässä suomalaisessa yliopistossa kyselytutkimuksen avulla. Tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää millaisia vaikutuksia sosiaalisella medialla on englannin kielen oppimiseen ja ovatko positiiviset ja negatiiviset vaikutukset keskenään verrattavissa. Tämän lisäksi tutkittiin onko oppiminen sosiaalisen median välityksellä pääasiallisesti epävirallista ja onko sosiaalinen media tehokas väline/alusta oppimiselle. Tutkielmassa sovellettiin monimenetelmällistä analyysia, jossa hyödynnettiin sekä määrällistä analyysiä että laadullista sisällönanalyysiä. Tulokset antavat ymmärtää, että sosiaalisella medialla on sekä positiivisia että negatiivisia vaikutuksia oppimiseen, ja positiiviset vaikutukset ovat suuremmassa roolissa. Sosiaalinen media edistää englannin kielen taitojen oppimista, mutta se auttaa myös jo opitun tiedon säilyttämisessä sekä kielitaitojen ylläpitämisessä. Negatiivisista vaikutuksista häiriöt kielioppiin tai oikeinkirjoitukseen, sekä häiriöt aktiiviseen oppimiseen nousivat esille. Tuloksista huomattavin oli se, että oppimiseen sosiaalisessa mediassa vaikuttaa suuressa määrin yksilön kriittiset medianluku- ja medianymmärrystaidot. Aikaisemmat aiheeseen liittyvät tutkimukset huomioon ottaen tämä oli odottamaton lopputulos. Tulokset osoittavat, että ne yksilöt, jotka omaavat hyvät medianluku- ja ymmärtämistaidot, todennäköisemmin oppivat enemmän sosiaalisen median avulla verrattuna niihin, joilla nämä taidot eivät ole samalla tasolla. Ne, joilla kyseiset taidot ovat matalammalla tasolla, raportoivat vähemmän positiivisia tai jopa negatiivisia kokemuksia englannin kielen oppimiseen ja sosiaaliseen mediaan liittyen

CSCL in social media:how learners demonstrate socially shared regulations of learning?

Abstract. This research has the purpose to identify how the international higher education students regulate their learning in group level in a CSCL course held in 2015 through Facebook group page. CSCL is one of the latest practices in distance education that supports knowledge co-construction. To achieve productive discussions in collaborative tasks, students must regulate their learning, having a script or guidelines that also stimulates learners to reflect and construct better outcomes (Kirschner & Erkens, 2013). No studies analyse the use of social media as the principal tool for collaborative learning activities and associates them to the SSRL method were found. The participants are 12 international higher education students, who were randomly divided into three different Facebook group pages, with the objective of responding to questions accordingly with the scripts provided. This research is an explanatory case study, in which results revealed that it is possible to demonstrate SSRL in social media, and suggest that SSRL strategies have heterogeneous effects on how learners constructed new knowledge and behaved on the social media in a CSCL course. Future educational researchers should design more effective scripts that are necessary for students to progress and accomplish tasks successfully that achieve new knowledge, predicting all aspects of deviation from the objectives of the task

LOST: A Mental Health Dataset of Low Self-esteem in Reddit Posts

Low self-esteem and interpersonal needs (i.e., thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB)) have a major impact on depression and suicide attempts. Individuals seek social connectedness on social media to boost and alleviate their loneliness. Social media platforms allow people to express their thoughts, experiences, beliefs, and emotions. Prior studies on mental health from social media have focused on symptoms, causes, and disorders. Whereas an initial screening of social media content for interpersonal risk factors and low self-esteem may raise early alerts and assign therapists to at-risk users of mental disturbance. Standardized scales measure self-esteem and interpersonal needs from questions created using psychological theories. In the current research, we introduce a psychology-grounded and expertly annotated dataset, LoST: Low Self esTeem, to study and detect low self-esteem on Reddit. Through an annotation approach involving checks on coherence, correctness, consistency, and reliability, we ensure gold-standard for supervised learning. We present results from different deep language models tested using two data augmentation techniques. Our findings suggest developing a class of language models that infuses psychological and clinical knowledge

The Usefulness of Social Media as a Means to Promote Healthful Beverage Choices Among Households Enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the potential usefulness of social media for the promotion of healthful beverage choices among households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that included one or more children between the ages of 6 and 12 years-old. This was accomplished through a mail survey of 587 SNAP parents/guardians from a Nevada county that had previously been included in a direct-mail campaign designed to reduce children’s intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. For the purpose of this thesis study, the survey instrument included questions to assess the use of social media, the relative use of specific social media sites, interest in obtaining specific content via social media, and perceived barriers regarding the use of social media. The survey also included questions about the direct-mail intervention that were not included in this thesis study. Several steps were taken to enhance the likelihood that the survey would be completed and returned. These steps included a personalized letter of invitation, a small incentive, inclusion of a pre-addressed postage-paid envelope, and a reminder postcard. Each household was a sent a second survey packet approximately two weeks following the first. The number of surveys returned was 58; representing a 10% response rate. A high proportion of survey respondents were female (89%), white (79%), and not Hispanic (77%). The mean age of the parent/guardian was 37.4 ± 8.7 years and the average number of children in the household was 2.6 ± 1.0. The survey results indicated that most respondents reportedly used social media (75.9%) and among those, 75% had been doing so for more than three years. The social media sites most frequently used (% daily) were Facebook (79.5%), YouTube (31.85) and Google+ (29.5%). Social media sites that were used the least frequently (% daily) included Twitter (2.3%), LinkedIn (0.0%), and Tumblr (0.0%). Over 50% of the survey respondents were interested in learning about ideas for healthy recipes, meals, and snacks, ways to save money when buying food/drinks; and strategies to help kids stay healthy. They were not as interested in learning about ways to identify health food and drink products at the grocery store (22.7%). Regarding barriers to using social media, a high proportion of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they had concerns about privacy protection (70.0%) and the trustworthiness of information (57.5%). A relatively low proportion (7.5%) reported limited access to social media because of their data plan. The results of this study highlight the high usage of social media by parents/guardians enrolled in SNAP as well as their high interest in learning about select nutrition topics. Although the findings have limited generalizability, it does suggest that social media may be a useful means to promote healthful beverage choices among SNAP households. Future research should be conducted among a larger more representative sample in order to generalize to all SNAP households in Nevada

