Điều tra về nhận thức và việc ứng dụng phần mền xã hội để tự học tiếng anh ở ngoài lớp học của sinh viên năm thứ 3 chuyên ngành tiếng anh tại trường đại học ngoại ngữ đại học huế

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
------------

NGO THI QUYNH PHUONG

AN INVESTIGATION INTO PERCEPTIONS
AND USE OF SOCIAL SOFTWARE
TO SELF-STUDY ENGLISH OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
BY THIRD YEAR EFL STUDENTS AT HUE UNIVERSITY,
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY
OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts,
Hue University of Foreign Languages

HUE, 2015


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
------------

NGO THI QUYNH PHUONG

AN INVESTIGATION INTO PERCEPTIONS
AND USE OF SOCIAL SOFTWARE
TO SELF-STUDY ENGLISH OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
BY THIRD YEAR EFL STUDENTS AT HUE UNIVERSITY,

COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY
OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
CODE: 60.14.01.11

SUPERVISOR: ASSOC. PROF. DR. LE PHAM HOAI HUONG

HUE, 2015

i


BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
--------

NGÔ THỊ QUỲNH PHƯƠNG

ĐIỀU TRA VỀ SỰ NHẬN THỨC
VÀ VIỆC ỨNG DỤNG PHẦN MỀM XÃ HỘI
ĐỂ TỰ HỌC TIẾNG ANH Ở NGOÀI LỚP HỌC
CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ BA CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH
TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP
DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH
MÃ SỐ: 60.14.01.11

NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC:
PGS. TS. LÊ PHẠM HOÀI HƯƠNG

HUẾ, 2015

ii


STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any
university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material
previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made
in the thesis itself.

Date: 20/ 6/ 2015
Signature

Ngo Thi Quynh Phuong

iii


ABSTRACT

Social software is now more and more popular to EFL learners. It is an
effective tool for language learners to improve their English. This study investigated
perceptions and use of social software to self-study English outside the classroom by
third year ELF students at Hue University, College of Foreign Languages. To collect
the data, the questionnaire, interview and diary were used. 100 students responded

the questionnaires, 10 students out of the 100 group were invited for the interviews
and 10 other students were requested to keep ten-day diaries. The findings revealed
that the students were highly aware of the necessity of using social software to selfstudy English outside the classroom. Most of them agreed that social software is an
effective learning tool to support English learning. The research also investigated how
the students used social software tools to self-study English and some problems and
difficulties that they encountered when using social software to self-study English.
On the basis of the findings, some suggestions for learners and teachers as well as
educational administrators were recommended in order to use social software in selfstudying English outside the classroom more effectively.

iv


ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my
supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Pham Hoai Huong for her whole-hearted guidance,
valuable comments and sincere encouragement she has given to me throughout the
entire development of the study. Without her experienced instructions and critical
comments, my research would be far from being completed.
I would like to express my thanks to my lovely good friend, Doan Ngoc Ai
Phuong, for her available help in piloting the questionnaires and collecting the needed
data.
Special words of thanks also go to all the informants who spent time
responding to the questionnaires, interviews and diaries which contributed as an
essential part to the success of the research.
In addition, many thanks go to my close friends, my classmates in the Master
of Arts class and my colleagues at Bui Thi Xuan High School for their available help
and warm support during the time I conducted the study.
Finally, my deepest gratitude and appreciation go to my family members.
Their love, support and constant encouragement gave me a great deal of strength and

determination that helped me during the stressful time of writing this thesis.

v


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages
SUB COVER PAGE .............................................................................................. i
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ....................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................ ix
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ...................................................................... x
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1
1.1 Rationale .......................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Research aims................................................................................................... 4
1.3 Research questions ........................................................................................... 4
1.4 Significance of the study .................................................................................. 4
1.5 Scope of the study ............................................................................................ 4
1.6 Organization of the study ................................................................................. 5
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................ 6
2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Theoretical background .................................................................................... 6
2.2.1 Terms related to social software ............................................................. 6
2.2.1.1 What is Web 2.0? .......................................................................... 6
2.2.1.2 What is social software? ............................................................... 7
2.2.1.2.1 Definitions of social software.............................................. 7
2.2.1.2.2 Types of social software ...................................................... 8

