Investigating ‘WhatsApp’ for Collaborative Learning among Undergraduates

Yıl 2020, Sayı: 5, 24 - 50, 06.04.2020

Silas Udenze Barth Oshıonebo

https://doi.org/10.32739/etkilesim.2020.5.92

Öz

The adoption of new media technologies is rapidly becoming a trend in educational environment. Given the growing popularity of social media, it has become
pertinent to understand and adopt social media networks in developing future educational blue prints. This study investigates the extent to which WhatsApp
platform could engender collaborative learning among undergraduate students in the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, Nigeria. To achieve this aim, a dual research methodology was employed to drive the study. Both survey and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were employed respectively. Surveying 400 undergraduates, data from the survey were analysed using Simple Percentage Table (SPT) and Microsoft Office tools, while data that emanated from the focus group were analysed thematically. The study incorporated ‘Technology Acceptance Model’ (TAM) to direct and guide it. Discoveries from the study found that “perceived usefulness” and “perceived ease of use” engender the use of WhatsApp among students. Also, it was discovered that students incorporated and domesticated class WhatsApp group for various purposes, particularly for learning. Overall, the study found that class WhatsApp group engenders collaborative learning to a large extent. However, it was discovered that the major challenge in class WhatsApp groups is the posting of irrelevant contents on the platforms. The study concluded that it is paramount to fully harness the potentials of WhatsApp in order to enhance learning in higher institutions.

