Education Commons^™

An Online Scientific Twitter World: Social Network Analysis Of #Sciencetwitter, #Scicomm, And #Academictwitter, Man Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding who makes up online social worlds as well as how information flows within those communities is important as more people access news, research topics, collaborate with others, and entertain themselves. This study identified and classified the people discussing scientific topics on Twitter, determined the type of social network, and described the member composition of this online world. Scientists, the public, and educators formed this online world. They built connections by initiating activities and interacting with others, which created the Community Clusters social network structure. All three categories of people are in positions of influence in this network leading and …

Social Networking Sites As A Form Of Viable Professional Development For Secondary English Educator, Virginia Joan Messinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social Networking Sites or SNSs have been used as a form of self-guided professional development (PD) by educators of all grade levels. However, there are limited students regarding Secondary educators using SNSs as a form of self-guided PD and there is also a lack of an examination of how those educators are using what the learn from SNSs within an English classroom. The purpose of this research was to determine not only what Secondary English educators seek on SNSs for self-guided PD but also if that what they learn is applied to their classroom practices and if they are successful. …

Educator Perceptions Of Appropriate Social Media Practices, Amanda Hope Preece

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative pilot study was to investigate the perceptions of educators regarding appropriate social media practices. Specific elements of appropriate social media use by teachers investigated include understanding of acceptable use policies and freedom of speech, the relationship between social media and professional development, and best practices for educators concerning their social media usage. Purposeful, convenience, and snowball sampling were used to select study participants. Study participants (N=24) were preservice teachers completing student teaching or mentor teachers for Marshall University College of Education and Professional Development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 teacher candidates and 12 mentor …

Connecting And Developing Through Facebook: An Exploration Of Impact On College Women, Christine R. Sharry

Doctoral Dissertations

Social media continues to change global society, while providing the opportunity to access information, but also build and sustain relationships with others. These online tools have become a part of everyday life (Greenwood et al., 2016) and have an impact on the way people interact, connect, and learn from one another. College students today have been surrounded by social media since elementary school (Alquist, 2017). Therefore, college administrators and faculty need to understand the impact of these online tools on students’ learning and development to ensure their success. All foundational student development theories were created when digital environments were non-existent. …

The Application Of Memes On English Learners' Idiomatics And Motivation, Fatima Azzahraa Raafat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students nowadays live in a visually rich world where they continually generate meaning and knowledge through images (Romero & Bobkina, 2017). To satisfy two technology-savvy generations, the Millennial and Generation Z, field practitioners had to generate multimodal environments that include written text, visual images, and design elements from various viewpoints. An effective pedagogy of idiomatics can support second language acquisition (SLA) and idiomatic competence development, that is, idiomatic language and figurative language study (Liontas, 2021, p. 3, 32). Idiomatics should be incorporated into educational programs for SL learners as early in their education as possible (Liontas, 2008). For my study, …

Informal Learning In An Online Book Club: A Qualitative Case Study, Toni E. Pilcher

Theses and Dissertations

This article examines the online book club called Victober, which is held every October on Youtube and other social media apps. As a qualitive case study, the research uses interviews, observations, and digital documents to explore the interactions and informal learning experiences of four women who participated in Victober 2022. The author identifies five overarching themes that emerged from the data: content creation, community identity, individual identity, rewards, and anticipation. These themes highlight the significance of content creation for YouTube and social media platforms, the sense of community fostered by Victober, the balance between individuality and belonging, the rewards of …

Adolescents & Social Media Use, Wendy Shoot

M.Ed. Literature Reviews

This research explores the effects of social media use by adolescents. Five themes were identified: [1] social media and adolescent mental and physical well-being, [2] social media and adolescent problematic usage, [3] social media and adolescent academics, [4] social media and adolescent family connections, and [5] social media benefits for adolescents. The paper goes on to analyze how practices at the Middle School where I teach could be aligned with research and then questions implications for future research and transformed practice.

