Profiles of Secondary School Students’ Use of Social Media and their Views about its Outcomes to Learning

The purpose of this paper is to explore profiles of secondary school students’ use of social media and determine their views about its outcomes to learning. This research was based on phenomenological approach. The participants were determined by maximum variation sampling which is a type of purposeful sampling. The work group consisted of fourteen secondary school students. The data were gathered by standardized open-ended interviews. The data were analysed by content analysis technique. The data showed that social media was referred to as a source of surfing for information both for school issues and personal interests. The way students used the social media included both risks and opportunities. The data implied that social media provided students with a fertile setting to socialize interact and express self ideas and emotions. It supports learning indirectly through strengthening communicative and language skills and increasing the power of perception that leads to a better comprehension. Statements of the participants explored that those social media content occupied students with their own learning history. Consequently, we should keep in mind that it is the users’ ability, awareness, competence and creativity that will make social media valuable and meaningful. Key Words: social media, social network, Web 2.0, education, formal learning, informal learning, social networking.