Social networks and higher education: The attitudes of university students towards the educational use of social networks, back to test

• Main Authors: Juan GONZÁLEZ MARTÍNEZ, Mar LLEIXÀ FORTUÑO, Cinta ESPUNY VIDAL
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca 2016-07-01
• Series: Education in the Knowledge Society
• Subjects: Tecnología de la Educación; Redes Sociales; Expectativas; Enseñanza Superior
• Online Access: http://revistas.usal.es/index.php/revistatesi/article/view/14898

In a context in which social networks continue to advance in its social use, this study aims to investigate the attitudes of university students towards the educational use of social networks. Through a questionnaire we have interrogated a sample (N = 141) of new students on their knowledge and use of social networks, in their personal and academic lives. Our main results certify that students use much social networks in their personal life but not in their academic tasks, partly because of the lack of initiative of teachers to use them. In any case, no major misgivings for their incorporation are observed, and attitudes are generally better than those documented in previous studies. Therefore, we can proceed to incorporate social networks normally into university life.