Media literacy and COVID-19 communication: Work and home sphere differences

As a learning process wherein we ask questions to enhance knowledge, media literacy offers a powerful lens for examining how people practice communication across diverse applied contexts such as professional communicators shaping messages about COVID-19. Borrowing a page from Renee Hobbs’ (1998, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2021) media literacy education research, we sought to compare/contrast media content creators’ (journalism, advertising, public relations, marketing communication) information-seeking behaviors during the 2020-2022 COVID-19 pandemic for both their paid work and unpaid volunteer work, as well as for their own and family edification. Blending the media literacy lens with social construction theory (Berger & Luckmann, 1967), our survey findings collected at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 suggest that professional communicators (N=174) relied more frequently on media sources (64.9%) for COVID-19 information for work (paid and unpaid) and on people such as medical professionals (51.5%) as sources for COVID-19 information for their own personal and family use. Other findings detail professional communicators’ use of media literacy learning processes of accessing, analyzing, creating, reflecting, and taking action

Social media and teacher professional learning communities

peer-reviewed.Background: An extensive and international evidence base positions professional learning communities (PLCs) as an effective continued professional development (CPD) mechanism that can impact on teachers’ practices and, in turn, students’ learning. The landscape of teacher PLCs is continuously developing; notably through teachers’ uses of social media. Yet, there is limited robust evidence identifying the characteristics of social media PLCs that impact on teachers’ learning and practice. Purpose: This exploratory study examined the characteristics of a specific Twitter-based professional learning community – #pechat. The research questions were: (i) what is the nature of a Twitter-based professional learning community? and (ii) what characteristics of a Twitter-based professional learning community develop learning and practice? Methods: Data were generated from 901 tweets between 100 participants; and 18 in-depth semi-structured elicitation interviews with participants and moderators of the Twitter-based professional learning community. Data were analysed through a process of deliberation, and a relativist approach informed quality. Findings: Two themes are reported to explain the nature of the Twitter-based professional learning community and the different types of characteristics of #pechat that developed learning and practice. The first theme engagement shows how different participants of #pechat engaged with discussions and how moderators played a key role in facilitating discussions between participants. The second theme shared practices shows how discussions between participants of #pechat led to the development of new practices that some teachers were able to use to accomplish particular objectives in their physical education lessons. Conclusion: The analysis of the data provided evidence to suggest that #pechat is a PLC and is representative of an established group of practitioners. These characteristics should be considered in the design of future online professional development experiences. Facilitator or moderator training could support the development of social media based PLCs that subsequently and positively impact on teachers’ practices.ACCEPTEDpeer-reviewe

Denial attitude and behavior as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

Amid various reactions and public responses to the uncertain situation and changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, some groups and individuals worldwide expressed denial attitudes and behavior, including in Indonesia.  This paper aimed to explore denial attitude and behavior, particularly on social learning and observational learning theory. A qualitative survey method with open-ended questions was applied to gather data from 15 individuals who believed the COVID-19 pandemic was part of conspiracy theory and or does not exist. The results show a social learning process leads to the occurrence of attitudes and behaviors that deny the current existence of the COVID-19. Observational learning with a reference group strengthens individuals adapting and forming behavior similar to their reference group. Believing conspiracy theory and having negative perception and behavior towards medical workers are types and characteristics of attitude and behaviors in denying the COVID-19 pandemic. The denial attitude and behavior can ultimately be concluded as a psychosocial response that emerged due to social learning and individual factors, including insufficient access to reliable information and conspiracy theories that were received massively from social media and broadcast message groups. These findings suggest that more attention needs to be given to social and individual factors as causes of the COVID-19 pandemic denial

Twittering away - Is Twitter an appropriate adjunctive tool to enhance learning and engagement in higher education?

Twitter is a social media platform that has been used in teaching and learning. The aim was to explore students’ views of using Twitter as an adjunctive learning tool to provide access to contemporary information, to enhance learning and to generate wider discussion via Twitter backchannel communication. A 17-item Qualtrics questionnaire consisting of open and closed questions was devised specifically for the study. Qualitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data via thematic analysis. Participants were a convenience sample of 44 Level 4 Social Welfare Law students who were invited to engage online with the academic and professional community via Twitter. Eleven (25%) students responded to the questionnaire. Four key themes emerged from the qualitative data: Enhancing knowledge; Building academic and professional networks; Time for twitter and the Need for Twitter training. Despite the limitations, the results suggest that if supported by institutional digital scaffolding and training, twitter may be a useful adjunct to traditional physical learning spaces. Further research is r however required to explore the future pedagogic potential of Twitter.N/