ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would first like to show my deepest appreciation to the English Department of

Hanoi University for giving me the permission and opportunity to conduct this research
project.

I am also gratefully indebted to my supervisor, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai. She
consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right
direction whenever she thought I needed it. Without her guidance and persistent help,
this thesis would not have been completed.

In addition, I wish to express my gratitude to the participants in my research,

who have willingly shared their precious time during the process of gathering data to
complete this project.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my loved ones, family and friends who
have supported me throughout the entire process.

i
 ABSTRACT

The main objective of the paper is to examine the influence of social media on
speaking skills of first and second year English majors of Hanoi University. The study
was conducted with the participation of 50 freshmen and 50 sophomores. A
questionnaire was administered to participants to gather information on students’
attitudes towards and habits of using social media to improve speaking skills.
Additionally, the study also investigated students’ improvement in oral skills with the
facilitation of social media through subjective and objective assessment as well as the
benefits and drawbacks of social media as an e-learning tool. The findings indicated
that students generally adopt a positive attitude towards these virtual platforms as a tool
to practice English speaking skills. However, there is no correlation between the usage
of social media and grade improvement detected, which can be partially due to the
distractive multitasking while using social media to study. In the light of the results,
several suggestions were also proposed to minimize the negative aspects of social
media and utilize social media to be a feasible environment for English learners.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................. i

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................ii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... v

LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... vi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1

1.1. Rationale of the study ......................................................................................... 1

1.2. Aims of the study ................................................................................................ 1
1.3. Structure of the study.......................................................................................... 2
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 4

2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 4

2.2. Speaking skill ..................................................................................................... 4
2.2.1. Definition of speaking skill ......................................................................... 4
2.2.2. The importance of mastering English speaking skill ................................... 5
2.2.3. Factors determining the competence in English speaking ........................... 6
2.2.3.1. Linguistic factors................................................................................... 6
2.2.3.2. Affective factors..................................................................................... 9
2.3. Social media ..................................................................................................... 13
2.3.1. Definition ................................................................................................... 13
2.3.2. Characteristics and forms of social media ................................................. 13
2.4. The role of social media in English learning .................................................... 14
2.4.1. Facebook .................................................................................................... 15
2.4.2. Youtube ...................................................................................................... 17
2.4.3. Skype ......................................................................................................... 19
2.5. Previous studies on the impact of social media on English learning ............... 19
2.6. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 23
CHAPTER III: METHODS ........................................................................................ 25

3.1. Subjects of the study ......................................................................................... 25

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 3.2. Research instruments ........................................................................................ 25
3.3. Procedure .......................................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ................................................... 27

4.1. Students’ attitudes towards the use of social media to improve their English
speaking skill .............................................................................................................. 27
4.2. Students’ habits of using social media to enhance speaking skill .................... 28
4.3. The way students exploit social media to enhance speaking skill ................... 29
4.4. Social media’s impact on students’ speaking skill ........................................... 32
4.4.1. Subjective evaluation of students’ speaking skill ...................................... 32
4.4.2. Objective evaluation of students’ speaking skill ....................................... 33
4.5. Benefits of using social media as an e-learning tool ........................................ 36
4.6. Drawbacks of using social media as an e-learning tool ................................... 38
4.7. Suggested solutions to the drawbacks .............................................................. 39
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS ........................................... 42

5.1. Suggestions for the proper use of social media ................................................ 42

5.1.1. Adopting strategies to evaluate the reliability of sources .......................... 42
5.1.2. Avoiding distracting multi-tasking ............................................................ 43
5.1.3. Protecting privacy on social media ............................................................ 43
5.1.4. Preventing cyber-bullying.......................................................................... 44
5.1.5. Avoiding spam and disturbing content ...................................................... 44
5.1.6. Using social media as an enhancement not a substitute ............................ 45
5.2. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 45
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 47

APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................... v

iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL: English as a foreign language

ESL: English as a second language

v
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Students' attitudes towards the use of social media to improve English
speaking skill .................................................................................................................. 27
Figure 2: Students' habits of using social media to enhance speaking skill .................. 28
Figure 3: The way students exploit social media to enhance speaking skill ................. 29
Figure 4: Students' evaluation of their improvement in speaking skill facilitated by the
use of social media ......................................................................................................... 32
Figure 5: Objective evaluation of freshmen's speaking skill ......................................... 33
Figure 6: Objective evaluation of sophomores' speaking skill ...................................... 34
Figure 7: Benefits of using social media as an e-learning tool ...................................... 36
Figure 8: Drawbacks of using social media as an e-learning tool ................................. 38
Figure 9: Suggested solutions to the drawbacks of using social media ......................... 39

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Rationale of the study

As English has been widely used by nearly 1.8 billion people around the world
(Hammond, 2014) and taught a second language and an official language in almost 90
countries, the importance of mastering it is unquestionable. Without any exceptions, in
order to achieve a certain level of proficiency in any foreign language, learners need to
bear in mind four essential skills including speaking skill.
In the era of advanced technology and instantaneous online connection, social
media, with the estimation of 2.51 billion users worldwide in 2017 according to
statistics given by Statista, has been emerging as an element that brings profound
impact on the entire society in the recent decades (Tyler, 2013). It is indeed not
irrational to affirm that social media has taken over our lives as many people default to
social media in nearly every aspect of life. Not only does social media transform the
way we communicate, do business or marketing but it also offers tremendous
opportunities for education. This computer-mediated technology also proves its
usefulness for English learners as English is considered “unofficial language of the
internet” with more than half of the entire online material is published in English
(Robby, 2013).
Although considerable attention has been paid to examining the use of social
media in education as well as identifying its opportunities and challenges for both
educators and learners, not many studies carried out focus primarily on the influence
that social media can have on English speaking skill and the way to utilize it in the
classroom.

1.2. Aims of the study

The main objective of the present study is to investigate the influence of social
media on speaking skill of first year and second year English majors at Hanoi

1
University. The thesis will examine students’ habits of using social media as an e-
learning tool and the interrelation between their habits and improvement in speaking
skill. Students’ performance in oral skill will be evaluated both subjectively and
objectively to ensure accurate findings. Finally, it is hoped that the results of this study
can enable English learners to gain most benefit from social media and serve as a firm
foundation for further studies on the application of social media in teaching speaking
skill of English in particular and other foreign languages in general. These following
questions will hopefully be answered by the end of this study:
- What are the attitudes of first year and second year English majors towards the
use of social media to improve their English speaking skill?
- Is there any significant improvement in speaking skill by using social media?
- How and How often do students exploit the use of social media to improve
speaking skill?
- What are the benefits students can gain from social media to improve their
speaking skill?
- What are the difficulties students experience when using social media as an e-
learning tool?
- What are the suggested solutions to these difficulties?

1.3. Structure of the study

The study consists of 5 chapters serving different purposes namely:

Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Findings and Discussions, Conclusion and
Suggestions. Chapter I, the Introduction, gives a brief overview and suggests reason for
conducting the study. The Literature Review in the second chapter serves as a
theoretical framework and provisions background knowledge for better understanding
of the study. In this part, not only deeper insight into speaking skill and social media
but also an overview of previous empirical studies relevant to the present research can
be found. Chapter III, Methods, describes subjects, research instrument and procedures
of the study. In Chapter IV, major findings revealed in the study are presented and

2
discussed in-depth. The last chapter ends the study with several suggestions for further
studies and summary of the whole thesis.

3
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Introduction

The aim of this chapter is to establish a theoretical framework for the present
study as well as to provide the background knowledge needed to have a firm grasp of
the research. The first section will clarify key concepts and terminologies mentioned
throughout the study. Additionally, the main features and forms of social media will be
discussed. The next section highlights the perceived role of social media in English
learning. Finally, in the last section, a series of relevant previous studies will be
reviewed, explained and linked to the present research.

2.2. Speaking skill

2.2.1. Definition of speaking skill

Speaking skill is categorized under the term “communication skills” which

include verbal, non-verbal and written communication (Mikoluk, 2013). As suggested
by Bailey (2005), speaking skill is the productive skill of the oral mode that consists of
“producing systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning” (p.48). However, it is not
only a personal act carried out by individuals but it also “forms a part of shared social
activity of talking” (Luoma, 2004, p.20). By this way of comprehending, speaking skill
can also be defined as “the ability to accomplish pragmatic goals through an interactive
discourse with other language speakers” (Brown, 2001). Moreover, according to
Chaney (1998), speaking skill is not only confined to the use of verbal but also “non-
verbal symbols in a variety of context” (p.13). That is to say, effective oral
communication requires learners not only to use paralinguistic and non-linguistic
elements but also to understand the context and purpose for which the speech is used.