2.2.1.2.3 How to use social software .................................................. 10
2.2.1.2.4 Advantages and disadvantages of social software
in education ........................................................................................ 11
vi


2.2.1.2.4.1 Advantages of social software in education .............. 11
2.2.1.2.4.2 Disadvantages of social software in education .......... 12
2.2.2 What is self-study? ................................................................................. 14
2.2.3 Social software as a learning tool to self-study English
outside the classroom....................................................................................... 14
2.3 Review of previous studies ............................................................................. 16
2.3.1 Review of studies worldwide ................................................................. 16
2.3.2 Review of studies in Vietnam................................................................. 18
2.3.3 Gaps in the literature............................................................................... 20
2.4 Chapter summary ............................................................................................. 20
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................ 21
3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 21
3.2 Research approach........................................................................................... 21
3.3 Participants ...................................................................................................... 21
3.4 Data collection instruments ............................................................................. 22
3.4.1 Questionnaire .......................................................................................... 22
3.4.2 Interview ................................................................................................. 23
3.4.3 Diary ....................................................................................................... 24
3.5 Procedures ....................................................................................................... 24
3.5.1 The pilot study ....................................................................................... 24
3.5.2 The main study ....................................................................................... 24
3.6 Data analysis .................................................................................................. 25
3.7 Chapter summary ............................................................................................ 26
CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................. 27

4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 27
4.2 Third year EFL students’ perceptions of using social software to self-study
English outside the classroom ................................................................................ 27
vii


4.3 How third year EFL students use social software to self-study English
outside the classroom ............................................................................................. 32
4.4 Problems and difficulties of using social software to self-study English ........ 44
4.5 Chapter summary ............................................................................................. 51
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES ........................................ 52
5.1 Summary of the findings ................................................................................. 52
5.2 Implications ...................................................................................................... 53
5.2.1 For students............................................................................................. 54
5.2.2 For teachers............................................................................................. 54
5.2.3 For educational administrators ............................................................... 55
5.3 Contribution of the study ................................................................................. 55
5.4 Limitations of the study ................................................................................... 56
5.5 Suggestions for further research....................................................................... 56
5.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 57
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 58
APPENDICES ...................................................................................................... 66

viii


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL

: English as a Foreign Language

HUCFL

: Hue University, College of Foreign Languages

ix


LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Pages
List of figures
Figure 4.1: Students’ perceptions of the necessity of using social software
to self-study English outside the classroom ........................................ 28
Figure 4.2: Students’ perceptions of the usefulness of using social software
to self-study English ............................................................................ 29
Figure 4.3: Social software as an effective learning tool to support English
learning ................................................................................................ 31
Figure 4.4: Frequency of using social software to self-study English per week ... 33
Figure 4.5: The convenience of social software tools ............................................ 34
Figure 4.6: Where to use social software to self-study English ............................. 35
Figure 4.7: Who to connect when using social software to self-study English ..... 43
Figure 4.8: Who to seek help when using social software to self-study English ... 44
Figure 4.9: Disadvantages of learning English from social software .................... 45
Figure 4.10: Problems with Internet connection .................................................... 46
Figure 4.11: Unreliable contents and authorship copyrights ................................. 47
Figure 4.12: Difficulties with finding a suitable device ......................................... 48
Figure 4.13: Difficulties with the cost of accessing social software ...................... 49
Figure 4.14: Lack of teachers’ instruction.............................................................. 50

List of tables
Table 4.1: Students’ perceptions of using social software to self-study English... 29
Table 4.2: Time to self-study English on social software ...................................... 34
Table 4.3: Devices students use to access social software ..................................... 36
x


