AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF LECTURERS PERCEPTIONS ON STUDENTS USAGE OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THEIR IDENTITY FORMATION AND LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Studies suggest that students are increasingly turning to information and communication technologies as learning tools in which they present multiple identities quite explicitly tied to context, knowledge and understanding within online social networks (OSNs). The search for and research on the use of OSNs in a learning environment is a powerful technological change in the history of the globalised world. Hence it is imperative for educational institutions to understand how the 21st century learners use OSNs for identity formation and learning experiences. To address the lack of insight into this, a systematic review of existing theories and models was conducted to identify constructs and elements which can be used to develop and test a new measuring instrument in future. This paper reports on the qualitative research methods used only, namely a literature review and semi-structured interviews which were used to obtain lecturers perspectives on student’s learning experience and identity formation in OSNs. The results confirmed that a perceived link between the usage of the Internet for learning purposes and identity formation exists, and lecturers confirmed that students realised the importance of interactivity and intensity in OSNs to enhance their learning experience.