Integrating Social Media Applications into EFL Instruction: Teachers’ Perceptions, Practices and Challenges in Saudi Higher Education

Abstract

The integration of social media applications into English as a foreign language instruction has attracted increasing attention in educational settings. This study examines teachers’ perceptions of the use of social media applications in English language instruction at Saudi universities, focusing on instructional practices, perceived effects on students’ English learning and language skills, and challenges related to their integration. By foregrounding teachers’ perspectives through a quantitative lens, the study examines how instructional practices and institutional conditions shape the pedagogical use of social media in English language teaching. Adopting a descriptive quantitative survey design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 249 teachers of English as a foreign language lecturing at Saudi universities. The questionnaire gathered information on commonly used social media applications, teachers’ perceptions of their pedagogical value, and perceived instructional and institutional challenges. Quantitative descriptive statistical analyses, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, were used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that teachers frequently use applications such as YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram as supplementary instructional tools and generally hold positive perceptions of their influence on students’ motivation, engagement, and development of key language skills, particularly vocabulary and speaking. Teachers also reported challenges related to classroom management, limited professional training, and the need for sustained institutional support. The study concludes that while social media applications offer valuable pedagogical opportunities for English language instruction, their effective integration depends on purposeful instructional design, active teacher mediation, and institutional readiness. The study provides empirical evidence to inform instructional practices, teacher education, and policy decisions in higher education contexts.