Table 4.4: Students’ favourite social software tools for self-studying English ..... 37
Table 4.5: What students learn when self-studying English on social software .... 38
Table 4.6: Students’ interest activities when self-studying English
on social software .................................................................................. 40

xi


CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale
Nowadays, information technology has played an important role in our life. It
has an influence on many fields of our society from businesses, companies to
organizations. One of the areas getting a large number of benefits from the
development of information technology is education. Teaching and learning in
general and teaching and learning English in particular are more and more convenient
and effective with the support of information technology. In this context, applying
information technology and technology in teaching and learning English is highly
encouraged. As Chapelle (2001, p. 1) stated:
As we enter the 21st century, everyday language use is so tied to technology
that learning language through technology has become a fact of life with
important implications for all applied linguists, particularly for those

concerned with facets of second language acquisition.
In fact, advances in information technology have dramatically altered the way
students are engaged in learning activities and processes. As mentioned by Yaşar and
Karadeniz (2011, p. 1), “Since learning is a lifelong process, all language learners
tend to learn consciously or unconsciously at anywhere and anytime”. Especially in
the era of connection and collaboration, with the advancement of social software, a
new way of learning English has been created in a way that language learners have
more chances to self-study English beyond the classroom. Basically, it can happen
by opening a social networking site, by asking a question to a friend online, by writing
a blog to share knowledge, by watching video tutorials to learn how to pronounce an
English word and by joining online multimedia sharing sites to get information about
a specific field. Although social software tools are not created for educational
purposes, Dalsggaard (2005) argued that they can be used to support learning. Indeed,
1


social software has relatively affected the use of technology in education in the last
decade (Yaşar & Karadeniz, 2011). In the world, the rapid growth of research on
technologies related to social software has aroused an interest in the area of education,
particularly in the area of student’s educational use (Minocha, 2009; Hurn, 2012;
Hooper, 2014). Giving his statement on the future of this issue, Bryant (2007, p. 9)
asserted, “The adoption of social software tools, techniques and ideas will be the most
important and visible example of the use of emerging technology in education over
the next few years.”
In Vietnam, with the modern technology, using social software in the daily life
of Vietnamese people is not new when a lot of surveys are clear indications of this
development. According to the latest statistics reported by a survey of Kemp (2012)
on wearesocial.net website, in 2012 there were 140 mobile phones for every 100
Vietnamese, 75% of Vietnamese households had a desktop computer, and
particularly 86% of Vietnamese internet users visited social software programs.

Another survey of 3.300 Vietnamese people in Vietnam NetCitizens Report (2011)
of CimigoLive survey company showed that 36% of Internet users were members of
social networking sites and 20% kept their own blogs. More importantly, social
networking sites, forums and blogs are mainly used by young age group from 15 to
24 years old, which is the age to go to school and university. Hence, the numbers
above reflect the needs of using social software of young people in general and
students in particular in Vietnam.
Social software is on the rise and Vietnamese students are taking to it. As what
Dang, Nicholas and Lewis (2013) stated, in this digital era when technological
devices such as computers, laptops, phones and tablet computers have become
available to everyone, integration innovative technology into learning and teaching
English is dramatically applied at all levels in Vietnam. Together with it, applying
social software for educational purpose is getting more important in the context of
Vietnamese universities. Thanks to the development of technology, social software

2


is offering EFL learners a chance to learn English not only inside the class but also
outside the classroom.
To the case of the third-year English major students at Hue University, College
of Foreign Languages (HUCFL), recently they have had to face many challenges in
English learning process. Firstly, since Hue University College of Foreign Languages
has moved its training mode to a credit-based training system, the roles of teachers
and students in class have changed when teachers are only instructors and students
themselves have to find their own way to accumulate knowledge successfully.
Secondly, as shown in the curriculum of the third year in the 2014-2015 student’s
handbook, only eight periods (50 minutes each period) per week are for English skills
and eight periods more for subjects related to English language; it can be seen that
time for English learning in class is not enough for the students to practice their

