Effects of using social networks for educational purposes as complementary or enriching tools on academic achievement, social network usage behaviors and satisfaction of high school students

In this study; the effect of three learning environments on high school students' academic success, social network use behaviors and satisfaction levels were examined. In one learning environment, social network had a complementary purpose, while the same network was integrated into the other learning environment as an enriching tool. The third learning environment was a face to face in-class environment. The subjects participated in the study were 114 tenth grade students enrolled in Avcılar High School in Avcılar District, İstanbul. Chosen adjectives were presented to the participating students under "Personality and Character" theme during their English classes through integration of a social network site "kalemlink.com" which was created for the purpose of this research as an enriching or complementary tool to face to face learning environment. Students in the first experimental group, for which social network was used as a complementary tool, did the activities in the social network environment as a continuation of the course where the participation was compulsary. Enriching environment was offered to the students in the second experimental group with the purpose of enriching the classroom environment in which their participation was on a voluntary basis. A quasi experimental design based on random model with a control group was used in the study. Students' academic success was assessed using a 24 item-test developed by the researcher, which was administered as pre- and post-tests. Social network use behaviors of students in the experimental groups were evaluated by total activity points which were calculated by the social network system and classroom activity points calculated by the researcher as the number of shares in the course context. Students' satisfaction levels about the learning environments were determined through a questionnaire developed by the researcher. The findings demonstrated that there are statistically significant differences in academic success in favor of both experimental groups. The experimental group for which the social network was integrated in order to complement the learning environment has the highest academic success level (X̅DG1=17.69; %73.7), the experimental group for which the social network was integrated to enrich the learning environment has a lower success level (X̅DG2=14.17; %59.0) compared to the other experimental group and the control group which only had face to face instruction has the lowest academic success level (X̅KG=11.66; %48.5). As satisfaction levels of students in experimental groups are similar and high, there is no statistically significant difference between their satisfaction levels. Another finding of the research is that there is no statistically significant difference in the total activity points generated by the system and the activity points earned within the context of lessons between experimental groups. According to the findings of this research, learning activities carried out in social network environments support collaborative learning and highlight the concepts of solidarity and social community. Whether they are obligatory or not, they all contribute to the academic success of students. In addition, the social network environment which was developed for this research was available only for the participating students. The social network activities integrated for both complementing and enriching the learning environment brought students together in the lessons and they were accepted readily with satisfaction. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that teachers should use educational social networks combined with face to face learning environments. Instead of leaving students unsupervised and unguided in social networks, they should actively follow, comment and evaluate their students' activities. The Ministry of National Education can encourage in-service teachers to be more actively involved in using social networks for their instructional practices. The Ministry can also establish a social network within "eba.gov.tr" so that teachers can integrate social networks into their classes. Also, it is strongly recommended to Ministry and faculties to train both in-service and pre-service teachers to integrate social networks into their courses.