Anahtar Kelimeler

social media, WhatsApp, undergraduate, collaborative learning

Kaynakça

• Abdulla, J. M. D. (2017). “The Impact of Using Social Media and Internet on Academic Performance: Case Study Bahrain Universities”. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Scalable Information Systems. 4(13). 1-12. doi: 10.4108/eai.28-6-2017.152748.
• Ahad, A. D. and Lim, S. (2014). “Convenience or Nuisance? The “WhatsApp” Dilemma”. The International Conference on Communication and Media. http://www.repo.uum.edu.my.
• Alenazi, A. A. (2018). “WhatsApp Messenger as a Learning Tool: An Investigation of Pre-service Teachers’ Learning without Instructor Presence”. Journal of Education and Training Studies. 6(1). 1-8. doi:10.11114/jets.v6i1.2684.
• Alexander, B. (2004). “Going Nomadic: Mobile Learning in Higher Education”. Educause Review. 39(5). 28-35.
• Alghamdi, E. A., Rajab, H., Rashid, S. S. (2016). “Unmonitored Students Self-created WhatsApp Groups in Distance Learning Environments: A Collaborative Learning Tool or Cheating Technique”. International Journal of Research Studies in Educational Technology. 5(2). 71-82.
• Alsaleem, B. I. A. (2014). “The Effect of Whatsapp Electronic Dialogue Journaling on Improving Writing Vocabulary Word Choice and Voice of EFL Undergraduate Saudi Students”. Arab World English Journal. 4(3). 213-225. www.awej.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id330:basma-issa-ahmad-alsaleem&catid=42&ltemid133.
• Amry, A. B. (2014). “The Impact of Whatsapp Mobile Social Learning on the Achievement and Attitudes of Female Students Compared with Face-ToFace Learning in the Classroom”. European Scientific Journal. 1(22). 116-136 . www.eujournal.org/index.php/esj.
• Andújar-Vaca, A., Cruz-Martínez, Maria, S. (2017). “Mobile Instant Messaging: Whatsapp and Its Potential to Develop Oral Skills”. Media Education Research Journal. 25(50). 43-52. https://doi.org/10.3916/C50-2017-04.
• Ansary, M. S. and Behera, S. K. (2018). “A Review of Related Literature on Mobile Learning”. International Journal of Engineering Trends and Applications (IJETA). 5(1). 1-13. ISSN: 2393-9516.
• Arthur-Nyarko, E. (2017). “Effect of the Use of Instant Messaging Applications on Writing of English as a Second Language in Higher Education”. European Journal of Education Studies. 3(11). 861-880. Doi:10.5281/zenodo.1148814.
• Asika, N. (2006). Research Methodology in the Behavioural Science. Lagos: Longman Publishers.
• Ayotunde, A. (2012). “Changing Technology and the Nigerian Mass Media”. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review. 2(3). 94- 101.
• Bansal, T. and Joshi, D. (2014). “A Study of Students Experiences of Mobile Learning”. Global Journal of Human Social Science Research. 14(4). 27-33. http://socialscienceresearch.org/index.php/GJHSS/article/view/126.
• Barhoumi, C. (2015). “The Effectiveness of WhatsApp Mobile Learning Activities Guided by Activity Theory on Students’ Knowledge Management”. Contemporary Educational Technology. http://www.cedtech.net/search.asp.
• Bouhnik, D. and Deshen, M. (2014). “WhatsApp Goes to School: Mobile Instant Messaging between Teachers and Students”. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research. 13. 217-231. http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol13/JITEv13ResearchP217-231Bouhnik0601.pdf.
• Boyd, D. M. and Ellison, N. B. (2007). “Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship”. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 13(1). 210-230. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x/abstract.
• Boyinbode, O. K., Agbonifo, O. C., Ogundare, A. (2017). “Supporting Mobile Learning with WhatsApp Based on Media Richness”. Circulation in Computer Science. 2(3). 37-46. https://doi.org/10.22632/ccs-2017-251-89.
• Brown, S. (2012). “Seeing Web 2.0 in Context: A Study of Academic Perceptions”. The Internet and Higher Education. 15(1). 50-57.
• Cankaya, S. and Yunkul, E. (2018). “Learner Views about Cooperative Learning in Social Learning Networks”. International Education Studies. 11(1). 52-63.
• Chu H. H. and Toh, L. L. (2014). “Interactive Character Learning Model (Iclm)-Chinese Character Learning Using Whatsapp for Malay L3 Learners”. US-China Education Review A. 4(11). 777-786. http://www.davidpublishing.com.
• Church, K. and de Oliveira, R. (2013). “What’s up with Whatsapp? Comparing Mobile Messaging Behaviour with Traditional Sms”. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Human-computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services. Munich, Germany. 352-361.
• Chuttur, M. Y. (2009). “Overview of the Technology Acceptance Model: Origins, Developments and Future Directions”. Working Papers on Information Systems. 9(37). 9-37. https://www.academia.edu/11030173/TAMReview.
• Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed-Methods Approaches. https://www.researchgate.net/file.PostFileLoader.html. Davis, F. D, Bagozzi, R. P., Warshaw, P. R. (1989). “User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models”. Journal of Management Science. 35(8). 982-1003.
• Dillenbourg, P. (1999). “Introduction: What Do You Mean by Collaborative Learning?”. P. Dillenbourg (ed.) Collaborative Learning: Cognitive and Computational Approaches. (1-19). Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science.
• Downes, S. (September 10, 2008). Connectivism and Its Critics: What Connectivism is Not. www.downes.ca/post/53657.
• Duke, B., Harper, G., Johnston, M. (2013). “Connectivism as A Digital Age Learning Theory”. The International HETL Review-Special Issue. https://www.hetl. org. Durodolu, O. O. (2016). “Technology Acceptance Model as a Predictor of Using Information System to Acquire Information Literacy”. Library Philosophy and Practice. 1450. digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4029&context=libphilprac.
• El-Hussein, M. O. M. and Cronje, J. C. (2010). “Defining Mobile Learning in the Higher Education Landscape”. Educational Technology & Society. 13(3). 12-21.
• Ellanti P., Moriarty A., Coughlan F. (2017). “The Use of WhatsApp Smartphone Messaging Improves Communication Efficiency Within an Orthopaedic Surgery Team”. Cureus. 9(2). doi: 10.7759/cureus.1040.
• Ellison, N. B. and Boyd, D. M. (2013). “Sociality through Social Network Sites”. W.H.Dutton (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies. (151-172). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Enriquez, T. J, Kuiatese, A., Mullen, M., Newton, A., Whelchel, E. (2014). Domestication Theory. https://prezi.com/gzrkyjnm7qg9/domestication-theory/. Faud, N., Madar, A. R., Marwan, M. E. (2013). “An Overview of Mobile Application for Student of Kolej Poly-Tech Mara (Kptm) By Using Mobile Phone”. www. aessweb.com/pdf-files/jasr-3(6)-527-537.pdf.
• Gachago, D., Strydom, S., Hanekom, P., Simons, S., Walters, S. (2015). “Crossing Boundaries: Lecturer’s Perspective on the Use of Whatsapp to Support Teaching and Learning in Higher Education”. Progressio. 37(1). 172-187. https://www.researchgate.net/.../290339914_Crossing_boundaries_lecturers’_perspective.
• Gasaymeh, A. M. (2017). “University Students’ Use of Whatsapp and Their Perceptions Regarding Its Possible Integration into Their Education”. Global Journals Inc. (USA). 17(1). Gimranova, S., Nurmanova, M., Cohenmiller, A. S. (2018). “Texting to Motivate Language Learning: Whatsapp Group Chats and Near Peer Role Modeling (NPRM)”. LEARNing Landscapes. 11(1). 121-135. http://www.learninglandscapes.ca/index.php/learnland/article/view/927.
• Glasow, P. A. (2005). Fundamentals of Survey Research Methodology. https://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/pdf/05_0638.pdf.
• Hamad, M. M. (2017). “Using WhatsApp to Enhance Students’ Learning of English Language Experience to Share”. Canadian Center of Science and Education. 7(4). doi:10.5539/hes.v7n4p74
• Helen, B. (2002). An Introduction to Online Communities. www.providersedge.com/docs/km.../an_introduction_to_online_communities.pdf.
• Huang, Y.-M., Huang, T.-C., Hsieh, M.-Y. (2008). “Using Annotation Services In A Ubiquitous Jigsaw Cooperative Learning”. Educational Technology & Society. 11(2). 3-15. Hyne, D. and Richardson, H. (2009). “What Use Is Domestication Theory to Information Systems Research?”. Handbook of Research on Contemporary Theoretical Models in Information Systems. (482-494). IGI Global. http://biblio.uabcs.mx/html/libros/pdf/11/27.pdf.
• Hynes, D. (2007). “Applying Domestication: How The Internet Found Its Place in The Home”. Information Resource Management Association Proceedings.Vancouver BC, Canada.
• Jisha, K. and Jebakumar. (2014). “Whatsapp: A Trend Setter in Mobile Communication Among Chennai Youth”. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 19(9). 01-06. www.iosrjournals.org.
• Johansson, V. (2005). “Social Media in Collaborative Learning-Literature Review”. https://www.researchgate.net/.../295672849_Social_media_in_Collaborative_learning_-... Junco, R., Heiberger, G., Loken, E. (2011). “The Effect of Twitter On College Student Engagement and Grades”. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 27(2). 119–132.
• Kaplan, A. M. and Haenlein, M. (2010). “Users of The World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media”. Business Horizons. 53(1). 59-68.
• Khalaf, K. M. B. (2017). “The Effect of E-Mail and Whatsapp on Jordanianefl Students’ Reading Skill”. Arab World English Journal. 8(2). 228-237. doi: https:// dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no2.16.
• Kim, H., Lee, M., Kim, M. (2014). “Effects of Mobile Instant Messaging on Collaborative Learning Processes and Outcomes: The Case of South Korea”. Educational Technology & Society. 17(2). 31-42.
