Remarks of English language teachers on the usage of social media in English language teaching

In this study, it is aimed to research the English language teachers' views on social media and social networks and their impact on the process of English language teaching. As a part of the sample, English language teachers' views on the benefits of using social media and the advantages and disadvantages of using social media in teaching English were taken into consideration. The study group was comprised of 65 English language teachers who have been working in primary, secondary and high schools in Muratpaşa province in Antalya, Turkey. As a part of the research, quantitative and qualitative analyses were incorporated. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used as a data gathering technique. The data obtained by the applied questionnaire were researched via the Kolmogorov- Simirnov technique and as there is an abnormal distribution, non-parametric analyses were introduced. The data obtained during the interviews, as part of the qualitative analysis study, were analyzed by applying content analysis via NVIVO 11. At the conclusion of the study, it was determined that the views of English language teachers on the use of social media in teaching English do not show a significant difference according to the "gender" and "grades of their students" factors. Rather, it shows a significant difference per the "age", "work experience" and "nationality" factors. The study observed that, as English teachers get mature, the use of social networks in teaching English will increase according to the "age" factor. Similarly, as the English language teachers gain more experience, the usage of social networks in teaching English will increase as well. Lastly, according to the "nationality" factor, it can be concluded that Turkish language teachers express the opinion of "I agree" to the benefits of using social media to teach English, while English language teachers of different nationalities express the opinion "I don't agree" on this topic. This was analyzed and it was determined that there was a significant difference. Key Words: English language teaching, social media, social networks.