English. Last but not least, according to Vietnam’s National Foreign Language 2020
Project (a national project to carry out Vietnamese government’s Decision 1400),
each student must reach level 5 of Vietnam’s language proficiency framework before
they graduate (Nguyen, 2011). This leads to the fact that students must learn more at
home to acquire the specific level so that they can graduate with their bachelor
diploma. In other words, it requires much effort from students’ self-studying outside
the classroom to overcome these challenges and fulfil their goals.
For the reasons above, it is necessary to find out a beneficial way for the
students to self-study English outside the classroom so that they can learn and practice
English wherever they want and whenever they desire. Using social software is a
good idea, but how the third-year English students use it to self-study English in
English learning process outside the classroom at HUCFL can still be a question.
Thus, to explore the issue and find out students’ perceptions of applying social
software in learning English outside the classroom, I am motivated to carry out the
study entitled: “An Investigation into Perceptions and Use of Social Software to
Self-Study English outside the Classroom by Third Year EFL Students at Hue
University, College of Foreign Languages”.
3


1.2 Research aims
With the reasons above, the specific aims of this study are:
-

To discover students’ perceptions of using social software to self-study
English outside the classroom.

-

To investigate how students use social software to self-study English

outside the classroom.

-

To investigate problems and difficulties that students meet when using
social software to self-study English outside the classroom and provide
some suggestions for using social software to self-study English
efficiently.

1.3 Research questions
This study seeks answers for the following questions:
1. What are the third-year students’ perceptions of using social software to
self- study English outside the classroom?
2. How do the third-year students use social software to self-study English
outside the classroom?
3. What difficulties do the third-year students encounter when they use social
software to self-study English outside the classroom?
1.4 Significance of the study
It is hoped that the results of the study will help the students know more about
their perspectives of using social software to self-study English outside the classroom.
They will be aware of the benefits of using social software in learning English. In
addition, students’ concerns, difficulties and suggestions will be useful for both
students and teachers in order to help students themselves to use social software to
self-study English outside the classroom more effectively.
1.5 Scope of the study
The study would be conducted with 100 third year EFL students at Hue
University, College of Foreign Languages.
4

1.6 Organization of the study
Below is a brief outline of my thesis, which is intended to consist of five chapters.
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of the study, including the background, the
rationale, the topic, the aims, the research questions, the significance, the scope and
the organization of the thesis.
Chapter 2: Literature review
This chapter presents the concepts and definitions of key items related to the
study as well as reviews of previous research findings on using social software to
self-study English and other relevant aspects.
Chapter 3: Research methodology
This chapter presents the actual procedures of the study, including research
methodology, participants, data collection and data analysis.
Chapter 4: Findings and discussion
This chapter shows detailed results and discusses the findings of the study.
Chapter 5: Conclusions, implications, limitations and recommendations
for future studies
This chapter is a summary of the study in which implications of the study,
limitations of the research and suggestions for further studies are presented.

5


CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction
This chapter is structured as follows. Firstly, the definition, the types and the
roles of social software in education are presented. Next, the chapter describes the
benefits and drawbacks of using social software to self-study English. Following this,

it discusses what self-study is and the relationship between self-study and the use of
social software in learning English outside the classroom. Finally, review of previous
studies related to the issues is also included.
2.2 Theoretical background
2.2.1 Terms related to social software
2.2.1.1 What is Web 2.0?
The term “Web 2.0” was officially introduced in 2004 by Dale Dougherty, the
vice-president of O’Reilly Media Inc. (the company famous for its technology-related
conferences and high quality books) during a team discussion on a potential future
conference about websites (O’Reilly, 2005a). Web 2.0 is defined as “the social web
or the ‘read/write’ Web” (Armstrong & Franklin, 2008, p. 4). It is “a group of
technologies” that enables the user to not only get information but to contribute as
well (Armstrong & Franklin, 2008, p. 4). It means that both owners of a website and
users (readers) can also contribute to it. Meanwhile, Web 1.0 (the former web) is only
a place where the owner of a website publishes information and the user (reader)
views or listens to the content only (Armstrong & Franklin, 2008). Web 1.0 limits the
contribution of the user. Thus, Web 2.0, which refers to “a newer, better version of
the World Wide Web”, emphasizes on online interactivity, co-reaction, sharing
among users and allowing users to build connections between one another (Wever,
Mechant, Veevaete, & Hauttekeete, 2007, p. 511). O’Reilly (2007, p. 17) also
describes Web 2.0 as a platform:

6


... delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the
more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources,
including individual users. While providing their own data and services in a
form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an
'architecture of participation ', and going beyond the page metaphor of Web

1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.
According to Harmelen (2008), Web 2.0 is a platform for social software to
be built and enable groups of users to socialize, collaborate, share and work with each
other for specific purposes.
2.2.1.2

What is social software?

2.2.1.2.1 Definitions of social software
Shirky (as cited in Allen, 2004), who is a prominent writer in the field of social
software as well as a consultant on the social and cultural effects of the Internet and
mobile phones of New York University, uses this term to cover all uses of software
that support interacting groups, even if the interaction is not online. In fact, the term
“social software” normally refers to software programs, applications and tools that
enable users to connect and share information (Minocha, 2009). This term overlaps
with the term “social media” and the technology used to enhance this interaction is
normally called as Web 2.0 technology as mentioned above (Rudd, 2008; Franklin &
Harmelen, 2007).
The term “social software” is operated in many different contexts and not all
social software definitions are used for educational purposes. In the scope of this
study, within the educational context, social software is defined as “networked tools
that support and encourage individuals to learn together while retaining individual
control over their time, space, presence, activity, identity and relationship”
(Anderson, 2005, p. 4).
According to Anderson (2008), although the terms “social software” and
“Web 2.0” are sometimes interchangeably used in some papers and articles, they are

7

not the same. Many social software tools are parts of Web 2.0, but not all Web 2.0
tools are created for social collaboration.
2.2.1.2.2 Types of social software
Many researchers introduced a large number of social software tools for the
sake of pedagogical value in their papers (An & Williams, 2010; Anjali, 2012;
Dalsgaard, 2005; Franklin & Harmelen, 2007; Jenny, 2008; Mynard, 2007; Warr,
2008) and there is no consensus of opinion on the type of social software because of
the rapid development of information technology. However, Kaeomanee, Dominic,
and Rias (2012) and JISC (2007b) drew out 5 prominent examples of social software
tools which are blogs, wikis, social networking sites, multimedia sharing sites and
social bookmarking sites. These social software tools are also selected to be discussed
as follows.
Blogs are web pages created by individuals for sharing experiences,
discussing, analyzing the problem and giving comments (Leung, Popescu, Cao, Lau,
& Nejdl, 2011). Blogs are an easy online type of social software that real-life written
texts are authentic resources for language learning (Galien & Bowcher, 2010) and
learners can express their opinions on each other’s post (Franklin & Harmelen, 2007).
Some examples of blogs are Blogger for blog writing [www.blogger.com], Blog
Search for searching blogs on given topics [blogsearch.google.com] and so on (JISC,
2007b).
Wikis are web pages where users can collaborate with each other to achieve a
common objective by adding, editing or sharing content to build collaborative
resources (JISC, 2007b). It enables learners to be a part of a community. They can
learn when they write, comment and discuss an issue they see differently or read other
learners’ feedback for further information (Simon, Duran, & Guillaumes, 2008).
Common examples of Wikis are Wikipedia [], Twiki
[www.twiki.org] and Pbwiki [] (Franklin & Harmelen, 2007).
Multimedia sharing sites are web pages that allow users to search for, display
and share multimedia content such as images, videos, documents or podcasts
8

(Franklin & Harmelen, 2007). According to them, besides being an entertainment
means, these tools can create valuable educational learning resources. Some examples
presented by them are YouTube-video [www.youtube.com], Flickr-images
[www.flickr.com],

