An- Najah National University Faculty of Graduate Studies The Effect of Using Facebook on Improving Students' Writing Skills in English. Prepared by Mariam Ghaleb Ibrahim Supervised by Dr. Ahmed Awad. Amin This Thesis is submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of English Methodology, Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. 2013 III Dedication This work is dedicated - To my University, An Najah National University especially, the Faculty of Graduate Studies. - To my dear teachers who supported me a lot. Thank you all especially, Dr. Ahmed Awad who my words are not enough to appreciate. Not only his endless encouragement did help me complete this research but also, he taught me how to charge others with power and bravery. - To my lovely family, my mom, my dad, my mother in law, my father in law, my sisters and brothers whose support and encouragement were always pushing me up. - To my school and my dear students. - Last but not least, a word of deep love goes to the candles that lighten my whole life, my great husband Wisam and my lovely gorgeous kids. IV Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor Dr.Ahmed Awad for his continuous support and endless cooperation and advice. Thanks are also extended to the Faculty of Graduate Studies at An- Najah National University in general and to all the instructors in the English Department in specific. I gratefully acknowledge the help and the encouragement of Dr. Marwan Zuhd and Dr. Fayez Mahameed for their advice in the statistical analysis of this study. Special thanks go to my students who cooperated enough to facilitate the completion of this study. I would like to offer my gratitude and respect for my mom, dad, my mom in law and my father in law who helped pushing me up all the time. It is my privilege to acknowledge my whole work for my lovely family, my great husband for his limitless encouragement and my gorgeous kids for their patience which helped in completing this study. V : The Effect of Using Facebook on Improving Students' Writing Skills in English. . Declaration The work provided in this thesis, unless otherwise referenced, is the Researcher s own work, and has not been submitted elsewhere for other degree of qualification. : Student s Name: : Signature: : Date: VI Table of Content Content Page Dedication III Acknowledgement IV Declaration V Table of content VI List of tables IX List of appendices X Abstract XI Chapter One 1 1. Introduction 2 1.1 What is Writing? 2 1.2 What is the Importance of Writing? 2 1.2.1Why to Teach Writing? 4 1.3 What is Facebook? 5 1.4 What is the Importance of Using Facebook in Improving Students' Performance in Writing? 6 1.5 Creating a Suitable Environment in Learning through Facebook due to Social Constructivism 7 1.4 Statement of the Problem 9 1.5 Purpose of the Study 10 1.6 Questions of the Study 10 1.7 Significance of the Study 11 1.8 Limitations of the Study 12 1.9 Definitions of Terms 12 1.10 Summary 13 Chapter Two 14 2. Literature Review 15 2.1What is Mutual Between Learning Theories and Facebook in the Field of Teaching Writing? 15 2.1.1 Constructivism and Facebook 15 2.1.2 Social Constructivism and Facebook 17 VII 2.1.3 Behaviorism and Facebook 18 2.1.4 Active Learning Theory and Facebook 18 2.2The Importance of Surfing Facebook in the Teaching Learning Process 19 2.3 Cooperative Learning Theory and Facebook 24 2.4 The Importance of Writing Assessment 25 2.5 The Most Important Features of Writing and how to Focus on through Facebook 26 2.5.1 Mechanics 26 2.5.2 Usage 26 2.5.3 Sentence Formation 27 2.6 Summary 28 Chapter Three 29 3. Methodology 30 3.1 Sample 30 3.2 Instrument 31 3.3 Procedures of the Study 32 3.4 Study Design 33 3.5 Statistical Analysis 33 3.6 Reliability and Validity 34 3.7 Variables of the Study 35 3.8 Summary 35 Chapter Four 36 4.Results 37 4.1 Introduction 37 4.2 Results Related to Questions of the Study 37 4.3 Summary 47 Chapter Five 48 5.Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations 49 5.1 Introduction 49 5.2 Discussion 49 5.3 Conclusion 54 5.4 Recommendations 56 VIII 5.4.1 Teachers 56 5.4.2 Learners 56 5.4.3 Decision Makers 57 5.4.4 Parents 57 5.4.5 Further Research 57 5.5 Summary 58 References 59 Appendices 64 IX List of Tables Page Tables No . 31 Sample Distribution According to Gender 1 31 Sample Distribution According to Group 2 34 Correlation Coefficients Distributed by the Three Dimensions before and after applying the Tool 3 38 The Total Average of the Pre-Test and the Post-Test Grades Distributed by the Experimental Group and the Control Group 4 39 Paired Sample (T-Test) of the Students Grades mean on the Pre- Test and the Post- Test of the Experimental Group according to the Dimensions and Total Average 5 41 Paired Sample (T-Test) of the Students Grades Mean in the Pre- Test and the Post- Test of the Control Group according to the Dimensions and the Total Average 6 42 (Independent T-Test) the Mean of the Post- Test due to the Control Group and the Experimental Group 7 44 ( Independent T-Test) Mean Differences for Both the Pre - Test and the Post -Test of the Experimental Group due to Gender 8 45 (Independent T-Test) Mean Differences for both the Pre- Test and the Post- Test of the Control Group due to Gender 9 46 ( Independent T-Test) Mean Differences for the Post- Test of the Control Group and the Post-Test of the Experimental Group due to Gender 10 X Table of Appendices Appendices page The pre-test 64 The post-test. 64 Samples of the pre-test for the control group 65 Samples of the pre-test for the experimental group 69 Samples of the post-test of the control group 74 Samples of the post-test of the experimental group 78 The IQ test 82 Samples of the IQ test answers 90 A sample of the group work on Facebook 