The Role of Social Media in Supporting University-Level Learning

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/irjmmc.v7i2.94387

Keywords:

knowledge acquisition, educational resource, learning, social media platform, student engagement

Abstract

The main aim of the study is to analyse the social media as an educational source. The study was carried out among the bachelor level students. The research study was guided by pragmatism philosophy and the cross-sectional survey research design was applied. Among the bachelor level students, 550 were selected from four faculty i.e. management, education, humanities and science by using simple random sampling method. SPSS version 27 was used to analyse data, and Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U-Test and Independent-Samples Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to test hypotheses. Result showed that social medias were the basic study resources for University level students. They have used social media for listening to expert, searching for study materials, clearing the confusion, increasing learning interest, interacting with friends, learning cooperatively, establishing friendly relationship, and creating social connections. The null hypothesis "there is no significant difference between gender, caste and religion and their attitude towards social media as an educational resources" is rejected (p=0.000). The social medias were the crucial source of information, knowledge and skills for the university level students of this modern era.  They can search required information through various web portals of social media. The study provides insight to wise use of social media in education field, especially in university level for searching study materials as well as to create the collaborative learning environment. The universities and colleges should make policy and plan to integrate students' learning with social media and various web portals to make their students competent in this competitive world.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Ram Prasad Adhikari, Makawanpur Multiple Campus

    Associate Professor

  • Shankar Prasad Upadhyay, Makawanpur Multiple Campus

    Professor

  • Bhashkar Chandra Adhikari, Makawanpur Multiple Campus

    Lecturer

  • Arju Manjan, Makawanpur Multiple Campus

    B.Ed. Student

  • Kabina Rai, Makawanpur Multiple Campus

    B.Ed. Student

  • Manisha Dulal, Makawanpur Multiple Campus

    B.Ed. Student

References

1. Acharya, U. (2022). Nepal social media users survey 2021. Center for Media Research Nepal. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.21592.16640

2. Aleisa, N. A. (2022). Graduate student’s use of social media as a learning space. Cogent Education, 9, 25. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2021.2010486

3. Alenezi, W., & Brinthaupt, T. M. (2022). The use of social media as a tool for learning: Perspectives of students in the faculty of education at Kuwait university. Contemporary Educational Technology, 14(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/11476

4. Al-Rahmi, W., Othman, M. S., & Yusuf, L. M. (2015). The role of social media for collaborative learning to improve academic performance of students and researchers in Malaysian higher education . The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(4). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i4.2326

5. Alshammari, M. M., Al-Mamary, Y. H., & A. A. (2024). Revolutionizing education: unleashing the power of social media in Saudi Arabian public universities. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(808), 1-12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03313-w

6. Alzain, Z., Alfayez, A., Alsalman, D., Alanezi, F., Hariri, B., Al-Rayes, S., Alhodaib, H., & Alanzi, T. (2021). The role of social media in the training and continuing education of healthcare professionals in Eastern Saudi Arabia. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 24. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2021.100587

7. Anderson, T. (2019). Challenges and opportunities for use of social media in higher education. Journal of Learning for Development, 6(1), 6-19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v6i1.327

8. Ansari, J. A., & Khan, N. A. (2020). Exploring the role of social media in collaborative learning the new domain of learning. Smart Learning Environments , 7(9). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-020-00118-7

9. Aryal , N., & Rajbhandari, A. (2024). Social media use and anxiety levels among school adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Kathmandu, Nepal. BMJ Public Health, 1. https://doi.org/10. 1136/bmjph-2023-000615

10. Barrot, J. S. (2021). Scientific mapping of social media in education: a decade of exponential growth. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 59(4), 645-668. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331209720

11. Capriotti, P., & Zeler, I. (2023). Analysing effective social media communication in higher education institutions. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications , 10(656). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02187-8

12. Chan,, W. T., & Leung, C. H. (2016). The use of social media for blended learning in tertiary education. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 4(4), 771-778. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2016.040414

13. Chawinga, W. D. (2017). Taking social media to a university classroom: teaching and learning using Twitter and blogs. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(3). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0041-6

14. Chen, X., Wang, J., Jin, L., & Fan, Y. (2024). Social media use by teachers during work and its effects on their performance: the role of teacher’s wellbeing and social media addiction. BMC Psychology, 12(617). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02115-8

15. Chiang, A. L., Karl, T., & Chan, W. W. (2019). Mo1623 – The role of social media on promotion and education of colorectal cancer screening. Gastroenterology, 156(6), S-805-S-807. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-5085(19)38966-8

16. Chugh, R., & Ruhi, U. (2017). Social media in higher education: a literature review of Facebook. Education and Information Technologies, 23, 605-616. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9621-2

