Relationship between secondary school students' speaking self-efficacy and their social media use

This study examines the relationship between middle school students' speaking self-efficacy and their use of social media. It investigates whether the duration and purpose of social media use lead to significant differences in students' speaking self-efficacy in relation to their grade level and gender. The study group consisted of 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students enrolled during the 2023–2024 academic year at three different secondary schools located in the Köşk district of Aydın province. The study group included a total of 626 students: 311 (49.68%) girls and 315 (50.31%) boys. Of these, 137 (21.9%) were in the 5th grade, 132 (21.09%) in the 6th grade, 146 (23.32%) in the 7th grade, and 211 (33.69%) in the 8th grade. The findings indicate that social media use does not have a significant effect on speaking self-efficacy. Although certain features offered by some platforms appear to have a slight influence on speaking self-efficacy, the results generally suggest that students tend to be passive content consumers. It is suggested that by making the necessary forward-looking arrangements on social media platforms, students can be moved beyond the role of passive consumers in speaking skills, one of the four language skills, and these platforms can make positive contributions to students. Since different platforms and renewed features may emerge in the future in a world that is constantly evolving and changing, continuing research at certain intervals will enable us to keep the information in this field up to date and improve our perspective.