• Kopung, J. K. (2016). Exploring The Use of Whatsapp Instant Messaging as A Platform for Pre-Service Teachers’ Learning of Mathematics: A Mixed Methods Approach. (Unpublished Master Thesis). South Africa: University of KwaZulu-Natal. researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/bitstream/handle/.../Kopung_Kabelo_Joseph_2016.pdf?...
• Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Delhi:New Age International Publishers.
• Kudzayi, S. T. and Ronald, M. (2017). “Social Media Tools in Education: A Case of WhatsApp Use by Heritage Studies Teachers in Zimbabwe”. Greener Journal of Social Sciences. 7(4). 34-40. doi: http://doi.org/10.15580/GJSS.2017.4.082217108.
• Kurundawade, S. M. and Kavale, S. M. (2018). “IIEECP Intervention in Teaching-Learning Process: An Experience”. Journal of Engineering Education Transformations. 31(3). 192-199.
• Ling, H. Y. (2016). Investigating the Perception of Secondary School Students in Kuching, Sarawak in Using WhatsApp for Communication and Learning Purposes. (Unpublished Master Thesis). Malaysia: Wawasan Open University. woulibrary.wou.edu.my/theses-project/MED2016_YLHSU.pdf. Longman Active Study Dictionary 5th Edition. (2010). Harlow, United Kingdom:Pearson Education Limited.
• Maria, J. (2016). “Use of Whatsapp to Enhance Reading and Writing Skills at Undergraduate College Level”. Language in India. 16(11).47-60.
• Mefolere, K. F. (2016). “WhatsApp and Information Sharing: Prospect and Challenges”. International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research.4(1). 615-625.
• Minalla, A. A. (2018). “The Effect of WhatsApp Chat Group in Enhancing EFL Learners’ Verbal Interaction Outside Classroom Contexts”. English Language Teaching. 11(3). 1-7. doi: 10.5539/elt.v11n3p1.
• Minhas, S., Ahmed, M., Ullah, Q. (2016). “Usage of Whatsapp: A Study of University of Peshawar, Pakistan”. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention. 5(7). 71-73.
• Minocha, S. (2009). “A Case Study Based Investigation of Students’ Experiences with Social Software Tools”. New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia.15. 245-265.
• Mistar, I. B. and Embi, M. A. (2016). “Students’ Perception On the Use of Whatsapp as A Learning Tool in ESL Classroom”. Journal of Education and Social Sciences. 4. 96-104. jesoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Edu-76.pdfch.
• Module 4 - Theories to Help You: Technology Determinism. (n.d). http://ocw.library.nenu.edu.cn/pluginfile.php/17592/mod_resource/content/1/module04.pdf.
• Monteiro, M. S. and Morrison, K. (n.d). Collaborative, Online and Blended Learning in Undergraduate Teaching and Learning; Symbiosis or Marriage of Convenience.chtl.hkbu.edu.hk/documents/elfa2013/Session2E-S3-forweb.pdf.
• Motiwalla, L. (2007). “Mobile Learning: A Framework and Evaluation”. Journal of Computer and Education. 49. 581-596.
• National Youth Policy. (2001). http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/tc_nigeria_nyp_2001.pdf.
• Njoku, U. and Prince, C. (2015). “Information and Communication Technologies to Raise Quality of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Institutions”. International Journal of Education & Development using Information & Communication Technology. 11(1).122-147. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.ub.gu.se/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4ba9d8a-cc99-468a-a50c-fb9125d3d731%40sessionmgr4002&vid=15&hid=4109.
• Novak, E., Razzouk, R., Johnson, T. (2012). “The Educational Use of Social Annotation Tools in Higher Education: A Literature Review”. The Internet and Higher Education. 15(1). 39-49.
• Nyiri, K. (2002). “Towards A Philosophy of M-Learning”. Proceedings of the IEEE International Workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education. Vaxjo, Sweden.
• Plana, M. G. C., Escofet, M. I. G, Figueras I. T., Gimeno, A., Appel, C., Hopkins, J.(2013). “Improving Learners’ Reading Skills Through Instant Short Messages: A Sample Study Using WhatsApp”. Worldcall 2013-CALL: Sustainability and Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Conference Proceedings. (80-84). Northern Ireland: University of Ulster. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/255718202.
• Pollizi, G. (2011). “Measuring School Principals’ Support for Ict Integration In Palermo, Italy”. Journal of Media Literacy Education. 3(2). 113-122. http://www. jmle.org. 6 March 2012.
• Raiman, L., Antbring, S., Mahmood, S. (2017). “Whatsapp Messenger as a Tool to Supplement Medical Education for Medical Students on Clinical Attachment”. BMC Medical Education. 17(7). doi:10.1186/s12909-017-0855-x.
• Rajiv, R., Amit, J., Anil, S.B. (2017). “Whatsapp-Assisted Learning of Anatomy as an Adjuvant to Traditional Class-Room Learning: Achievements and Prospect”. International Journal of Anatomy and Research. 5(1). 3659-3664. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijar.2017.133.