The Key Role Of Social Media In Students’ Understanding Of The Rhetorical Situation, Olivia Montine

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Gen-Z students have been chastised repeatedly for their lack of attention span, addiction to social media, and inability to complete tasks in school in the manner of generations past (Richtel). It would not be productive to attempt to reform the way current college students process information, as their upbringing has largely altered their attention span and methods of content consumption. Older modes of understanding on how to write in a college composition class do not take this into account. What if the method of instruction professors utilized shifted to better meet the capabilities of college students in 2023? To answer …

Perception Of Social Media As Seen By Educational Leadership Online Graduate Students, Todd Emma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand student perceptions of social media as they relate to the programs of study for online graduate students participating in an educational leadership department (hereafter referred to as EDLR) in Tennessee. As institutions of higher education are being affected by declining enrollments, increasing tuition, rising numbers of nontraditional students, global events, and continuing budget cuts, understanding student perception of the educational experience is a fundamental element for understanding ways to address the uncertain future of higher education. Through a series of in-depth interviews, data were collected and analyzed to provide a framework …

Because “Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast:” An Examination Of Selected Minnesota Principals’ Use Of Social Media To Influence School Culture, Alicia Fischer

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of high school principals about the impact their use of social media has on school culture. The problem of this study emerges from the lack of empirical research in the field examining the ways in which high school administrators use social media platforms to influence school culture. The urgency in the need for the research is derived from the increased use of social media in education as well as other industry areas. School principals have been using social media for real-time communication and updates, however this study’s focus is on …

The Impact Of Gender Differences And Geographic Locations On Social Media Literacy Among Public Universities Students, Heba Tallah Moustafa Helmy

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of both gender difference and geographic location on social media literacy levels among undergraduate students in public universities in Egypt. Four aspects related to social media literacy were considered in the Likert-scale survey, including basic technical skills, digital interactions, information evaluation, and privacy and security practices. A total of 520 students participated in this exploratory research, of which 265 males and 255 females enrolled at four public universities in different geographic locations. Cairo University and Ain Shams University represent the urban areas. The other two universities are located in center-periphery …

Exploring The Use Of Social Media For Teacher Professional Learning, Kosgei Jeruto Lonah

Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to find out how social media can be used to leverage teacher professional learning. It adopted a designed-based research approach with a pre-intervention, an intervention and a post-intervention phase. There were four different types of data sources analyzed: questionnaires, an online survey, and interviews with administrators and TPL providers. In addition, the contributions and activities of teachers on social media platforms were examined. Data suggest that while social media is currently being used in TPL its affordances are not fully exploited. WhatsApp is the most used social media in TPL. Findings suggest that when teachers are oriented …

The Effects Of Gender, Age, And Year Of Study On Occupational Therapy Students’ Social Media Competency, Vikram Pagpatan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Occupational therapy students (OTSs) who misuse social media within academic and clinical learning environments may increase the instances of ethical health care violations and breaches of professional codes of conduct. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to assess the social media competency (SMC) scores of OTSs based on year of study, age, and gender. As a result, the research questions were developed to compare the SMC of OTSs based on year of study, age, and gender. The study was grounded by Bandura’s social learning theory and a rationale for allowing social media use in the curriculum. An archived …

Social Media And The Learning And Engagement Experiences Of Minority Doctoral Students, Denzil O. Barnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSocial media as a medium to facilitate and foster learning and engagement in education has received increased attention in recent years. Researchers have highlighted the affordances and drawbacks of social media use in educational contexts. There is a gap in the relevant literature on the social media learning and engagement experiences of doctoral students from underrepresented communities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand minority doctoral students’ experiences and perceptions of social media use in learning and engagement during the doctoral process. To ground this study, the connect learn and engagement (CoLeEn) conceptual framework, based on Siemens’s connectivism …

The Effects Of Gender, Age, And Year Of Study On Occupational Therapy Students’ Social Media Competency, Vikram Pagpatan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Occupational therapy students (OTSs) who misuse social media within academic and clinical learning environments may increase the instances of ethical health care violations and breaches of professional codes of conduct. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to assess the social media competency (SMC) scores of OTSs based on year of study, age, and gender. As a result, the research questions were developed to compare the SMC of OTSs based on year of study, age, and gender. The study was grounded by Bandura’s social learning theory and a rationale for allowing social media use in the curriculum. An archived …

Everyone Is On Their Phones: Eighth Graders' Struggle With Social Media In School, George Weinhardt

