Using WhatsApp in Teaching Chemistry and Biology to Tenth Graders

Yıl 2020, , 55 - 76, 01.03.2020

Marwan Abualrob Safa Nazzal

https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.641772

Öz

The aim of the study is to assess the extent to which WhatsApp Instant Messaging is used to teach chemistry and biology to the tenth-grade students. A mixed approach was used, whereby the authors drew on the content analysis model to analyze quantitative data. The sample consisted of 28 Palestinian tenth-grade students and their teachers, who used WhatsApp Instant Messaging for four months (the Spring semester of 2019). The collected data was divided into four categories: the nature of the message (instructional, organizational, or social); the form of the message (texts, pictures/graphs, voice recordings, videos, or link-sharing); the direction of communication flow (from a teacher to a student, from a student to a teacher, from a student to a student, or from a teacher to a teacher); and knowledge exchange. Our findings suggest that WhatsApp is used more for non-instructional purposes– particularly socialization– yet the portion of instruction-related messages was somehow enough to predict more effective future use of the application for teaching/learning purposes.

Anahtar Kelimeler

WhatsApp, instant messaging, tenth grade, teaching/learning chemistry and biology

Kaynakça

• Abualrob, M., & Daniel, E. (2011). The Delphi Technique in Identifying Learning Objectives for the Development of Science, Technology and Society Modules for Palestinian Ninth Grade Science Curriculum. International Journal of Science Education, 35(15), 2538-2558. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.610381
• Asterhan, C. S., & Rosenberg, H. (2015). The promise, reality and dilemmas of secondary school teacher-student interactions on Facebook: The teacher perspective. Computers & Education, 85, 134-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.02.003
• Boyd, D., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x
• Constine, J. (2018, January 31). WhatsApp hits 1.5 billion monthly users. $19B? Not so bad. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/31/whatsapp-hits-1-5-billion-monthly-users-19b-not-so-bad/
• Fewkes, A. M., & McCabe, M. (2012). Facebook: Learning tool or distraction? Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28(3), 92 98. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2012.10784686
• Friedman, L.W., & Friedman, H. H. (2013). Using social media technologies to enhance online learning. Journal of Educators Online, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2013.1.5
• iPoke. (2019, January 15). Social Palestine. Retrieved from http://social.ipoke.co/?fbclid=IwAR12SffWAd0Y1Wn5AaVLYPBA5_p4iwNIOoxSm_ARGXbbfsyXoYQ2i6NWohw
• Plana, M. G- C., Escofet, M. I. G., Figueras, I. T., Gimeno, A., Appel, C., & Hopkins, J. (2013, July). Improving learners’ reading skills through instant short messages: A sample study using WhatsApp. 4th World-CALL Conference, Glasgow. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255718202_Improving_learners’_reading_skills_through_instant_short_messages_a_sample_study_using_WhatsApp
• Rambe, P., & Crispen C. (2013, August 23). Using mobile devices to leverage student access to collaboratively-generated resources: A case of WhatsApp instant messaging at a South African university. International Conference on Advanced Information and Technology for Education. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266645202_Using_mobile_devices_to_leverage_student_access_to_collaboratively_generated_resources_A_case_of_WhatsApp_instant_messaging_at_a_South_African_University
• Robert, L. & Dennis, A. (2005). Paradox of richness: A cognitive model of media choice. IEEE Transactions of Professional Communication, 48(1), 10-21. http://doi.org/10.1109/TPC.2004.843292
• Schwarz, B., & Caduri, G. (2016). Novelties in the use of social networks by leading teachers in their classes. Computers & Education, 102, 35-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.07.002
• Siemens, G. (2004, December 10). Constructivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01.htm
• Smit, I. (2011, November 12). WhatsApp with BlackBerry; Can messengers (BBM) be MXit? Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a126/55aae1de674c2147b2f5844450dc9a661c2a.pdf
• Smith, E. E. (2016). A real double-edged sword: Undergraduate perceptions of social media in their learning. Computers & Education, 103, 44-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.09.009
• Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press.