On the Role of Social Media in Spanish Language Learning in Indian Context

Abstract

Research on the use of social media in the foreign language classroom has increased significantly in the last decade especially during the pandemic due to quarantine and social distancing. The aim of the present research is to examine the learners’ perception of the use of social media in learning Spanish as a foreign language in a non-native context. The research was carried out in Indian Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) where Spanish is taught as a foreign language at graduate and undergraduate levels. The objective was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of the students towards the use of social media platforms, in general, and Facebook, in particular, for learning Spanish as a foreign language and examine the differences in its use concerning gender, background and year of study. The research study was developed in the quantitative framework with the participation of 93 university students, and with the use of a comprehensive questionnaire as an instrument. The results showed that the students tend to use social media for enhancing and reinforcing their communication skills and language learning capabilities including reading, writing, and learning new phrases and structures. Moreover, the study also found the benefits of collaborative learning embedded during the use of social media, which helped in improving the learning process sophistically.