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examined social media in the school setting from the point of view of eighth-grade participants. This study implemented a focused ethnography, examining a group of individuals’ perspectives on a focused area of their shared culture. Using critical theory, this study examined qualitative data with the concepts of structures, subjectivity, and power at the confluence of social media and school for eighth-grade students. Qualitative data were collected using five semi-structured focus groups, artifact analysis, fieldnotes, and memos. The findings highlighted that eighth-grade students acknowledge that there is a struggle between social media and school. This struggle alters their …

Social Media And The Learning And Engagement Experiences Of Minority Doctoral Students, Denzil O. Barnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSocial media as a medium to facilitate and foster learning and engagement in education has received increased attention in recent years. Researchers have highlighted the affordances and drawbacks of social media use in educational contexts. There is a gap in the relevant literature on the social media learning and engagement experiences of doctoral students from underrepresented communities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand minority doctoral students’ experiences and perceptions of social media use in learning and engagement during the doctoral process. To ground this study, the connect learn and engagement (CoLeEn) conceptual framework, based on Siemens’s connectivism …

Social Media: Are You Addicted? Examining The Role Of Social Media Platforms On Life Satisfaction, Personality And Generation, Alexzander Ponce

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The rise of social media has led to an increase in social media use and social media addiction. Research has found that social media addiction is influenced by various factors, and this study looks to examine the relation between social media addiction and users' life satisfaction, personality type and age group; and whether the type of social media platform moderates this relationship. This study dispersed survey questionnaires and conducted an ANCOVA to analyze the results. Results found that life satisfaction and social media addiction are negatively related, but the negative relation is larger for Twitter users. Results also found a …

First Year Teacher In Appalachia: Place, Identity, Tensions, Michael Renee Lane

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study centers on one first-year Social Studies teacher who is beginning her teaching career in a rural middle school in central Appalachia. Grounded in sociocultural theory, this qualitative study focuses understanding how the focal teacher discursively constructs her teaching identity including how she makes use of sociocultural resources, social practices, and the discourses she draws from as she describes her experiences. Data is drawn from a five-month interpretive qualitative case study that included semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and the focal teacher’s personal journals. Data analysis indicated that place is crucial in shaping teachers’ beliefs and practices—including their conceptions of …

In The Shadows, But Not Left Behind: Female Sex Workers' Acceptance Of Social Media For Hiv Prevention In Northwest And Southwest Provinces, Cameroon, Hassanatu Blake

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the acceptance of social media in HIV prevention education for female sex workers in Cameroon. The objectives included: (1) provide a review of literature on the use of social media in HIV prevention education among Female Sex workers (FSWs); (2) determine the acceptance of Secret Facebook Group (SFG) for HIV prevention education among FSW in Cameroon; and (3) explain the acceptance of SFG in HIV prevention education and social media platform alternatives to SFG in Cameroon. Utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, three methods were employed for this dissertation and guided …

A Mixed-Method Study On Social Media’S Role In The Health Decision-Making Practices Of Black Millennial Women In South Florida, Sashah Damier

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine health care decision-making practices of Black millennial women in South Florida, based on their social media use. The study contributed to understanding of how cultural components contribute to health care disparities for people of color because health care providers lacked information on how to reach Black millennial women with accurate and helpful information through social media.

The design for the study included a convergent parallel mixed-methods design using a web-based quantitative cross-sectional survey along with embedded qualitative telephone interviews and NVivo software. This mixed-methods methodology provided rich data and new understandings …

Student Perceptions Of Social Media In The Admissions Process, Skiler Ashley Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how prospective first-time-in-college minority students from a university in the southwestern part of the United States use social media to make decisions about matriculating at a 4-year public university. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with five students and two staff members. Social media accounts of the Office of Admissions and the general university social media accounts were reviewed for content. Existing research pointed to the top factors influencing students’ decision-making process when deciding where to attend college. The top reasons included cost of tuition and how connected students feel to …

How Universities Use Twitter To Communicate About Mental Health, Sarah Elizabeth Polhill

Theses and Dissertations

From a sample of over three million tweets from universities in the US, we described the characteristics of universities' communication about mental health on Twitter, including common keywords, bigrams, linked resources, and hashtags, as well as the frequency of dialogic communication and mental health tweets over time, especially in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This study uses data mining to collect tweets from official university Twitter accounts and selected accounts of university wellness and counseling programs. Relevant tweets were collected from a large sample using keywords and bigrams relevant to mental health from the Twitter accounts of IACS accredited …

Generation Z And Media Literacy: Young People’S Perceptions Of Media Literacy Education, Alanna Eavan Powers

Theses - ALL

No abstract provided.