4
2.2.2. The importance of mastering English speaking skill

Speaking skill is deemed as the most essential skill for effective communication
and primary source of learning by numerous researchers and authors (Ali, 2012;
Balasree, Malarvezhi & Jothi, 2017; Boonkit, 2010; Gillis, 2013; Oradee, 2012).
Undeniably, speaking is “the unique skill to transform intention, thoughts into a fluent
and articulated speech” (Ali, 2012, p.1). Laver (as cited in Khan & Ali, 2010) even
went further by indicating that the structure of society would have been significantly
different without the development of communication through speech. Yule (as cited in
Torky, 2006, p.37-38) asserted that speaking has a major role to play in “oiling the
wheel of social intercourse”.
Taken from a narrower view, the mastery of English speaking skill demonstrates
learners’ precise knowledge of language (Oradee, 2012) and brings positive impacts on
learners personally, educationally and professionally. With regard to personal life,
effective English communicative skill can enhance one’s self-confidence and
credibility (Gillis, 2013). Educationally, it develops learners’ language competency in
terms of grammar, vocabulary, functional language as “speaking skill demands learners
to be skilled at other language skills” (Loubazid, 2012, p.7) and the mastery of this
skill offers more opportunities for studying in an English speaking country (Ali, 2012).
Professionally, Ali (2012) also suggested that fluency in spoken English enables
learners to enhance their career prospect as English speaking skill is considered priority
and prerequisite skill required by many employers these days. By way of illustration,
Zaremba (as cited in Boonkit, 2010) pointed out that speaking skill placed ahead work
experience, motivation, academic credentials as criteria for new recruitment. Despite
considerable attention and focus put on teaching and learning speaking skill, it is still
considered the most difficult skill for learners to master (Brown, 2001; Lazarton,
2011).

5
2.2.3. Factors determining the competence in English speaking

For several years great effort has been devoted to the study of identifying and
examining different factors influencing speaking skill of English as a foreign language
(EFL) learners. Thornbury (2005) noted several kinds of knowledge base that affect
speaking skill namely linguistic knowledge, extra linguistic knowledge and speech
conditions. Linguistic knowledge, which presents features of language, includes genre,
discourse, pragmatics, grammar, vocabulary and phonology. On the other hand, extra
linguistic knowledge, which is independent from language, is viewed as sociocultural
knowledge. Speech conditions under which speech is made easier to perform are
treated under three categories namely cognitive, affective and performance factors.
Shumin (as cited in Afshar & Asakereh, 2016), took a different approach by indicating
four main factors affecting learners’ oral proficiency including age, aural medium,
sociocultural and affective factors. Lindsay and Knight (as cited in Afshar & Asakereh,
2016) asserted that oral communication is under the influence of connected speech,
interaction ability, different contexts, balance between accuracy and fluency and
unfamiliar issues based on learners’ knowledge. Linguistic and psychological factors
are listed as the major influence on oral skills by Mahripah (as cited in Leong &
Ahmadi, 2017). After the consideration of a wide variety of literatures, it is suggested
that key factors determining the competence of spoken English be grouped in two main
divisions: linguistic and affective factors.

2.2.3.1. Linguistic factors

The appropriate use of language forms occupies a crucial role in learners’ oral
skills development (Saunders & O’Brien, as cited in Wang, 2013). According to
Genesee, Lindholm-Leary, Saunders, and Christian (2006), acquiring vocabulary,
gaining control over grammar and developing an understanding of subtle semantics of
English are necessary for the competency development in oral English (p.14). Luoma
(2004) gave linguistic descriptions of spoken language with the constituent
components of the sound of speech, spoken words and spoken grammar. Grammatical

6
competence including knowledge of lexical items, morphology, syntax, sentence
grammar, semantics and phonology, as noted by Brown (2001), is considered one
aspect of communicative competence. Torky (2006) noted linguistic competence
includes the skills of using intelligible pronunciation, following grammatical rules
accurately and using appropriate range of vocabulary. Taking a number of previous
publications under advisement, three constituents of linguistic factors can accordingly
be listed as Pronunciation, Vocabulary and Grammar.

Pronunciation
With the immense importance of sounds in communication, pronunciation is
considered a prominent factor in language (Gilakjani, 2012). As suggested by Loubazid
(2012) and Luoma (2004), pronunciation is the first thing to be judged, evaluated and
captures others’ attention almost automatically in an utterance. Pronunciation can cause
confusion and prove obstacles for EFL learners in achieving competence in English
speaking as pronunciation of English words is not similar to their spelling. Improper
pronunciation can lead to negative impression, misunderstanding and even ineffective
communication. However, the accuracy of individual sounds is inadequate because
speed, intonation, stress and rhythm also contribute to the overall comprehensibility of
oral communication (Luoma, 2004). The importance of stress, rhythm and intonation,
as a matter of fact, has been acknowledged with the development of communicative
approaches in language teaching (Nunan, 1999). Pitch, intonation and stress provide
texture for one’s talk, have the power to change the meaning of sentences and convey
speakers’ emotions or attitudes (Harmer, 2003). As important as sounds themself,
proper or improper use of intonation and stress play an important role in deciding
whether the intended messages are accurately conveyed or not. In brief, mastery of
English pronunciation contributes greatly to the success of English oral
communication. Nevertheless, the ultimate goal of correct pronunciation is not
attempting to sound native-like but rather communicative effectiveness, thus

7
suggesting standard for learners’ pronunciation based on “comprehensibility… and
defined in terms of realistic learner achievement” (Luoma, 2004, p.10).

Vocabulary
There has been a major shift in the view towards vocabulary in English teaching
and learning. The status of vocabulary had conventionally been recognized as
insignificant and second-fiddle to grammar and neglected in language classroom
(Nunan, 1999); however, in recent years vocabulary has “assumed its rightful place as
a fundamentally important aspect of language development” (Nunan, 1999, p.103). The
significance of vocabulary has been confirmed by multitude of researchers, authors and
scholars. Wilkins (1974) strongly emphasized the role of vocabulary “without grammar
very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (p.111-112).
Nandy (as cited in Siriwan, 2007, p.20) shared the similar view by asserting that “the
more words one is able to use correctly, the better one will be able to express oneself
easily and with self- confidence and understand the world one lives in”. In consonance
with the work of previous authors, Nunan (1999) also argued extensive vocabulary, to
some certain extents, can “enable learners to outperform their competence and to
obtain meaning from spoken or written text without knowing grammar structure”
(p.103). On the other hand, the communication is likely to be interfered and doomed to
failure with the wrong use and lack of vocabulary (Allen, as cited in Siriwan, 2007).
Moreover, attention should also be paid to the distinction between receptive and
productive vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary is the words that learners recognize in
what they hear or read whereas the other type of vocabulary is words produced in
utterance (Thornbury, 2005). Concerning the role of vocabulary in oral
communication, Thornbury (2005) suggested that fewer words go further in speech as
productive vocabulary is only half the size of receptive vocabulary, hence putting more
emphasis on the acquisition of vocabulary to effectively express one’s thoughts and
ideas in speaking.

8
Grammar
Grammar, as noted by Aouatef (2015), embraces important role in the mastery
of spoken English language. Grammar helps with the formation of correct sentences in
conversation. Attaining wide range of grammatical structures offers learners the
opportunity to “manipulate structure” and “differentiate appropriate grammatical forms
that suit context” (Aouatef, 2015, p.39). Larsen-Freeman (as cited in Wang, 2014)
reported that it was proven difficult for EFL learners to transfer the correct grammar to
their speaking. This is certainly comprehensible given the fact that there is a clear
distinction between spoken grammar and grammar used in reading and writing. The
subject of spoken grammar has been addressed by numerous authors. Harmer (2003)
noted that “grammar of speech has its own constructional principle and organized
differently from writing” (p.14). With the real time processing and little speech
planning, grammar of oral-like language carries distinctive characteristics such as
ellipsis, fillers and backchannels or phrasal chunks (Hilliard, 2014). However, it is
suggested that grammar of speech not be judged incorrect by standards of written
English (Cullen & Kuo, as cited in Hilliard, 2014). With its own characteristics, spoken
grammar can enhance learners’ fluency, real-life interactive conversation and
authenticity of oral communication (Hilliard, 2014). Hilliard also gave
recommendation on the use of authentic materials to expose students to elements of
spoken grammar, hence improving their oral skill.

2.2.3.2. Affective factors

Affective factors refer to the affective domain which is the emotional side of
human behavior (Brown, 2000). They are considered an important aspect of second
language acquisition as learners’ state of mind can play central role in the failure or
success of language learning (Brown, 2000; Harmer, 2003). According to Harmer
(2003), “learners’ feelings are as important as their mental or cognitive abilities” and
students are unlikely to achieve success with the hostile feelings towards subject of
study, materials or teaching method (p.74). A number of personality factors that can
have profound impact on learners have been put forward in countless studies. Wang

9
(2014) divided affective factors into two main sub-groups: anxiety and self-restriction.
In the study of Aouatef (2015), motivation, self-esteem, and anxiety are three main
affective factors discussed in-depth. In an attempt to give a comprehensive analysis,
Brown (2000) considered learners’ self-esteem, inhibition, risk-taking, anxiety,
empathy, and extroversion main determinants of second language learning
achievement. Accordingly, three major affective factors namely motivation, self-
confidence, and language anxiety will be discussed in the present study.

Motivation
Motivation is defined as the combination of effort, desire and favorable attitudes
towards language learning and “the key consideration in determining preparedness of
learners to communicate” (Nunan, 1999, p.232). Littlewood (as cited in Loubazid,
2012) noted that speaking and developing communication skills can only take place if
learners have motivation and opportunity to express their own identity. It is also
noteworthy to mention two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The
former refers to the motivation that comes from within individual while the latter is
caused by outside factors. Those who are intrinsically motivated learn for their self-
perceived goals, such as the enjoyment of learning process or desire to feel better. On
the other hand, those learning for the need to pass an exam or financial reward are
extrinsically motivated (Harmer, 2003). Based on the two types of motivation,
Oroujlou & Vahedi (2011) put forward a number of suggestions for sustaining
learners’ extrinsic motivation such as creating friendly learning environment, setting
short-term goals, connecting language learning to students’ interest outside of class,
etc.

