The Potential Use of Social Media on Malaysian Primary Students to Improve Writing

Abstract

English has always been the second language taught in both primary and secondary schools in Malaysia. Students need to master English for communication, job requirements, advancement in science and technology and many other reasons. One of the most difficult components to master is the writing skill. As it requires knowledge in grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary to produce a good piece of writing, students must be fully equipped with all the essential abilities. Henceforth, this study aims to investigate the potential use of social media in improving the writing skill among primary students. The respondents of this research comprised of 47 ESL primary school students from a rural area in one of the states in Malaysia. The students’ perceptions were measured through a questionnaire comprising a survey and open-ended questions. The finding of this study indicated that most respondents have access to social media and that they perceived social media as beneficial for the ESL educators to incorporate ICT into their teaching repertoire. It is concluded that incorporating social media in the classroom breaks the barriers in learning and converts it into a constructive learning environment.