Odeo-podcasts

[www.odeo.com],

Scribd-documents

[], SlideShare-presentations [www.slideshare.com] and so on.
Social networking sites are websites that enable users to create profiles,
connect to each other and form a community for various purposes (Franklin &
Harmelen, 2007). “Images, status updates, event invitations, emails, and videos” can
be added to users’ personal sites to share with others in the community (Minocha,
Schroeder, & Schneider, 2011, p. 892). Particularly, as JISC (2007b) mentioned,
these websites are being used by learners to make an online personal space to link to
other educational sources. They are Facebook [www.facebook.com], MySpace
[www.myspace.com], Bebo [www.bebo.com], and so on (JISC, 2007b).
Social bookmarking tools are applications where users can store a list of
bookmarked sites online and share it within users’ communities (JISC, 2007b).
Descriptions may be included to these bookmarks so that the learners can understand
the content of the resource without first needing to download it for themselves.
Students can find other learners who are likely to be interested in the same topic
(Franklin & Harmelen, 2007) whether it is English vocabulary, grammar, reading
skill or listening skill. Examples of social bookmarking tools can be del.icio.us
[] and CiteULike [www.citeulike.org] (JISC, 2007b; Franklin &

Harmelen, 2007).
Indeed, these social software tools are being increasingly used in pedagogical
context for the purpose of students’ knowledge and learning efficiency (Attwell,
2007; JISC, 2007b; Leung et al., 2011). According to Yakin (2013), new tools and
programs will be added to this list along with the development of information
technology and it supports students’ social behavior such as musical taste-sharing,
photo-sharing, instant messaging, mailing and social networking (Coates, 2005).

9


2.2.1.2.3 How to use social software
The following is a true story of Owen, Grant, Sayers, and Facer (2006) in a
conference on Futurelab. It was about a 13-year old student of English literature who
had to write an essay on one of Jane Austen’s books as an assignment in class. She
had posted her essay to peer assessment on a fan fiction social software tool before
she submitted it to be marked by her teacher. Surprisingly, twenty-four hours later,
the student received constructive feedback and comments from many fans of Jane
Austen and she had a chance to improve her essay before she handed it in. In this
situation, social software is very useful for students in learning. This makes us wonder
how to use social software in education.
As we know, social software has different types. Depending on the purposes
of users, they choose which social software tools that can satisfy their needs. With
blogs, they can write or comment. With social networking sites, they can create a
profile with a personal profile picture, write a status, create a forum or page, and insert
videos, photos or documents to connect with other people. With multimedia sharing
sites, they are able to upload lecture-related PowerPoint slides, lesson-related pictures
or videos and even download them from other users for reference. With wikis, users
can find information on the topic which they are interested in or even add more
details.

However, all social software tools have a common characteristic, which is
most of them are free and based on Web 2.0 technology. As a result, social software
tools must be accessed through computers, laptops, iPads, iPhones and some other
smartphones via the Internet (Davies, 2013). Therefore, firstly, to use one of the social
software tools above, users need to open an Internet browser (Mozilla Firefox,
Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, etc.). Then, users type the link of the social
software tool that they want to use on the address bar and press enter. Originally,
these social software tools require users to sign up in order to be able to write on them
(Armstrong & Franklin, 2008). For example, most social networking sites will only
allow people to make posts or to comment on other people’s posts if they have logged
in. Thus, when a window of the web is opened, users certainly need to sign up to
10


create an account for them. Normally, these accounts will be connected with users’
emails or phone numbers through users’ permission. Next, when users already have
their accounts, the social software tool is ready for them to use. In addition, one
interesting feature of using social software is that people may not use their real names
or even they can register an account with a nickname or a favorite name (Armstrong
& Franklin, 2008). That is why when learning on social software, users are not shy
because sometimes they are anonymous to other users in the system if they want.
2.2.1.2.4 Advantages and disadvantages of social software in education
Thanks to the development of information technology, social software has
contributed pedagogical value to education. Like any kind of software, when applying
social software into education, it comes with both advantages and disadvantages for
language learners.
2.2.1.2.4.1 Advantages of social software in education
Firstly, social software tools create a communicative and interactive
environment with many collaborative activities (Mynard, 2007). Leslie and Landon
(2007) proved this in their paper that people desire to form groups to support their