Social Media, Anxiety, And Reading Achievement In Elementary Students, Mercedes Villarreal Hinojosa, Viviana Elizondo Marcos, Maria A. Julian Quintanilla

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between perceived social media usage, academic achievement in reading, and anxiety. This study looked at a second grade classroom in ASFM consisting of 21 bilingual Mexican students, 11 boys and 10 girls. Perceived social media usage was measured using a survey, academic reading achievement was measured using Fountas and Pinell reading levels and anxiety was measured using the Children’s Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS) by Wren and Benson (2004). Each variable was then analyzed on its own through the use of descriptive statistics and bar graphs; then, each dependent variable was …

Instructional Designers Conducting Professional Learning Using Social Media: A Phenomenological Study Of Their Experiences Through A Self-Regulated Learning Lens, Pauline S. Muljana

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Because the instructional design and technology field is dynamic (Sharif & Cho, 2015; Wang et al., 2021), instructional designers need to pursue continuous, just-in-time professional learning (Carliner, 2018) to improve knowledge, skills, and abilities (Sharif & Cho, 2015; Ritzhaupt & Martin, 2015), without being constrained by location, budget, and time (Muljana et al., 2020; Muljana et al., 2021). On the one hand, the omnipresent social media technologies offer affordances for facilitating this type of professional learning. Such technologies allow instructional designers to reach out to colleagues, search for ready-to-implement strategies, and find relevant, timely information. On the other hand, conducting …

Building School Community Amidst Tracking Systems And Social Media, Christina Romero

MA TESOL Collection

Schools have long been the heart of a community. Building up students to feel welcomed, accepted, and safe is a tall order. This task has gotten more difficult as social conflict has seeped its way within school walls. Societies have become more diverse in many ways as of late. Political, economic, and racial differences have widened gaps between individuals. As schools mirror this societal diversity, it has been harder for both societies and public schools to feel more communal. The public high school this case study is set in specifically experiences division through tracking systems and, more recently, social media …

How Scholars Are Using Social Media To Support Their Scholarship, Olga Maria Belikov

Theses and Dissertations

This article-format dissertation focuses on how scholars use social media to support their scholarship. The first article is a scoping literature review that outlines current research. While overviewing an emergent field of literature, the article highlights motivations for using social media use, discusses benefits and drawbacks of this use for scholarship, explains how this discourse has evolved over time, and shares implications of what further topics can be investigated as well as implications for post-secondary institutions and scholars integrating social media use into their professional roles. In article two, I built a classifier and used it to analyze the Twitter …

Ethnic-Racial Minoritized Adolescents’ Perceptions Of Cyberhate, School Connectedness, Ethnic-Racial Identity, And Life Satisfaction, Alexis Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to cyberhate has become an increasing trend across social media, with approximately 64% of adolescents reporting that they have seen hate speech (Common Sense, 2018). While social media is used to connect with others via likes, posts, and shares, it also allows for hateful content to spread quickly. Cyberhate is the intentional aggression or threat towards an individual or group based on their societal group association, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and religion (Wachs et al., 2020). Ethnic-racial minoritized adolescents who experience cyberhate as racial discrimination may be at increased risk of maladaptive psychosocial adjustment (Sellers et …

Find Your Flow: A Menstrual Health Social Media Campaign, Sarah Hamp-Adams

Kinesiology and Public Health

In many cultures, menstruation is surrounded by silence and shame instead of being celebrated as a sign of health and vitality. Globally, challenges, including stigma surrounding menstruation, create barriers for menstruators (White, 2013; Crawford, 2014; Garg, 2015). It proves to be difficult for young menstruators to navigate menarche due to the taboos and socio-cultural restrictions surrounding menstruation (Sharma,2015). Encouraging women to have open conversations about their periods is necessary to combat these challenges.

To understand how to address the stigmas around menstruation, the researchers first conducted a literature review, revealing that education messages via the Internet, posters, storytelling, and peer …