Self-confidence
The role of learners’ self-confidence in foreign language learning has become a
pervasive topic in recent years. Brown (2000) affirmed that “No successful cognitive or
affective activity can be carried out without some degree of self-esteem, self-

10
confidence, knowledge of yourself and believe in your own capabilities for that
activity” (p.145). Self-confidence in second language learning or linguistic self-
confidence is defined as the self- perception of communicative competence or self-
assessment of L2 proficiency. It is a dimension of motivation and anxiety-free state
(Clement, Dornyei, & Noels, 1994, p.422). Concerning the impact of self-confidence
on oral communication, Brown (2000) noted self- confidence factors assume important
roles in determining one’s willingness to communicate. Additionally, self-confident
learners usually take risks at speaking another language regardless of mistakes
committed. They engage in different oral activities irrespective of topics or the number
of students involved. They “learn from mistakes, work hard, and eventually increase
their language proficiency” (Al-sibai, as cited in Al-Hebaish, 2012, p.61). Conversely,
learners with low self-confidence suffer from “uncertainty, insecurity, fear and social
distance” (Rubio, as cited in Al-Hebaish, 2012, p.60). Several studies have appeared in
recent years demonstrating the relation between self-confidence and students’ speaking
skill. As reported by Park and Lee (2004), communication confidence and self-image
of language potential are closely related with oral performance. In line with previous
study, findings obtained by Al-Hebaish (2012) and Abdallah and Ahmed (2015)
suggest that students of high self-confidence are more successful than those of low
self-confidence in both oral communication and academic performance. Al-Hebaish
(2012) further explained that the lack of confidence can lead to lack of interest in
striving for high quality oral performance.

Language anxiety
Anxiety which is “associated with feelings of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt,
apprehension or worry” is a rather common phenomenon experienced in any life
situation (Scovel, as cited in Brown, 2000, p.151). Foreign language anxiety, according
to Maclntyre and Gardner (as cited in Brown, 2000), can be distinguished from other
types of anxiety as it has negative effects on language learning process. As regards its
effect on speaking skill, Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (as cited in Mazouzi, 2013),

11
affirmed that anxiety has been almost entirely associated with oral skill. Mazouzi
(2013) offered further explanation that EFL learners often “feel as if they are in
vulnerable position in which they are expected to express themselves without the
security of their mother tongue” (p.42). Arnold and Brown (as cited in Wang, 2014),
considered anxiety the most pervasive obstruction of learning process. Oya, Manalo,
and Greenwood (as cited in Snyder, 2011) revealed that individuals experiencing
higher level of anxiety were likely to make more mistakes in sentence construction
especially if they were speaking language they did not feel confident in using. It was
also shown that anxiety affects all three stages: input, processing and output of
producing an utterance. Harmer (2003) noted that the “beneficial value of
comprehensible input depends on students’ being relaxed, positive and unthreatened. If
they are not, the affective filter is raised and blocks input being absorbed and
processed” (p.74). In other words, learners can only achieve positive results in the
learning process without the feelings of anxiety.
Moreover, the link between anxiety and self-confidence is identified in the study
of MacIntyre, Noels, and Clement (as cited in Snyder, 2011). It was demonstrated that
highly anxious students often underestimate their competence which is revealed higher
in objective assessment; hence, the importance of providing non-threatening,
supportive learning environment to enhance the level of self-confidence likely to occur
is further stressed (Cheng, Horwitz, & Schallert, as cited in Snyder, 2011).
However, not all kinds of anxiety lead to negative impact. Brown (2000)
distinguished between facilitative and debilitative anxiety and discussed their
contrasting influences on the learning process. Suggested by their names, debilitative
anxiety or severe anxiety is likely to hinder one’s performance whereas facilitative
anxiety or anxiety at moderate level provides “enough tension to get the job done”, is
closely related to competitiveness (Brown, 2000) and helps learners “be willing to
confront the new learning task” (Mazouzi, 2013, p.40).

12
2.3. Social media

2.3.1. Definition

The term “social media” is comprised of two elements: “social” and “media”.
The “social” element allows communication with others, strengthens the ties between
members of the networks in the space of Internet (Zaidieh, 2012, p.18) and “media” is
the declarative statement used to describe something once it has “a reasonably
ubiquitous reach” (Veerasamy, 2013). By analyzing its components, social media can
be generally defined as the “web-based platforms collective of online communications
channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and
collaboration” (Rouse, 2016).
It is also crucial to make a clear distinction between “social media” and “social
networks” as they are often mistakenly used interchangeably yet they express two
different concepts. The fundamental similarity between “social media” and “social
networks” is the effective way of communicating that they offer. In other words, at the
heart of both social media and social networks are relationships (Cohn, 2011).
However, social media encompasses several different types of media such as videos,
blogs that enable users to transmit information to other people. The ability to publish
information is not a core function of a social network but it is absolutely fundamental
to social media (Veerasamy, 2013).

2.3.2. Characteristics and forms of social media

Social media, as aforementioned, is web-based platforms, which represents its

association with the broader context of web 2.0 technologies. Thus, the characteristics
of social media can also be identified by the characteristics of web 2.0. Web 2.0 is the
web-based application emphasizing user-generated content (Harrison & Thomas, 2009,
p.112), usability and interoperability in contrast to Web 1.0, the information-oriented
web where people were limited to the passive viewing of content with little
interactivity (Pegrum, as cited in Harrison & Thomas, 2009, p.112). Web 2.0 develops
online communities with greater degree of interactivity, collaboration, authentic

13
materials and digital literacy skills (Harrison & Thomas, 2009). It provides users with a
personalized platform that relies on mostly asymmetric information exchange
(Ractham & Firpo, 2011, p.1); hence, users can connect with others through the
different channels of their mutually shared online social networks. Examples of Web
2.0 includes social networking sites and social media sites such as Facebook, Myspace,
video sharing sites (e.g., Youtube), wikis, blogs, microblogging (e.g., Twitter),
synchronous conferencing, folksonomies (social tagging whereby users collaborate and
manage tags to categorize and annotate content), etc. (“Examples of web 2.0”, n.d.).
Social media allows individuals to construct public or semi-public profile and to
articulate a list of other users with whom they share connection. Social media, which
includes chat forums, wikis, blogs, social networking sites, can facilitate global
communication, sharing information and online socialization with its high accessibility,
interconnectedness and openness (Mondahl & Razmerita, 2014; Tunde-Awe, 2015).
Moreover, multimedia production in form of audio and video that social media offers
can provide new opportunities for numerous fields in life.

2.4. The role of social media in English learning

The development of web 2.0 tools and worldwide popularity of social media
have led researchers to examining the possibility of social media in teaching and
learning process (Tilfarlioglu, as cited in Basoz, 2016). Notwithstanding the fact that
social media is not directly intended for educational purposes, it is still recognized with
the potential to be used for structured learning process, not to mention changing the
entire educational system (Carroll, 2008; Ziegler, as cited in Basoz, 2016). The benefits
and opportunities social media offers to education have been demonstrated in multitude
of empirical studies. As Sekiguchi (as cited in Basoz, 2016) noted, social media can
promote communities of learning thanks to its features of connecting and socializing. It
provides multiples way of knowing and communicating through its diversity of social,
cultural and political networks (Eijkman, as cited in Leon-Abao, Boholano, &
Dayagbil, 2015). Zaidieh (2012) indicated three major opportunities that social media
brings to education namely flexibility which expands choice on what, when, where and

14
how people learn; repeatability which allows learners to retrieve the information; and
accessibility which overcomes the limitations of space and time in the educational
process and enables learners to study with their own pace and speed.
With regard to English learning, the three prevalent social media services
frequently examined in relationship with the development of English learning process
in various studies are Facebook, Youtube, and Skype.