17. Clark, M., Fine, M. B., & Scheuer, C.-L. (2017 ). Relationship quality in higher education marketing: the role of social media engagement. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 27(1), 40–58. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2016.1269036

18. Egas, P. B., & Toasa, R. M. (2024). Dynamic education with social media. International Conference in Information Technology and Education (pp. pp 412–420). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-74751-9_38

19. Erden, Y., Kahraman, H. A., & Çiftçi, B. (2024). Harnessing the power of social media: transforming nursing education for unmatched academic success. BMC Nursing , 23(847). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02513-8

20. Faizi, R., & Afia, A. E. (2013). Exploring the potential benefits of using social media in education. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 3(4), 50-53. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.3991/ijep.v3i4.2836

21. Faizi, R., Afia, A. E., & Chiheb, R. (2013). Exploring the potential benefits of using social media in education. Internationzl Journal of Engineering Pedagogy, 3(4), 50-53. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v3i4.2836

22. Firdaus, M., Purnomo, A., Rosyidah, E., Young, M. N., Anam, F., Prasetyo, Y. T., & Persada, S. F. (2024). Patent landscape of social media in education: a review. Procedia Computer Science, 234, 780-786. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2024.03.064

23. Ghimire, S. P. (2022). Secondary students’ learning English through social media: a case study in Nepal. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 8(3), 529-544. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.2758

24. Greenhow, C., Galvin, S. M., & Willet, K. B. (2019). What should be the role of social media in education? Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6(2), 178-185. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732219865290

25. Greenhow, C., Galvin, S. M., & WilletK., B. S. (2019). What should be the role of social media in education? Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6(2), 178-185. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732219865290

26. Guo, W. (2024). Navigating cultural integration: The role of social media among Chinese students in the UK. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-02111-8

27. Gurcan, H. I. (2015). Contribution of social media to the students’ academic development. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 5(12), 965-968. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJIET.2015.V5.647

28. Hamal, J. B. (2021). Impact of social media on ademic performance of graduate students in Kathmandu. Interdisciplinary Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 2(2), 37-49. https://doi.org/10.3126/ijmss.v2i2.42600

29. Ignacimuthu, L., & Kumar, M. V. (2020). Theories of social media and learning: a study on the use of social media by undergraduate students. IGI Global, 142-144. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-3464-9.ch017

30. Karayigit, C., & Parlade, J. (2023). Social media use among U.S. college students attending a midwestern university. Journal of Educational Technology & Online Learning, , 6(2), 329-341. https://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.1196222

31. Khan, T., Kend, M., & Robertson, S. (2016). Use of social media by university accounting students and its impact on learning outcomes. 25(6), 534-567. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/09639284.2016.1230880

32. Lacka, E., Wong, T., & Haddoud, M. Y. (2021). Can digital technologies improve students' efficiency? Exploring the role of virtual learning environment and social media use in higher education. Computers & Education, 163. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104099

33. Lamichhane, S. (2021). Impact of social media on Nepalese society. KathmanduPati.

34. Li, L., Ma, Z., Fan, L., Lee, S., Yu, H., & Hemphill, L. (2024). ChatGPT in education: a discourse analysis of worries and concerns on social media. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 10729-10762. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12256-9

35. Liu, Y. (2010). Social media tools as a learning resource. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange, 3(1), 101-114.

36. Manca, S., & Ranieri, M. (2016). Facebook and the others. Potentials and obstacles of social media for teaching in higher education. Computers & Education, 95, 216-230. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.01.012

37. Marufa, R. I., Kusumawati, Y. A., & Radhitanti, A. (2024). Educating middle adolescent through social media: the impact of early marriage on achieving high education. Procedia Computer Science, 245, 1182-1191. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2024.10.348

38. McLoughlin, C., & Lee, M. J. (2010). Personalised and self regulated learning in the Web 2.0 era: international exemplars of innovative pedagogy using social software. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(1), 28-43. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1100

39. Moges, B. T., Assefa, Y., Tilwani, S. A., Azmera, Y. A., & Aynalem, W. B. (2023). Psychosocial role of social media use within the learning environment: does it mediate student engagement? Cogent Education, 10(2). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2276450

40. Moshi, S. B., Ndeke, S., Stephen, A., & O. Ngozi, D. (2018). Social media use influence on learning behaviour of secondary school students in Moshi municipality, Tanzania. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 6(3), 91. https://doi.org/10.25215/0603.029

41. Nasution, A. K. (2023). Analyzing the use of social media in education: a bibliometric review of research publications. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 9495–9516. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12179-5

42. Neier, S., & Zayer, L. T. (2015). Students’ perceptions and experiences of social media in higher education. Journal of Marketing Education, 37(3), 133-143. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475315583748

