Kyle Smith
Eng 251
11/12/14
The How-To Guide to Facebook: EFL Classrooms
Many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms are becoming more common placed
throughout the world. There is a growing demand for a global community to communicate and English
seems to be the answer. Within these EFL classrooms there are scores of teachers looking to make
teaching written English as a foreign language more relevant in the technological generation of their
students. Some classrooms have begun to implement computer assisted language learning to
incorporate more technology into to class, however, other professors of English as a foreign language
have begun using social networking sites (SNSs) to bolster and teach written English. Teachers who have
tested SNSs to develop written English in the EFL classroom have discovered many advantages to using
them: communities of practice among students develop (Razak , Saeed, & Ahmad, 2013), popularity of
SNSs generate classroom motivation to participate (Yunus, Salehi, & Chenzi, 2012 ), and there is a
natural growth of vocabulary of participating students (Yunus, etc. 2012 ). However, clear disadvantages
have been unearthed as well: many SNSs distract students (Yunus, etc. 2012 ), prompts are not
responded to because they are not understood (Razak, etc. 2013), many students become frustrated
with unclear directions from the professors (Simpson, 2012), and there is also a trend of poor internet
connection (Razak, etc. 2013). There is a disconnect in the research between the espoused benefits of
SNSs in the EFL classroom and the proper implementation of SNSs in the EFL classroom, as promising as
the advantages seem. After reviewing the literature on SNSs usage in the EFL classroom there are key
points for proper SNS implementation: (1) understanding the English proficiency of the learners, (2)
understanding the students’ and teacher’s familiarity with the SNS and (3) the ability of the teacher to
clearly explain the classroom requirements and uses of SNSs in the academic setting.
The first step for proper implementation of SNSs in the EFL classroom is understanding the level
of English proficiency of the students. In a study conducted by Razak, Murad, and Ahmad (2013),
professors of English as a foreign language at the National University of Malaysia, they experimented
with the use of Facebook (a social networking site) in the classroom to improve written English. A
majority of the students in the classroom had over seven years of English experience in academic
settings; naturally the use of SNS in this classroom was a success (Razak, etc. 2013). The students were
able to comment on posts as well as constructively comment and correct one another’s grammar and
colloquialisms in English (Razak, etc. 2013). On the contrary, in a study conducted by Simpson (2012), a
professor of English as a foreign language at the University Seoul in Korea, showed that her students
struggled with using Facebook in the same context, one reason for this was the level of English
proficiency of the students in her class. A majority of the students in her class had between one and two
years of English in academic settings (Simpson, 2012). The issue was Simpson tried to implament similar
approaches to that of Razak with very different result. One main reason students did not succeed in
Simpson’s class was due to a lack of understand of the prompts (given in English) and the instructions in
how to use Facebook in the context of the classroom, the instruction for the latter were also given in
Englsih (Simpson, 2012). Due to her students lack of English proficiency they could not properly
comment nor constructively advise one another in written Englsih development. Between these two
studies it is clear that there needs to be an understanding of the level of English proficiency of the
students. When a teacher is aware of the level of their students’ proficiency then they can tailor the
prompts to a level of English similar to their students. Teachers, for lower level English speaking
students, can clearly articulate instructions multiple times in English as well as give visual examples and
demonstrations of how to properly navigate and use SNSs. Whereas teachers of high-level proficiency
students can give instructions verbally with the expectation of the students understanding. It is
necessary, therefore, to understand the overall level of Englsh proficiency in the EFL classroom to create
lesson plans, prompts, and explanations suitible for your students in English.
When implementing SNSs in the EFL classroom, the social networking sites should be a familiar
application for both the teacher and the students. In an article written by Yunus, Salehi, and Chen
(2012), associate professors of English as a foreign language at the University of Kebangsaan Malaysia,
they found that “teachers engaged with a techonolgical tool are more likley to employ that
technological medium in their teaching and curricular planning,” in other words, teachers who are
familiar with various SNSs are going to feel more comfortable using those in their classrooms. Also, the
study went on to explain that various SNSs are used through out various regions of the world; For
example, LinkedIn and MySpace are North American SNSs, RenRen and CY are Asian SNSs and Orkut is
an Indian SNSs (Yunus, etc. 2012 ). Yet, studies demonstrate there are also effects on the students who
are unfamiliar with SNSs. Looking at Simpson’s study, the instructor is an American with a familiarity
with SNSs in North America and she worked with different students in South American (Ecuador) and in
Korea (Simpson, 2012). The Ecuadorian studetns were familiar with the North American SNSs Facebook,
so the use of it in the classroom lended itself towards being successful; however, when Simpson tried to
implement Facebook in the Asian classroom there was confusion and a lack of motivation (Simpson,
2012). This lack of motivation was due to a couple of factors, one of them being the students
unfamiliarity with the SNS Facebook. It is clear that there needs to be a familiarity with the SNS being
used in the EFL classroom, both for the student and the teacher. The teacher should be aware of
popular SNSs in the regions that they are teaching and should familiarize themselves with those
programs to be able to successfully implement them in their classrooms. When both the teacher and the
students are familiar with the SNSs the directions given to the students do not need to be as explicit,
students can navigate content more effectively, and the SNS becomes a medium for learning and not an
obstacle.