2.4.1. Facebook

Facebook, which was founded in 2004 by Mark Zukerberg, was initially

designed as a closed online social network available only for Havard University staff
and students. However, since 2006, it has provided free access regardless of
membership in university or company. Based on web 2.0 technology, Facebook is
currently available from any computer with Internet access, providing support for other
device types including mobile devices (Stanciu, Mihai, & Aleca, 2012).There is a wide
range of unique features offered by Facebook that can facilitate global interaction and
engagement of over 750 million active users. Facebook lays great emphasis on
developing online communities closely connected by shared interests or activities. It
enables users to create personal profiles with photos, lists of personal interests, contact
details and other information (Leon-Abao et al., 2015). Some of the prominent features
on Facebook for interaction are News Feed, Facebook pages, Facebook groups and the
latest feature live-streaming. News Feed is the constantly updating lists of stories in the
middle of users’ home page including status updates, photos, videos, links, app
activities, pages and groups followed (“How News Feed works”, n.d.). Facebook pages
enable public figures, organizations and other entities to create authentic and public
presence on Facebook which is visible to everyone on the internet by default. Everyone
on Facebook can like the pages and receive updates on their News Feed. Designed as a
place for small group communication, Facebook groups allow people to gather around
a common issue, discuss their common interests, express opinions and share related
contents. They range widely from serious topics to lighthearted ones (Hicks, 2010).
Facebook live-streaming, which has recently been introduced to users, allows people to

15
broadcast videos of almost anything to a huge audience. The live stream will then
appear on the News Feed of Facebook friends for them to watch and comment as users
broadcast (Bolton, 2016). As such, not only does Facebook serve as a communication
tool with cutting-edge features such as commenting, sharing, uploading media, private
or public messages, creating groups, voice call or video call and even live-streaming
but it is also an unlimited source of information. The power of these features is not
only utilized in communication and socialization but “can potentially be harnessed for
language learning” (Gohwin-Jones, 2008). The online community of Facebook in
which members formulate “ideas into words that are shared with and built upon
through the reaction and responses of others” can carry out meaningful interaction
synchronously or asynchronously with speakers of different languages and allow users
to have access to massive amount of valuable and authentic information on a variety of
topics (Kabilan, Ahmad, & Abidin, 2010). With the informal and personal setting as
well as conversational language used on Facebook, this social media platform also
proves itself as a pressure-free and naturalistic language learning environment that
enables learners to learn most effectively (Alm, 2015; Derakhshan & Hasanabbasi,
2015; Dhanya, 2016; Ractham & Firpo, 2011). Accordingly, learners have more
opportunities to be exposed to relevant real world issues. Their willingness to
communicate, confidence in language acquisition and sense of connectedness can also
be enhanced thanks to authentic interactive communication and better language
learning in social settings in online platforms (Kabilan et al., 2010; Rios & Campos,
2015). At the same time, language anxiety as well as constraints and boring factors
associated with classroom can also be eliminated (Rios & Campos, 2015). As such,
Facebook can boost interactivity, participation and feedback between students, peer
groups and teachers (Harrison & Thomas, 2009). Warchauer (as cited in Swiatek,
2013) provided further elucidation that the background of certain English as a second
language (ESL) students may have unfavorable effects on their ability and willingness
to participate in face-to-face conversation. Nonetheless, when they are engaged online,
the effects of differences are minimized, which encourages more active participation.

16
This point is also confirmed by Ractham and Firpo (2011) who agreed that social
media could be used as learning platform for less involved and introverted learners.
Furthermore, it was shown that Facebook is an effective tool for enhancing English
proficiency. Kabilan et al. (2010) and Wang and Chen (2013) confirmed that Facebook
can make considerable contribution to verbal communication competence in real
world. Kabilan et al. (2010) also indicated that Facebook enhances students’
willingness to write and practice their writing skills because “students feel at ease
writing on Facebook environment when they are able to identify themselves a lot easier
in terms of being a member of Facebook compared to member of community in
classroom situations” (p.7). There are several unique features on Facebook that are
useful for English learning. Through functions such as “comment” and “share”,
“genuine dialogues transpire though the varied use of language within a number of
different conversational contexts”. Facebook users can also share daily routines or
stories in Facebook community which can be further conversed on and dissected by
others (Kabilan et al., 2010). By creating and partaking in special interest group, users
can have opportunities to develop relationships with native speakers who share similar
interests and to foster intercultural communication, hence promoting cross-cultural
understanding (Blattner & Fiori, 2009). This point is also highlighted by Harrison and
Thomas (2009) who suggested that language learning is not solely about the
development of language skills but also the impact of learning process on “their overall
personal development in terms of cultural values and beliefs” (p.114). Additionally, by
sharing, posting and uploading a variety of media on social media for others to learn
and find useful information, students will need to take responsibilities for their work,
which leads to self-directed learning and enhances learners’ autonomy (Chenzi et al, as
cited in Rios & Campos, 2015).

2.4.2. Youtube

With the total of approximately 1 billion users visiting and 6 billion hours of
video watched each month, Youtube is considered the largest video portal and second
largest video search engine worldwide. The abundance of online materials and

17
resources on Youtube whose producers are mainly media corporations, universities,
schools, major language product providers and individuals is overwhelming (Brunner,
2013). The utilization of Youtube in English learning has been examined and proven
feasible in a number of studies thanks to the five main benefits it brings to learners.
Besides its high accessibility and user-friendliness, the easy connection of Youtube
with other social media enables cooperation, i.e sharing videos and communicating
when rating and commenting on videos. It is also available on various devices
including mobile, which proves itself a perfect medium for educational and English
learning purpose (Brunner, 2013). The most important benefit that Youtube offers,
however, is its ability to present authentic language. Several examples of authentic
videos that provide authenticity are movies, television programs, news broadcast, etc.
that “demonstrate real language not simplified, spoken at a normal pace with genuine
accent” (Burt, as cited in Morat & Abidin, 2011). Authentic learning materials play a
crucial role in foreign language learning as they “engage second language learners to
communicate in real context, foster the development of comprehension,
communication skills, and intercultural communication competences” (Bastos &
Ramos, 2009, p.1). The cross-cultural awareness fostered by authentic materials can
“provide a mean for overcoming the cultural and social barriers of language learning”
(Kim, as cited in Akbari & Razavi, 2016). Kuo (as cited in Basoz, 2016) also indicated
that the access to audio-visual materials that Youtube offers can enhance EFL learners’
listening comprehension as well as oral skill (p.431). Enormous numbers of clips of
authentic everyday English within a wide variety of contexts on Youtube “offer unique
cultural dimensions to spoken word highlighting not only academic English but also its
application in real life context, incorporating accents, slang and much else besides”
(Ghasemi & Derewianka, as cited in Alwehaibi, 2015). Moreover, the moving visual
and sound elements could help to arouse learners’ interest and motivation as “they have
the chance to not only hear language in use but also to see it” (Hammer, as cited in
Morat & Abidin, 2011).

18
2.4.3. Skype

Skype is the telecommunication application software specializing in providing

video chat and voice calls from computers, tablets and mobile devices via the Internet
to other devices or telephones/smartphones (Markton, as cited in Nascimento &
Melnyk, 2016). Its useful features include a chat window, in case users have sound
difficulties and screen sharing capability which offers visual benefits to language
learners (Taillefer & Munoz-Luna, 2014). With the estimated number of more than 630
million users of Skype, it is not only a powerful social media platform for
communicating but also for language learning. Skype is widely used to facilitate
language exchange and cross boundaries of place and time for higher possibility of
interaction among language learners. Moreover, it allows users to learn with teachers
from other countries, including native speakers (Nascimento & Melnyk, 2016). Lee
(2013) also studied and indicated the benefits of using Skype to support foreign
teaching and learning. As Lee (2013) noted, Skype can promote collaborative learning
of all types: group-to-group, group-to-person or person-to-person; authentic language
which “happens as learners participate in real world relevant tasks” that require “their
ability to adapt themselves to unfamiliar contexts, flexibility to work with people of
different cultures” and synchronous and asynchronous communication (p.9).

2.5. Previous studies on the impact of social media on English learning

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of the role and
impact of social media or social networking sites on English as a second language
learning, which is demonstrated by the considerable amount of literature published on
this topic.

Kay, Kai, Jun, and Hor (2014) conducted a comprehensive study to identify the
relationship between students’ English proficiency, examination grade and usage of
social networking sites in one university in Malaysia. The data was collected from the
questionnaires completed by 95 students as well as their final grade, quiz results,
assignments marks and coursework marks of their report writing. The findings of the

19
study indicated that students who used social networking sites daily performed better in
report writing than those who used 3 to 5 times per week. However, the two other tests
showed different results as the usage of social networking sites was neither beneficial
nor harmful to users’ English proficiency. The researchers, therefore, were
unconvinced of the positive contribution of social media to learners’ English
competence as they suggested that it also depended on the way students exploited these
platforms and most importantly, their self-control. Moreover, they found that
distinctive internet slang negatively influenced students’ oral presentation skill, though
it was not necessarily their overall oral performance.

In another study, Swiatek (2013) examined the impact of online media on

second language acquisition of Polish students. 54 first-year English philology students
and intermediate foreign language school learners participated in the study. A
questionnaire was distributed among students of different ages and proficiency groups.
The findings obtained from the study showed the significantly positive impact of
English online media on L2 acquisition by Polish students. Several conclusions were
made including the satisfaction of the subjects with the use of social media, the ability
of these social platforms to enhance students’ language skills, social interaction and
especially awareness of English culture and people. However, these are just the results
obtained from students’ perspective and subjective evaluation. Furthermore, the author
offered no explanation for the factors that contributed to students’ development in
English competence when using social media.

Tunde-Awe (2015) investigated the relevance of online social media in English

as a second language in Nigerian University. A designed questionnaire was delivered
to gather data from 200 university undergraduates. The results of the study
demonstrated that students were able to enhance their reading, writing and
communication skills through the use of social media in English learning, which is in
consonance with the findings of Swiatek (2013). 60 percent of respondents stated that
they had never used Facebook platform for academic purposes; however, it still
enabled them to acquire new vocabulary, improve reading and writing skills and build

20
confidence in English communication. These findings, as the researcher suggested,
were achieved when incidental learning on social platforms occurred.

The study carried out by Thurairaj, Hoon, Roy, and Fong (2015) aimed to
investigate the association between students’ usage of social networking sites, language
preference, abbreviations, English short forms used on social networking sites and their
English proficiency. It involved 236 participants from private universities in two states
in Malaysia. The findings indicated that Chinese as the most commonly preferred
language on social networking sites negatively impacted their proficiency in English
language. However, contrary to authors’ hypothesis, the usage of abbreviation and
short forms of students on social networking sites did not affect their English
proficiency because they were aware that misspelling would lead to the deduction in
their mark and they consciously avoided using short forms in formal writing.
Generally, it was suggested that the usage of social networking sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, etc. can enhance learners’ English proficiency, which is consistent with the
two aforementioned studies.

