EXPLORING THE ACCEPTANCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AS AN EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH

Abstract

This study is aimed at exploring the way how students perceive the deployment of social networking sites (SNS) to improve academic writing skills in English. TAM (technology acceptance model) is used to analyze students’ perceptions about the usage of SNS as a platform for studying. The data was collected using quantitative and qualitative stages within the research design. The quantitative data analyses enabled to show high ranking of both constructs in students’ perceptions: the ease and the usefulness of the technology for academic writing. The qualitative stage identified four external variables that can impact effective deployment: psychological, language, technical and methodical factors. Despite some limitations of the research, the results have revealed favorable students’ perceptions and overall acceptance of SNS as an educational platform to enhance academic writing in English.