43. Noori, A. Q., Orfan, S. N., Akramy, S. A., & Hashemi, A. (2022). The use of social media in EFL learning and teaching in higher education of Afghanistan. Cogent Social Sciences, 8(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2022.2027613

44. Odoom, D., Agyepong, L., Dick-Sagoe, C., & Mensah, E. O. (2024). Unveiling the social media landscape: exploring factors influencing usage patterns among tertiary education students in Ghana. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12944-0

45. Pei, Y., Qi, X., Zhu, Z., Zhang, W., Tsay, R.-M., & Wu, B. (2024). The informal discussion of advance care planning among Chinese older adults: do education and social media use matter? Geriatric Nursing, 55, 1-5. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2023.10.023

46. Purvis, A., Rodger, H., & Beckingham, S. (2020). Experiences and perspectives of social media in learning and teaching in higher education. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 19(58). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100018

47. Raut, V., & Patil, P. (2016). Use of social media in education: positive and negative impact on the students. International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication, 4(1), 281-285. https://doi.org/http://www.ijritcc.org

48. Rodriguez, J. E. (2011). Social media use in higher education: key areas to consider for educators. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 7(4), 539-550.

49. Sengupta, S., & Vaish, A. (2023). A study on social media and higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Universal Access in the Information Society, 23, 1249–1271. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-00988-x

50. Shah, S. S., Zangla, E., Qader, M. A., Chaturvedi, S., & Mannemuddhu, S. S. (2023). Embracing the (r)evolution of social media and digital scholarship in pediatric nephrology education. Pediatric Nephrology, 39(2061-2077), 2061–2077. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-023-06251-y

51. Sharma, S., & Behl, R. (2022). Impact of social media on sudent’s academic performance: a study on Indian education system. Global Business Review, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/09721509221106834

52. Shen, Z., Tan, S., & Pritchard, M. J. (2023). Effects of signalling mechanisms on cognitive engagement with educational videos in informal learning on social media. Behaviour & Information Technology, 43(12), 2765-2784. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2259004

53. Sobaih, A. E., Baquee, A., & Palla, I. A. (2022). Social media use in e-learning amid COVID 19 pandemic: Indian students’ perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095380

54. Sobaih, A. E., Moustafa, M. A., Ghandforoush, P., & Khan, M. (2016). To use or not to use? Social media in higher education in developing countries. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 296-305. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.01.002

55. Sponcil, M., & Gitimu, P. (2013). Use of social media by college students: relationship to communication and self-concept. Journal of Technology Research, 4(1), 37-49. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/50235618/121214-libre.pdf?1478805011=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DUse_of_social_media_by_college_students

56. Sutherland, S., & Jalali, A. (2017). Social media as an open-learning resource in medical education: current perspectives. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 8, 369-375. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S112594

57. Tandukar, R., Tiwari, R., Singh, A., Bhattarai, G., Chaudhary, L., Neupane, M., Rai, T., & Marasini, B. R. (2024). Social media use and its association with academic performance among school students of Kirtipur municipality, Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health Reports, 5(12). https://doi.org/10.38207/JCMPHR/2024/SEP051203110

58. Tarifa-Rodriguez, A., Virues-Ortega, J., & Calero-Elvira, A. (2024). The behavioral education in social media (BE-social) program for postgraduate academic achievement: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Education. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-024-09545-9

59. Tarifa-Rodriguez, A., Virues-Ortega, J., & Calero-Elvira, A. (2024). The behavioral education in social media (BE-Social) program for postgraduate academic achievement: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Education. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-024-09545-9

60. Tartari, E. (2015). The use of social media for academic purposes in student’ learning process. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(2), 393-398. https://doi.org/10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n2p393

61. Tess, P. A. (2013). The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual) – a literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(5), A60-A68. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.032

62. Tiryakioglu, F., & Erzurum, F. (2011). Use of social networks as an educational tool. Contemporary Educational Technology, 2(2), 135-150.

63. Toofaninejad, E., Zavaraki, E. Z., Dawson, S., & Poquet, O. P. (2017). Social media use for deaf and hard of hearing students in educational settings: a systematic review of literature. Deafness & Education International, 19(3-4), 144-161. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/14643154.2017.1411874

64. Withnell, N. (2021). Social web and social media’s role in healthcare education and training. Digital Innovations in Healthcare Education and Training, 87-99. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813144-2.00006-4

Downloads

Published

2026-05-13

How to Cite

The Role of Social Media in Supporting University-Level Learning. (2026). International Research Journal of MMC (IRJMMC), 7(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3126/irjmmc.v7i2.94387

Similar Articles

11-20 of 190

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)