Detailed examination of the effect of social hubs on the improvement of EFL

learners’ speaking skills in Iran by Qarajeh and Abdolmanafi-Rokni (2015) showed
that social media had positive impact on oral communication skills of Iranian EFL
students. 64 participants were equally assigned to experimental and controlled group. A
language test and pre-test were administered to both groups at the beginning of the
study. The treatment in which experimental group was encouraged to use social media
in addition to the traditional class activities and controlled group only attended
traditional regular classes and was not allowed to use computers for communication
lasted three months. In the end, a post test was given to both groups to identify the
impact of social media. The results showed that there was no significant difference in
students’ speaking ability between two groups at the beginning of the study; however,
at the end, there was a considerable distinction between the post scores of experimental
group and controlled group. The authors also implied using social media can reduce
language anxiety of learners and help teachers easily evaluate students’ progress.

21
 Kabilan et al. (2010) investigated the attitudes of students towards the use of
Facebook as a learning environment that could enhance their English language skills.
300 undergraduates in Malaysia partook in the survey. A questionnaire was delivered
to explore students’ general practices of Facebook and their views on Facebook as an
online educational environment. The findings suggested that the majority of students
had positive attitudes towards Facebook as a learning tool and agreed that Facebook
could bolster their confidence in writing, reading and speaking skills. The authors
further explained that their confidence in language use was the “by product” of their
online socialization as their initial aim to use Facebook was not to improve language
skills but to socialize. The possible explanation for students’ success in learning
language in Facebook environment was because they were focusing on experience of
meaning rather than on mechanics of language learning. Facebook, therefore, is
feasible for incidental learning, which is in line with the findings of Tunde-Awe
(2015).

In a recent paper by Srirat (2014), the use of Facebook groups to facilitate the
course English for everyday communication was investigated. 50 students in Thailand
took the pre-test, post-test and responded to a questionnaire on their satisfaction of self-
improvement. The results of pre-test and post-test showed a statistically significant
difference, which indicated students’ improvement in communicative English through
the use of Facebook groups. A large number of respondents stated that their confidence
in speaking was gained when they were able to express feelings with their friends in
English because communication on Facebook made students feel they were socializing
not studying English. Facebook, as a result, again proves itself as a suitable
environment for incidental learning to take place. The findings also revealed that
through cooperative learning students made more progress on language fluency and
grammar accuracy.

Not all studies, nonetheless, examined the positive influence of social media on
education and language learning. Social media, despite its obvious benefits to
communication, socialization and education, is still considered a double-edged sword,

22
which has been demonstrated in several publications. Vural (2015) focused on the
study of not only positive but also negative aspects of using social media in higher
education. The obtained findings showed that the majority of participants experienced
undesirable effect of social media during their online learning including waste of time,
privacy violation, unreliable sources of information, distraction, becoming asocial and
corrupted writing due to expressions used in chatting or messaging via social media.
Similarly, as reported by Leon-Abao et al. (2015), privacy, distraction along with hacks
and viruses were among the top concerns of respondents while using social media.
Mingle and Adams (2015) identified the effects of social network participation on
senior high school students’ grammar, spelling as well as their academic performance
in Ghana. The findings revealed that despite the benefits of improving reading skills
and expanding vocabulary that social media offered, the majority of students indicated
that their spelling of words and English language used in discourse with peers had been
negatively affected by the participation on social media. Moreover, a large number of
them also saw a drop in their grades when they started taking part in social networks.
These findings are in contradiction with most of the above-mentioned researches.

In conclusion, the impact of social media on English learning of EFL/ESL

learners has been studied intensively using various instrumentations and methods. The
increasing amount of literature on this subject acknowledges the importance of social
media in language learning and its application and utilization in English classroom.

2.6. Conclusion

In brief, it is obvious from the literature review that the influence of social
media on English learning has been studied extensively in numerous publications,
which demonstrates that social media is generating considerable interest in terms of its
role in second language acquisition. Nonetheless, despite the widespread recognition of
the potential of social media, there is hardly any study specifically conducted to
examine its impact on oral communication skill of English majors of Hanoi University.

23
This study, therefore, is carried out to address this gap in research. In the following
chapter, the influence of social media on speaking skill will be further investigated.

24
CHAPTER III: METHODS

The aim of the thesis is to investigate the influence of social media on speaking
skill of first and second year English majors of Hanoi University. This chapter
introduces the research methodology for the present research by providing a detailed
description of the subjects, instrumentations, data collection and data analysis
procedure of the entire study.

3.1. Subjects of the study

The participants of the study were 50 first year and 50 second year English
majors at the English Department, Hanoi University. At the time the research was
carried out, the freshmen were currently in second semester while the sophomores were
in the fourth semester of a four-year bachelor degree program. In the first two years
studying at Hanoi University, the syllabus of English majors involves the learning of
four English language skills including Speaking. Freshmen and sophomores would
accordingly be the suitable subjects of this research as they are more likely to
accurately reflect their development of English speaking skill than third and fourth year
students who focus more on translating and interpreting. Based on their academic
performance, it was presumed that their English proficiencies varied considerably, i.e.
the level of first year students was expected to be intermediate while the sophomores
were assumed to achieve advanced level. Moreover, according to the designed syllabus
for the subject of English speaking, the first year English majors focus on the mastery
of basic skills in speaking, i.e. English pronunciation, pair conversation and discussion
while the second year students are required to develop their proficiency in presentation,
debate and discussion skills.

3.2. Research instruments

For the implantation of the study, both secondary and primary research was
adopted. The secondary research was conducted to review the relevant literature and

25
previous empirical studies on the impact of social media on English language learning
of ESL learners. The main secondary sources of the study were printed books,
dictionaries, scholarly studies from libraries and online academic journals.

A questionnaire was designed to gather data for primary research. The method
of using questionnaire was selected because large amount of information can be
collected from a vast number of respondents in a short period of time and results of the
questionnaires can be quickly and easily quantified by either researchers or through the
use of software program. There are a total of 10 questions in the questionnaire to
examine students’ attitude towards the use of social media as an e-learning tool as well
as their habits and practices of using social media to improve speaking skill. The
questions on their subjective and objective evaluation of students’ speaking skill
together with students’ perception toward the benefits, drawbacks and suggested
solutions for the utilization of social media are also included in the survey.

3.3. Procedure

The survey was conducted in the second week of April 2017. 100 questionnaires
were administered to 50 freshmen and 50 sophomores to collect data. Upon distributing
the questionnaires, the respondents were assured that their responses would remain
confidential, anonymous and serve academic purposes only. The students had no
difficulty answering 10 questions and 100 handouts returned were appropriate.

The results of the questionnaires were then collected for analysis. The findings
obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed and presented in the forms of charts
and tables using Microsoft Excel.

The analysis of objective evaluation of students’ speaking skill is based on the

scores of respondents’ speaking skill assessed by teachers in the most two recent terms.
The score in the first term and the most recent term provided by the students were
collected and compared to identify whether there was a relationship between students’
grade improvement and their usage of social media.

26
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1. Students’ attitudes towards the use of social media to improve their English
speaking skill

50 46
42
45
40 34
Percentage of students

32
35
30
25
20 14
12 12
15
8
10
5 0 0
0
Not at all Comparatively Important Very important Extremely
impotant important important

First-year students Second-year students

Figure 1: Students' attitudes towards the use of social media to improve English
speaking skill

Figure 1 illustrates students’ attitudes towards the role of social media in

improving English speaking skill. As revealed by Chart 1, the importance of social
media was recognized by all freshmen and sophomores participating in the study. It
was also suggested that there was no significant difference between the view of
freshmen and sophomores towards social media with the same number of students
from both groups (88%) evaluating social media important or even more to their
improvement in oral skill. This result, which is consistent with those obtained by Basoz
(2016), Low and Warawudhi (2016), Mahmud and Ching (2012), Rios and Campos
(2015), and Wang and Chen (2013), can be explained by the fact that social media is
gaining its status not only as a trend or a shared platform for socialization but also a

27
powerful tool for English learning with the rapid growing of active users. As explained
by Kabilan et al. (2010) who shared the similar findings with the present research,
online platforms can provide authentic interaction and communication that students
might not have experienced before. Furthermore, it offers informal learning
environment which has been confirmed by Alm (2015) and Ractham and Firpo (2011).

4.2. Students’ habits of using social media to enhance speaking skill

100% 14
22
90%
80%
Percentage of students

34
70%
34 More than 14 hours per week
60%
8-14 hours per week
50%
Less than 7 hours per week
40%
50 Never
30% 42
20%
10%
2 2
0%
First-year students Second-year
students

Figure 2: Students' habits of using social media to enhance speaking skill

Students’ habits of employing social media to improve speaking skill are

illustrated in Figure 2. Quite contrary to researcher’s expectation, nearly half of the
respondents only spent less than one hour a day on social media to practice their
speaking skill. One feasible justification for this result is that even though all
participants regarded social media important and accessed it daily, their primary aim
was not to study, but rather for the purpose of social interaction, communication and
connecting with friends. This result also shares the indication with that of Tunde-Awe
(2015) and Stanciu et al. (2012) who found the majority of respondents in their study
did not mainly use social media for academic purpose but basically for friendship.