• Rambe, P. and Chipunza, C. (2013). “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. (331-335). https://www. researchgate.net/publication/2666452_Using_mobile_devices_to_leveragestudent_access_to_collaborativelygenerated_resources_a_case_of_ Whatsapp_instant messaging_at_a_South_African_University.
• Riyanto, A. (2013). English Language Learning Using Whatsapp Application. http://akhmadriyantoblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/english-language-learning-using-whatsapp-application/.
• Rovai, A. P. (2002). “Building Sense of Community at a Distance”. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 3(1). www.irrodl.org/index. php/irrodl/article/view/79/153. Sajithra, K. and Patil, R. (2013). “Social Media-History and Components”. IOSR Journal of Business and Management. 7(1). 69-74. www.iosrjournals.org/iosrjbm/papers/Vol7-issue1/I0716974.pdf?id=5311.
• Sarwar, B., Zulfiqar, S., Aziz, S., Chandia, K. E. (2018). “Usage of Social Media Tools for Collaborative Learning: The Effect on Learning Success with the Moderating Role of Cyberbullying”. Journal of Educational Computing Research. 1-34. doi: 10.1177/0735633117748415.
• Sawyer, R. (2011). “The Impact of New Social Media on Intercultural Adaptation”. Senior Honors Projects. 242. http://www.digitalcommons.uri.edu/srhonorsprog/242.
• Silverstone, R., Hirsch, E., Morley, D. (1992). “Information and Communication Technologies and The Moral Economy of the Household”. R. Silverstone and E. Hirsch (eds.) Consuming Technologies Media and Information in Domestic Spaces. London and New York: Routledge. Social Research Update 19: Focus Groups. (1997). http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU19.html.
• Statista. (2017). Most Popular Mobile Messaging Apps Worldwide as of January 2017, Based On Number of Monthly Active Users (In Millions). https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/.
• “Technology Determinism”. (n.d). Wikipedia. https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2016/VIKBB55/um/07_technological_determinism.pdf.
• “Technology Determinism by Marshall McLuhan”. (n.d). http://www.doctordi.ca/COMS201/TechDeterminism.html.
• Teo, T. (2013). “A Comparison of Non-Nested Models in Explaining Teachers’ Intention to Use Technology”. British Journal of Educational Technology. 44(3). 81-84. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01350.x
• Ting, Y. R. (2005). “Mobile Learning: Current Trend and Future Challenges”. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
• Traxler, J. (2007). “Defining, Discussing and Evaluating Mobile Learning: The Moving Finger Writes and Having Writ...”. The International Review in Open and Distance Learning. 8. 1-13.
• Trinder, J. (2005). “Mobile Technologies and Systems”. A. and Kuklska-Hulme (eds.) Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Educators and Trainers. USA: Taylor & Francis.
• Unicef. (n.d). Online Communities: Connecting Online to Improve a Shared Practice and to Spark Innovation. https://www.unicef.org/knowledge-exchange/.../ Online_Communities_production.pdf.
• United Nations. (n.d). “Definition of Youth”. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/youth/fact-sheets/youth-definition.pdf.
• Vallor, S. (2010). “Social Networking Technology and the Virtues”. Ethics and Information Technology. 12(2). 157-170.
• Walker, K. (2007). “Introduction: Mapping the Landscape of Mobile Learning”. M.Sharples (ed.) Big Issue in Mobile Learning: A Report of a New Workshop by the Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence Mobile Learning Initiative. (5-6). University of Nottingham, UK: Learning Science and Research Institution. WhatsApp. (n.d). Whatsapp FAQ-Using Whatsapp Group Chat. https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/general/21073373.
• Willemse, J. (2015). “Undergraduate Nurses Reflections on Whatsapp Use in Improving Primary Health Care Education”. Curationis. 8(2). http://dx.doi. org/10.4102/curationis.v38i2.1512.
• Wimmer, R. D. and Dominick, J. R. (2011). Mass Media Research: An Introduction Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
• Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An Introductory Analysis. New York: Harper and Row.
• Yeboah, J. and Ewur, G. D. (2014). “The Impact of Whatsapp Messenger Usage on Students Performance in Tertiary Institutions in Ghana”. Journal of Education and Practice. 5(6). 157-164. www.iiste.org/journals/index.php/JEP/article/view/11241.
• Yin, L. C. (2016). Adoption of Whatsapp Instant Messaging Among Students in Ipoh Higher Education Institution. (Unpublished Master Thesis). Malaysia: Wawasan Open University. woulibrary.wou.edu.my/theses-project/MED2016_CYLEE.pdf.
• Zhu, D., Linb, C. T., Hsu, Y. (2012). “Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Evaluate User Attitude and Intention of Use for Online Games”. Total Quality Management. 23(8). 965-980