learning and social software really helps them to build a friendly and effective
learning environment. With social and educational benefits, various social software
including social networking sites in education facilitates peer-support, communitybuilding, sharing of resources and ideas among students, and socialization (Minocha,
2009).
What is more, learning through using social software is flexible and
convenient when language learners are able to access their learning beyond the class
anywhere whether they are on the bus, in the restaurant, at the coffee shop or at home
anytime. To explain this issue, Anderson (2005) mentioned that social software tools
provide learners with freedom to create a learning relationship with other learners and
enhance connection between learners who are separated by location and time.
In addition, social software tools are certainly more interesting and less timeconsuming than paper-based texts such as books, newspapers and educational
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magazines when students can use a lot of online materials at the same time. In fact,
social software tools offer learners opportunities to access “open content, books,
learning materials and multimedia” simultaneously and make “learners themselves
become producers of learning materials” (Attwell, 2007, p. 1). In other words,
learners are just not only “content consumers” but also “content generators” (Leung
et al., 2011, p. 280).
Last but not least, using social software tools allows students themselves to
develop their self-studying skills. It teaches learners how to self-organize their time
(Mathiasen & Dalsgaard, 2004), make their own study materials wisely and learn at
their own desired time according to their schedule. They also help learners to create
a learning environment that suits and facilitates their own style of learning depending
on their preferences. With one click, learners can choose to listen to a podcast on
BBC website, watch a video on YouTube, read an English learning blog, share new
ways of learning vocabulary on Facebook and bookmark an academic writing essay
on Delicious (Armstrong & Franklin, 2008) or do more than two choices as long as
they are suitable and beneficial to learners themselves.

2.2.1.2.4.2 Disadvantages of social software in education
On the other hand, social software has negative effects on language learners
in several aspects. A long-time use of social software without clear objectives might
cause the distraction and reduction in the quality of learning process. In fact, social
software will have a bad influence on language learning process because of its
entertainment purpose and it may distract learners from their studies (Cassidy, 2006).
Language learners are easily mesmerized into engaging activities on social software
tools such as watching funny videos, chatting with friends and reading entertainment
news. It leads to wasting of time, money, materials and effort on recreation rather
than focusing on their learning process.
Besides, learners may deal with unreliable content when there are abundant
living information sources that make it difficult for learners to recognize the accurate
one to follow. The World’s Largest Training and Development Professionals warned
learners on “Social Learning” book that content found on social software tools such
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as wikis and blogs can be varied and unfaithful (ASTD, 2011). This becomes clearer
when Anderson (2009, p. 98) indicated that social networks can be used for
“plagiarism, cheating, harassment and other types of academic and social
misconduct”. This requires much from learners’ intelligence and carefulness in search
of information for learning and sharing knowledge.
Furthermore, although social software can close the gaps between users, it also
has its dark side when it discourages face-to-face communication, particularly with
the learners themselves. Once learners are so familiar with cyber environment, they
will forget how to behave and communicate well in real life. If they overuse social
software tools, they may find themselves at a disadvantage during classroom
discussion or examinations later when they really need to express themselves
naturally and comfortably. That is the reason why Lederer (2012, p. 2) argues, “While
real-time digital stream may create a safe harbor for students who are uncomfortable

expressing themselves, students are missing valuable lessons in real-life social
skills.”
Lastly, it might deal with the enormous amount of information and knowledge
of social software tools. Learners might get stuck in them if they do not know the
right track to follow on the road. At the same time, many sorts of links among
available sources may “create confusion”, “do an endless research” and cause the risk
of overloading information for learners (Iadecola & Piave, 2008, p. 5). Learners will
feel confused and get lost when they do not know what knowledge they should
accumulate first and what they need to put aside to study later.
Ultimately, while the debate continues regarding the benefits and limits of the
role of social software should play in language learning, no one can argue the
influence that social software has on today’s students (Lederer, 2012). In a nutshell,
social software in education has both advantages and disadvantages, but it has a good
effect or a bad effect on learners depending on the way how learners use it in the
learning process.

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