28
 Furthermore, the number of students used social media less than one hour a day
was not highly distinctive between freshmen and sophomores (50% of freshmen
compared to 42% of sophomores), which suggests that students probably adopt more
preferable strategies to practice English speaking such as in face-to-face settings rather
than online platforms. It is noteworthy, however, that the percentage of sophomores
who used social media more than 2 hours a day to enhance their English oral skill
nearly doubled that of freshmen. There is a possibility that a larger number of
sophomores consider social media a feasible environment for English speaking and
make better use of it. This implication substantiates the findings of Alm (2015) who
indicated that more advanced language learners are often more skillful and active users
of social media in L2.

4.3. The way students exploit social media to enhance speaking skill

80
Percentage of students

70
60
50
40 74 72 70
30 62
20 44 48 48 46
40
10 8 10 20 2 6
0

First-year students Second-year students

Figure 3: The way students exploit social media to enhance speaking skill

As can be seen in figure 3, the two dominant activities frequently carried out by
both freshmen and sophomores on social media to practice their English speaking were
watching videos or livestreams on Facebook, Youtube and liking and following pages

29
on Facebook. This result is comprehensible given the fact that Facebook and Youtube
are two social media platforms that provide vast amount of authentic audio-visual
material which, as also affirmed by Alwehaibi (2015) and Morat and Abidin (2011),
can introduce learners to the nature of language in a more realistic manner. There is
definitely a growing recognition from English majors of the contribution of
authenticity to their speaking skill. The effectiveness of authentic materials has been
demonstrated in numerous studies by Guariento and Morely (as cited in Akbari &
Razavi, 2016) and Alwehaibi (2015) who also claimed that authentic materials can
enhance communicative ability and enrich vocabulary not only in academic English but
also spoken English in real life context. Particularly, this result correlates favorably
with findings of Leon-Abao et al. (2015).
Moreover, the practice of liking and following pages on Facebook was also one
of the most chosen by students. Just by simply clicking the like button and follow
pages on Facebook, users can receive a great source of information on various topics,
especially with the increasing number of pages created for the purpose of teaching,
generating a learning community and offering tips and advices for the improvement of
English speaking these days. In this case, users are the direct beneficiaries of these
educational free-of-charge services (Stanciu et al., 2012). Nevertheless, this result
differs to some extent from those of Alm (2015) who stated that half of the participants
in his study only like pages for entertaining or humorous content and do not consider
this feature for L2.
Virtually half of respondents took advantage of the sharing feature on Facebook
to spread the knowledge for others to learn and find information, which is in agreement
with the findings of Brick (2012), Dhanya (2016) and Leon-Abao et al. (2015).
Joining English clubs on Facebook was another approach for improving English
communication ability adopted by a comparative number of students (40% of freshmen
and 48% of sophomores), which can be justified by the fact that students might rely on
online community to practice speaking out of the desire for sense of belonging,
interconnectedness and active interaction. This is also asserted by Kabilan et al. (2010)

30
who stated that “students need a community where they could relate to each other and
be identified as member of community”.
Strikingly, as depicted in figure 3, the number of freshmen creating and joining
Facebook groups to practice English speaking was less than half of that of sophomores
(44% of sophomores compared to 20% of freshmen). It may be implicated that
sophomores find this Facebook feature more beneficial to their study as they are
required to master discussion, presentation and debate skills in the third and fourth
semester of the degree program. As such, joining group can foster an environment to
exchange ideas, get more ideas for speaking, give suggestions, express opinions and
improve discussion skill. Another explanation for this result is possibly derived from
the fact that first year students of intermediate level have not realized all the potential
of social media platforms in learning English speaking skill. This result also shares a
number of similarities with Alm’s (2015) findings which indicated that “the more
advanced the language level, the more likely they are to be a part of study groups”. The
benefits of Facebook groups towards English language learning has already been
examined in the study of Srirat (2014) who demonstrated that through cooperative
learning on Facebook groups, not only do participants improve their English for oral
communication but also make more progress in language fluency and grammar
accuracy.
Unsurprisingly, the usage of video call or voice call and doing daily vlog to post
on social media platforms and receive feedbacks, were the least chosen by respondents.
Although these are effective methods to improve and practice English speaking as
suggested by Dhanya (2016), it is likely that students in this survey might find these
two activities time-consuming, inconvenient or simply they do not want their videos go
public and show their face on social media. However, it is suggested that further
studies be conducted on the relationship between the usage of the two aforementioned
activities and improvement in English speaking skill of students as well as several
practical solutions to better utilization of these notable features on social media.

31
4.4. Social media’s impact on students’ speaking skill

4.4.1. Subjective evaluation of students’ speaking skill

60
52 52

50
Percentage of stuents

40 36 Not at all
To a small extent
30 26 To some extent
To a moderate extent
20 16 To a large extent

10 6 6 6
0 0
0
First-year students Second-year students

Figure 4: Students' evaluation of their improvement in speaking skill facilitated by the

use of social media

Figure 4 presents students’ self-evaluation of their enhancement in speaking

skill by the utilization of social media. As observed from the chart, all first-year and
second-year students deemed social media the contributor to their development in
English communicative ability with the total of 100 respondents noticing there was at
least a small extent of progress made. In particular, the highest percentage of students
were those who discerned social media could partly enhance their speaking skill and
this percentage is shown identical between two groups of participants (52%). The
number of freshmen believed that their oral skill had been improved dramatically by
social media, however, was larger than that of sophomores albeit the average time
spent on social media to practice speaking skill of freshmen was slightly less than that
of sophomores.

32
 Remarkably, there were two respondents claimed that they never used social
media to learn English, yet they were still aware of the importance and especially the
positive contribution of social media to their English communicative ability. One
possible clarification for this result is that social media, despite not being intentionally
designed for educational purpose, can act as a feasible environment for incidental
learning which allows learners to acquire new vocabulary, build their confidence to
communicate in English as a “by-product” of their online socialization even though
their initial aim to use social media is not to enhance language skills. This noteworthy
outcome substantiates prior findings of Kabilan et al. (2010), Srirat (2014) and Tunde-
Awe (2015). It should be noted, therefore, that successful learning takes place in
naturalistic environment and focuses on the experience of meaning making rather than
on mechanics of language learning.

4.4.2. Objective evaluation of students’ speaking skill

100
90
80
Percentage of students

70
60
More than 14 hours per week
50
8-14 hours per week
40
Less than 7 hours per week
30
20 Never

10
0

No improvement in
score Improvement in
score

Figure 5: Objective evaluation of freshmen's speaking skill

Chart 5 demonstrates the objective assessment of first-year students’ English

speaking skill. As seen from the chart, the majority of freshmen (94%) did not have

33
any improvement in score of the second semester compared with that of the previous
semester. Although the minority of students (6%) had improvement in score were those
who employed social media more than one hour a day to practice speaking skill, the
ratio was too low to reveal any significant differences between the grade improvement
of those who used social media less than one hour a day and those who used more than
one hour a day. Quite opposing to students’ perceptions on their own enhancement, the
usage of social media appears to have no substantial positive impact on the results of
students’ academic performance in terms of speaking skill.

80

70 18
Percentage of students

60
More than 14 hours per week
50 22
8-14 hours per week
40
Less than 7 hours per week
30
4 Never
34
20
12
10
8
2 0
0
No improvement in Improvement in
score score

Figure 6: Objective evaluation of sophomores' speaking skill

Relatively similar to the results obtained from first-year students, a considerable

number of sophomores, which accounts for 76%, did not show any grade improvement
in speaking skill. Likewise, as shown in chart 6, no correlation between the increase in
students’ score and the usage of social media can be identified. Unlike other research
carried out in this area which demonstrated the positive impact of social media on
overall learning achievement and language skills (Qarajeh & Abdolmanafi- Rokni,
2015; Srirat, 2014; Wang & Chen, 2013), the present study do not detect any
considerable enhancement in speaking skill facilitated by students’ participation in

34
online platforms through objective assessment. Although these results do not support
several published studies, they are consistent with those of Kay et al. (2014) and
Mingle and Adams (2015). Kay et al. (2014) identified that social media was neither
beneficial or harmful towards users’ English proficiency while Mingle and Adams
(2015) found that students’ participation in social media even led to their lower grades
because it could distract their study. Nonetheless, the findings need to be interpreted
with attention given that there are a number of other factors that can influence students’
speaking test scores, i.e. test anxiety, increasingly demanding criteria for assessment,
etc. Specifically, the way students use social media and their self-control in online
platforms, according to Kay et al. (2014), is another factor determining the extent to
which social media positively influences students’ academic performance, and in this
case, speaking skills. Social media, further suggested by Rios and Campos (2015),
should be considered as an optional tool, a supplement rather than a replacement in
English teaching and learning.