Finally, the last key point to proper implementation of SNSs in the EFL classroom is the teacher’s
explanation(2009), professors of distance education at Tokyo Denki University and Athabasca University,
they implamented three forms of SNSs in the classroom: forums, blogs and wikis. The forums held
topical discussions, the blogs were optional, private, free-write areas, and the whole class collaborated
on the wikis for group translations from Japanese to English (Miyazoe & Anderson, 2009). A lesson
gleaned from this study was the clarity in which directions were given. The professors clearly explained
the use of each medium and how they expected students to use them. In the end there was little
confusion about the use of each SNSs and students were able to successfully navigate and finish their
work. Also, the wiki, forum, and blog used all were sites that the students were familiar with, which
lended itself to the success of using different forms of social media (Miyazoe & Anderson, 2009).
Another point is an indepth explanation for use of the SNSs were not as necessary because in the study
students and teachers were familiar with the SNSs being used. On the other hand, in the study
conducted by Simpson, unclear directions were given and half of the class did not participate in using
Facebook, after Simpson reflected on the assignment she realized that she was unclear in the
deliverance of guidelines and expectations (Simpson, 2012). Many of the students had lower levels of
Englsih proficiency and were unfamiliar with the SNS platform, however, Simpson assumed students
were aware of the SNS Facebook and proceeded with minimal instructions with how to respond to
prompts (Simpson, 2012). It was only after Simpson gave more demonstrations and more in-depth
explanations of using Facebook that the students became more interactive with the SNS and with one
another on it (Simpson, 2012). These studies show the importance of presenting clear directions and
demonstrations in proper context. According to the level of English proficiency of the students and the
familiarity with the SNSs, a teacher must be willing to give in-depth explanations of SNS use to their
students. On top of explanations of use, a teacher must be willing to demonstate the requirements to
the students on how the class should respond to prompts and navigate the selected SNS. Clear
demonstration of expecations and requirements are necessary for the successful implementation of
SNSs in the EFL classroom.
When teachers of EFL classrooms are looking to improve the written English of students using
SNSs, there are a few key points that teachers should follow: (1) know the level of English proficiency of
the students, (2) understand the level of familiarity of the teacher and students with the designated
SNSs, and (3) the ability of the teacher to clearly explain the use and academic requirements of SNSs in
the EFL classroom. All of these points build upon one another and are interconnceted. A teacher who is
aware of the level of English proficiency of the students can create content that is easily understood by
the students. When selecting a SNSs it is important to use a site known by students so that it becomes a
tool for learning and not an obstacle to learning. Finally, it is the clear explanation of classroom
requirements and expectations when using SNSs that will facilitate smooth use of the SNSs. This includes
understanding the level of English the students know as well as their understanding of the SNS platform;
the teacher should be aware if they need to give demonstrations and explicit directions to their
students. It is the implementation of these key points that will faciliate a smooth transition into applying
SNSs into the EFL classroom.
Works Cited
Miyazoe, T., & Anderson, T. (2009, Dec). Learning Outcomes and Student's Perceptions of Online
Writing: Simultaneous Implementations of a Forum, Blog, and Wiki in an EFL Blended Learning
Setting. Science Direct, 185-199.
Razak , N. A., Saeed, M., & Ahmad, Z. (2013, Nov). Adopting Social Networking Sites (SNSs) as Interactive
Communities among English Foreign Language (EFL) Learners in Writing: Opportunities and
Challenges. English Language Teaching, 6(11), 187-198.
Simpson, M. (2012). ESL @ Facebook: A Teacher's Diary on Using Facebook. Teaching English with
Technology, 12(3), 36-48.
Yunus, M. M., Salehi, H., & Chenzi, C. (2012 , Aug). Integrating Social Networking Tools into ESL Writing
Classroom: Strengths and Weaknesses. English Language Teaching, 5(8), 42-48.