The effects of social media on second language learning: a case study of five selected secondary schools in Chilanga district

Abstract

As a product of technological advancements, social media has come with it a significant change of the way people live and share information. The primary purpose of this study is to find out the effects of social media on second language learning. It is unquestionable that social media influence the writing and speaking of English. With the aim of exploring the effects of social media on second language learning: how it is affecting writing and speaking of English as second language among secondary school learners, this research was conducted at 5 selected secondary schools in Chilanga District of Lusaka urban. A sample of thirty (30) teachers and forty (40) pupils were respectively selected from Three public school in Lusaka. Qualitative method was applied during data analysis. The results of the study indicated that social media has several and immense effects on second language learning on the writing and speaking of secondary school pupils with the negative effects outweighing the positive effects. Through the findings of the study, it was established that social media also has negative influence on the learner’s ability to distinguish formal and informal language as is the case with the current situation. The students use short form of words, incorrect grammar and sentence structure in their formal writing and speaking unconsciously, which are the effects of social media as students are now much more familiar with those types of language.