35
4.5. Benefits of using social media as an e-learning tool

86 84
90
74 76
80
68
Percentage of students
70
60 52
48 46
50 42 4444 40
38 36
40 32
26
30
18 18
20 14 First-year students
10
10 Second-year students
0

Figure 7: Benefits of using social media as an e-learning tool

Chart 7 demonstrates students’ standpoint on the advantages of using social

media to enhance speaking skill. The contribution of social media to the improvement
of English pronunciation and vocabulary expansion, as described in the chart, were
perceived by the majority of students with the highest proportion of respondents.
Nearly three quarters of freshmen and 86% of sophomores stated that social media was
the ideal environment to better their pronunciation. Similarly, 76% of freshmen and
84% of sophomores believed their vocabulary could be expanded thanks to the
facilitation of social media. With the habits of watching videos of authentic and natural
spoken English on social media revealed in the earlier findings, it is of no doubt that
students consider their pronunciation and vocabulary the main beneficiaries of the
online platforms. The result is barely distinguishable from Basoz (2016), Mahmud and
Ching (2012), Mingle and Adams (2015), and Kabilan et al. (2010).

36
 As regards collaboration, engagement and peer feedbacks fostered by social
media, only about one third of sophomores agreed with this statement; however, the
number of sophomores even more than tripled that of freshmen, which can be
explained by the better utilization of Facebook group of second-year students in
comparison with first-year students. Nonetheless, the fact that only a small proportion
of respondents benefited from social media in terms of cooperation and peer interaction
somewhat reflects first and second-year students are still not active on social media
platform to create a learning community. One possible justification for this result is
that students probably opt for individual and independent learning in preference to
interactive learning on social media. This outcome, moreover, does not appear to
corroborate the findings obtained from previous studies of Ractham and Firpo (2011)
and Derakhshan and Hasanabbasi (2015).
Additionally, only a small number of participants (approximately one-fifth of
freshmen and sophomores) agreed that social media can improve their sentence
structure, which shares the indication with Basoz (2016), Mahmud and Ching (2013),
and Wang and Chen (2013). There is a possibility that online platforms can trigger the
excessive use of laid-back and informal language which can cause students to be
indolent in using correct grammar and to construct wrong sentences.
Notably, only a minority of survey partakers thought that social media could
build up their confidence in oral communication. Although this result is in
contradiction with those of Basoz (2016), Kabilan et al. (2010), and Tunde-Awe
(2015), it can nevertheless be argued that there is still a distinction between face-to-
face and virtual settings despite the power of social media as a tool to communicate
and connect people. Students who are willing to express themselves in online platform
are not necessarily those who are active participants in real-life context.

37
4.6. Drawbacks of using social media as an e-learning tool

68
Percentage of students 70 62
60 50 46
50 46
40 36
26 38
30 24 20 24 26
20 16
14
10 12 16
0
First-year students
Second-year students

Figure 8: Drawbacks of using social media as an e-learning tool

The disadvantages of using social media to learn English speaking perceived by

students are illustrated in Figure 8. As can be observed, the majority of both freshmen
and sophomores considered distracting multi-tasking the main drawback when using
social media as an e-learning tool. These distractions may occur when their friends are
online initiating an irrelevant chat or users undesirably receive notifications or
messages when they are making attempts to focus on online study. Consistent and
continual distraction can lead to shorter attention spans, which can disrupt the learning
progress and task accomplishment. It is very likely that this is the partial cause of the
absence of improvement in students’ score in speaking skill as several studies have
shown multi-tasking can have negative impact on students’ grade (Carrier & Cheever,
2013; Junco & Cotton, 2011, as cited in Park, 2014). This result is in good agreement
with Leon-Abao et al. (2015) and Vural (2015).

38
 The issues of privacy, despite causing mounting concern among various
educators and researchers in the field, were not a serious matter for participants in the
study which was experienced by only one quarter of freshmen and 16% of sophomores.
The outcome, however, does not seem to confirm the findings of Leon-Abao et al.
(2015) and Zaidieh (2012) which indicated privacy is the top rank obstacle among
respondents in their studies.
Cyber-bullying, waste of time or diminished knowledge of standard language,
likewise, were among the least chosen by participants which were encountered by
about one fifth of each student group. Nonetheless, the waste of time and disruption of
Standard English language, were the chief concern of Kay et al. (2014), Mingle and
Adams (2015), and Vural (2015).

4.7. Suggested solutions to the drawbacks

60
60 56
52 52
48
50 46 Set time limit for computer-
42 42 related activities
percentage of students

40 Adopt strategies to select

reliable sources
Launch program to educate
30
24 24 users
Stricter policies again cyber
20 crime
Install self-regulation apps
10

0
First-year students Second-year students

Figure 9: Suggested solutions to the drawbacks of using social media

Chart 9 shows the solutions that students consider most effective to overcome
the above-mentioned unsolicited drawbacks of using social media. As seen from the
chart, the strategy that a high proportion of respondents agreed with was to set time

39
restriction for irrelevant activities on computers. When the temptation of checking
mails, texts or accessing social sites for recreational purpose cannot be resisted, it is
suggested that learners allow specific amount of time to deal with computer-related
activities first so that academic tasks will not be interrupted. The result obtained is
comprehensible given that distractive multi-tasking while employing social media is
the major obstacle to effective learning for a large number of participants.
In case users cannot adhere to the time limit plan, the self-regulation
applications were also suggested by approximately half of respondents as these
applications can help block the access to other unrelated websites if it is not within the
set hours and time limit.
Expectedly, with the least number of students considering cyber-bullying a
drawback, only about one quarter of respondents put forward the solution of adopting
more stringent policies against cybercrime.
Taking the overwhelming sources of information and data published on the
Internet and social media into consideration, about half of the participants (52% of
freshmen and 46% of sophomores) also opted for the option of developing strategies to
better evaluate the reliability of these sources. This is of great importance when it
comes to conducting a research or finding ideas for speaking topics, etc. Since sources
on Internet and social media are not regulated for quality and accuracy, the
unauthorized or misleading information can negatively affect the quality of the work.
There are a number of strategies to assist users in identifying the quality of web pages
or information posted on social media, i.e. taking into accounts factors such as
authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, appearance of the websites.
Additionally, nearly half of the respondents deemed that there should be more
programs launched to inform users of the proper use of social media and raise their
awareness of the risk of identity theft or fraud, disturbing and harassing content and
latent hazard of social media if being misused. As noted by Zaidieh (2012), users often
voice their concern about privacy of personal information yet they are “less than
vigilant about safeguarding it”. They are properly not fully aware of the consequence

40
of personal information disclosure on social media where anyone can easily get access
to it. Tips for safe usage of social media such as customizing privacy setting or avoid
sharing person details are also given.
One possible direction for further studies, hence, would be to investigate the
effectiveness of these tactics towards students’ learning on social media or virtual
platforms to identify whether implementing these strategies can improve students’
performance and minimize all of the negative aspects of employing social media for
second language acquisition in general and learning English speaking skill in
particular.

41
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

In the earlier chapters, several drawbacks of using social media perceived by

first and second-year English majors have been identified and examined. In the light of
presented findings, a number of practical solutions will be put forward and discussed
more thoroughly in this chapter with a view to assisting students in overcoming those
drawbacks and appropriately utilizing social media in learning English.

5.1. Suggestions for the proper use of social media

Social media with its tremendous power offers a multitude of opportunities and
benefits and functions as “a gatekeeper for the harboring of online connection between
users” (Suliveres, 2014). However, it also presents a number of disadvantages that
might prove a hindrance to the learning process. The solutions suggested below will
hopefully pave the way for users to create a safe environment for obtaining educational
benefits.

5.1.1. Adopting strategies to evaluate the reliability of sources

As mentioned in the previous chapter, the untrustworthy and large amount of

information on the Internet can make it difficult for learners to select the appropriate
materials as not all information published is regulated for quality or accuracy.
Moreover, anyone can post and share non-verified piece of information easily on social
media. Therefore, it is suggested that users consider several criteria before making a
decision regarding the academic quality of a source. Any links or websites appearing
on social media need to be checked for its reliability. One of the criteria for assessing
the source is website’s domain which provides indication of the sites’ mission or
purpose. For example, the domain “.org” presents advocacy websites while “.com” is
the site of business of commercial entity. The next criterion to be considered is the
authority of the website. It is necessary for users to identify the authors of the articles,
his or her credentials, etc. Moreover, the currency of the source, appearance and

42
functionality of websites also need to be checked carefully. Lastly, the criterion that
helps to affirm whether a website is reliable or not is the accuracy and objectivity of
the source. All the sources, statistics, bibliographies included need to be cited. Also, if
the web page contains advertisement, there might be a connection between the
advertising and the content of the articles (“Evaluating Internet Sources”, n.d.).

5.1.2. Avoiding distracting multi-tasking

Social media can cross the borders of time and space to enable users to use it at
will. However, the use of this web-based application can also be interrupted by a lot of
temptation and irrelevant non-academic activities on the Internet. This requires high
level of self-regulation and self-discipline. One of the viable solutions to this problem
is scheduling a time for distraction. Allowing a specific amount of time to complete all
of the unrelated tasks in advance can help reduce the distraction and interference.
There are also applications that enable users to block the access of selected websites
and prevent the viewing within the set time (Ishak, 2016). Additionally, users can
simply turn off or silence the excessive notifications to eliminate any disturbances of
concentration. It is also helpful to track the time spent online by some designed
websites which will tell users how much time they have spent on a given app or
website. This can help users to identify whether the time was spent on the wrong place
and make necessary adjustments (Gordon, 2014).

