The role of online communities and the impact of educational social media on Saudi female college students in the United States

• Published in: Educational media international Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 149 - 163
• Main Authors: Alruwaili, Tahani, Ku, Heng-Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 03.04.2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: College students; Communities of Practice; Cooperative Learning; Distance learning; Females; Foreign Countries; Foreign Students; Friendship; Graduate Students; Instructional Effectiveness; international students; online community; Qualitative research; Role; Saudi female; Social Media; Social networks; Undergraduate Students; Saudi Arabia; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0952-3987; 1469-5790
• DOI: 10.1080/09523987.2019.1614244

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the role of online communities and the impact of educational social media on 14 Saudi female college students who were studying in the United States. The findings revealed that social media was important to the participants for maintaining relationships and seeking out information from others. Social media was also an important way for participants to remain close to their communities and keep in contact with Saudi friends and family; however, the use of social media to interact with their communities was often shaped by Saudi cultural expectations. Most of the participants enjoyed online education and interacting with others in an online educational setting because it promotes collaborative learning and cultural interaction. Overall, social media used for educational purposes was mostly seen by the participants as a positive and beneficial part of their educational experiences.