5.1.3. Protecting privacy on social media

All of the features on social media namely “like”, “follow”, “share” and
“repost” can offer convenience and quick, direct communication for users.
Nonetheless, they can simultaneously pose several latent risks if users are unaware of
settings and unintentionally “leave digital breadcrumbs of personal information across
the networks”. Social media is also a place of commercial purpose in which
cybercriminals use it to entice users into taking part in contests or promotional
activities. (“How to protect your social media privacy”, 2014). The answer to this
problem is to set privacy to the highest level. By way of illustration, Facebook users

43
can manage who will be able to see their post by creating Facebook restricted groups
(Alton, n.d.) Moreover, the installation of reliable security programs or software on
computers and mobile devices to identify and prevent risky settings on different
browsers is advised (“How to protect your social media privacy”, 2014). It is also of
great importance to carefully consider the content posted on social media, especially
the personal information such as birth date or physical address, etc. (Wasserman, n.d.).

5.1.4. Preventing cyber-bullying

Cyber-bullying is known as the use of technology, internet, and social media for
the harassment against another person by sending intentionally malevolent and
threatening messages, spreading malicious rumors and tactless commentary or even
stealing others’ account information and use it to send destructive messages
(Kavanagh, n.d.). To avoid being a victim of cyber-bullying, it is advised that users
protect their own account by not sharing password with anyone, changing privacy and
security settings, blocking the person and reporting the problem to service in case of
continual harassment in comments or tagged photos (“Tips to help stop cyberbullying”,
2013).

5.1.5. Avoiding spam and disturbing content

Spam is described as the “irrelevant or unsolicited messages sent over the

Internet” (Tolentino, 2015). It involves sending bulk messages with similar content to a
group of people in a short amount of time; spreading malicious links which can trigger
the download of malware or stealing personal information once it is clinked with the
intention of misleading or damaging users or devices; click-bating, the act of posting
sensational headlines to encourage users to click through the non-existent or false
content; and like-jacking which tricks users to post a status for the promoting of a
certain site without their prior consent. All of these troublesome activities can be halted
by increasing the security level of account. It is suggested that users change Facebook
friend request settings in case spammers target users with public Facebook profiles to
phish information by sending out random messages and friend requests and stay away

44
from advertisements or third party apps and services as this might be a way for
spammers to get access to users’ networks (“How to protect your social media
privacy”, 2014). It can also be prevented by blocking and reporting the person
repeatedly posting spam contents.

5.1.6. Using social media as an enhancement not a substitute

Social media has become an increasingly controversial topic in recent years.

Some agree that social media is highly beneficial as it allows more connection,
interaction and the establishment of social links which are difficult to build in real life
(Suliveres, 2014), others argue the disadvantages of social media even “go deeper than
privacy or safety” as it causes face-to-face interaction to feel disconnected and reduce
real communication skills (Price-Mitchell, 2014). Regardless of the contrary views
towards these virtual platforms, it is still “in the hands of users to use it to its
advantage” (Ahmad, 2016). Social media should only be used to enhance the
relationships which people “hold dear in the real world”, a tool for communication not
a replacement for it (Suliveres, 2014).

5.2. Conclusion

In summary, this paper has gone some way towards enhancing our
understanding of the influence of social media on speaking skill of first and second-
year English majors at Hanoi University. Seeking to identify not only students’ usage
of social media as an e-learning tool but also any potential improvement in students’
English oral skill with the facilitation of social media, this study was conducted in the
hope of giving detailed and accurate analysis on the topic.
The results of the study can be summed up as follows: First, all of the students
partook in the study apprehend the importance of social media in improving speaking
skill and generally adopt a positive attitude towards the use of social media shown by
their self-evaluation of progress made in this skill. Second, Facebook and Youtube are
the two main social media platforms that most of the students access to on a daily basis
despite the moderate amount of time spent on these platforms. The most frequent

45
activities carried out are watching videos and following pages on Facebook, which is a
great way for students to obtain authentic and abundant sources of information. As
such, social media is considered most beneficial to the development of students’
pronunciation and vocabulary. Furthermore, all participants deem social media the
contributor to their improvement in English oral communicative ability. Nonetheless,
there was little improvement in students’ score in the most two recent terms. No
correlation between the amount of time spent on social media and grade improvement
can be identified, which can possibly be derived from the fact that students do not
make the best use of all features on social media for the learning purposes. Moreover,
distraction from multi-tasking on social media can be a major hindrance to their
success in achieving high proficiency in English speaking. Lastly, the majority of
respondents also propose setting time limit for irrelevant non-academic computer-
related activities to prevent the interference of multitasking and reduce the “side effect”
of learning on social media.
A number of potential limitations of the study also need to be taken into
account. The participants of the study were only 50 first-year and 50 second-year
English majors. The small sample size cannot be considered as representative of all
first and second-year English majors at Hanoi University. Moreover, the scope of the
study was restricted to the descriptive data collected from questionnaires. The present
study clearly has several shortfalls. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the findings could add
to the growing body of literature on the effect of social media in second language
acquisition and serve as the springboard for future researches.
Follow-up studies on the current topic are recommended to focus on the role of
social media in developing language skills with descriptive and experimental
examination of the use of social media in foreign teaching and learning. They may also
focus on examining the effectiveness of proposed strategies in minimizing the negative
aspects of social media in learning. Despite a number of shortcomings, social media, if
being used appropriately, can reach its potential not only as a virtual platform for
socialization or entertainment but also a feasible environment for language learning.

46
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 APPENDIX

Questionnaire

Dear respondents, my name is Do Thuy Linh, a senior from English

Department, Hanoi University. This questionnaire is conducted as part of my research
to investigate the influence of social media on speaking skills of first and second year
English majors. Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire. For each
question, please choose or specify the answer that best corresponds to your views. The
information provided will be kept confidential and used for academic purposes only.
Thank you very much for your cooperation!

1. What year of study are you in?

a. Undergraduate, 1st year
b. Undergraduate, 2nd year

2. On the scale from 15 (not at all important  extremely important), what
is your evaluation of the role of social media (including Youtube, Facebook,
Skype, Google +, Instagram, etc.) in improving English speaking?

Not at all Comparatively Important Very Extremely

important important Important important
1 2 3 4 5

3. What do you think are the benefits of using social media (SM) in improving
speaking skills? You can choose MORE THAN ONE OPTION
a. SM helps to improve my pronunciation, accent, word stress and intonation

v
b. SM extends my vocabulary, useful slangs, colloquial expressions used in
speaking
c. SM widens my grammar structures
d. SM creates a more stress- free environment to practice English speaking
e. SM provides flexible time to practice my speaking skill at will
f. SM gives me more chances to connect with native speakers
g. SM boosts engagement and collaboration with my friends and provides instant
peer feedbacks
h. SM motivates me to study with its user-friendly display and auditory- visual
support and authentic materials
i. SM provides me with more ideas used in discussion, debate, etc.
j. SM enhances my confidence in communication
k. Others (please specify)…………………………………………………………

4. How often do you use social media to learn English?

a. Never
b. Less than 7 hours per week ( less than 1 hour a day)
c. 8 -14 hours per week (approximately 1-2 hours a day)
d. More than 14 hours per week (more than 2 hours a day)

5. Which of the following activities do you often carry out on social media to
practice your speaking skills? You can choose MORE THAN ONE
OPTION.
a. Watch videos and livestreams on Facebook, Youtube, etc. and shadow/ mimic
the stress, intonation, accent of native speakers
b. Like and follow pages on Facebook to get updated about the tactics to improve
speaking

vi
c. Use video call or voice call on Facebook or Skype to practice English speaking
with friends
d. Create groups on Facebook to discuss or exchange ideas for debate/discussion
e. Livestream or do daily vlog to practice English speaking and receive feedbacks
f. Join in English speaking groups/ clubs on Facebook or Skype
g. Share useful videos and knowledge so that others can learn as well
h. Others (please specify): ………………………………………………………

6. In your opinion, to what extent has your speaking skills been improved by
the use of social media?
Not at all To a small To some To a moderate To a large
extent extent extent extent
1 2 3 4 5

7. What is your speaking score of the first semester?

a. 9.0 and above
b. 8.0- 8.5
c. 7.0- 7.5
d. 5.0- 6.5
e. Under 5.0

8. What is your most recent score in speaking?

a. 9.0 and above
b. 8.0- 8.5
c. 7.0- 7.5
d. 5.0- 6.5
e. Under 5.0

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9. Which of the following do you think are the drawbacks of using social
media to practice English speaking? You can choose MORE THAN ONE
OPTION.
a. Distractive multitasking while using social media
b. Untrustworthy and overwhelming sources of information
c. Discouragement of face to face communication
d. Diminished knowledge of standard language (the use of textspeak: LOL, omg,
yolo, bro,..)
e. Issues of privacy
f. Cyberbullying (harsh and non-constructive comment/ criticism/ feedback)
g. Waste of time
h. Experience of disturbing content, annoying spam
i. Others (please specify) …………………………………………………………

10. In your opinion, which of the following are the solutions for the
aforementioned drawbacks? You can choose MORE THAN ONE
OPTION.
a. SM users set time limit for computer-related activities (to prevent distractive
multitasking)
b. SM users adopt strategies and techniques to judge and select reliable sources
c. More programs are launched to educate and inform users of the proper use of
social media
d. Authority implements stricter policies against cybercrime
e. SM users install self-regulation apps on smartphone
f. Others (please specify)………………………………………………………….

Thank you very much for your cooperation!

viii