92 The IQ test results for both the control group and the experimental group 102 The IQ test answer key 104 XI The Effect of Using Facebook on Improving Students' Writing Skills in English. Prepared by Mariam Ghaleb Ibrahim Supervised by Dr. Ahmed Awad. Amin Abstract This study investigated the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills for the ninth graders in the Latin Patriarchate Private School in Qabatia District in Zababdeh. The sample of the study was purposeful.It consisted of 40 ninth grade students at the Latin Patriarchate School in Zababdeh in the first semester of the scholastic year 2012-2013. For data collection, the researcher used an experimental group and a control group to examine the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills . The experimental group was taught how to write effectively by using the modern technological tools mainly Facebook, whereas the control group was taught writing traditionally. The researcher used an IQ test designed by Saleh (1978) to examine equivalence in intelligence. Both groups were about the same intelligence which guaranteed the equivalence of both groups. Then, a pre-writing test was applied for the purpose of examining the students' levels of both groups. The researcher busily engaged the students of the experimental group in different writing tasks agreed upon between the teacher and the students in advance. These writing tasks focused on teaching the main features of writing which are mechanics, usage and sentence formation. At the end, a post-writing test was also applied for both groups to check improvement. The data was collected, coded out and analyzed by using Independent T- Test, Two-Way ANOVA and Paired T-Test to answer the questions of the study. The training program comprised 16 meetings on the Facebook social networking website, which aimed at training the experimental group how to XII write effectively through correcting mistakes and suggesting better ideas for their classmates' writing topics. On the other hand, the control group was taught the same material but without receiving any training. After 16 sessions of training, means of the pre- and post- tests for the two groups were calculated. On the basis of the findings, the researcher found that there was an obvious effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills. Based on these findings, the researcher recommended that teachers should give more emphasis to the use of Facebook in teaching writing and cooperate with other teachers in other schools to create groups of more students from different schools, backgrounds and experiences for its positive effects on improving the students' writing skills. The researcher also recommended that students should not worry too much about their mistakes because mistakes are inevitable and one can learn from these mistakes through Facebook pages. The researcher recommended decision makers to organize training and workshops for training teachers how to teach writing perfectly through Facebook which has now become not only an essential necessity in teaching writing but also an enthusiastic and challenging way of untraditional teaching. Chapter One 1. Introduction 1.1. What is Writing? 1.2. What is the Importance of Writing? 1.2.1. Why to teach writing? 1.3. What is Facebook? 1.4. What is the Importance of Using Facebook in Improving Students' Performance in Writing? 1.5. Creating a Suitable Environment in Learning through Facebook due to Social Constructivism 1.4. Statement of the Problem 1.5. Purpose of the study 1.6. Questions of the study 1.7. Significance of the study 1.8. Limitations of the Study 1.9. Definitions of Terms 1.10. Summary Chapter One 1. Introduction This chapter attempts to shed light on the importance of writing. Then it focuses on the importance of using Facebook in improving students' performance in writing. It also includes statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, significance of the study and limitations of the study . This chapter ends up with definition terms used in the study. 1.1. What is Writing? Writing provides a means for students to proceed new information in their own words. It is particularly effective in large classrooms where breaking students into pairs or groups may be prohibitive. It also appeals to individuals who prefer to learn independently (Mourtaga,2004). 1.2 What is the Importance of Writing? The term writing has been defined by the Oxford dictionary as the activity or skill of making coherent words on paper composing text. Writing is not only important in communication, it is also an effective way in many fields of expression, judgment of a person, flexibility and maturity. Mourtaga (2004) said that writing is the vital means of communication within an organization .He also explained that writing is a critical way of communication which is a necessary component of education, livelihood and basic functioning in our society. Writing is how much of the world communicates . If the person does not write well , s/he will be cut off from a large community. Some have the innate ability to put their thoughts into words. This skill is more beneficial specifically for those who are emotional and do not express verbally. Writing is one of the ways that we translate our thoughts for other people. Some people are better at expressing themselves in writing than any other way, and you thus get a better translation when you read what they have to say rather than hearing them speak. As Mourtaga (2004) said, the writing skill solidifies ideas and thoughts, and allows the reader to reflect on them better than if the ideas remain evolving in his or her head. Writing is also important for judging a person by the quality of writing he or she possesses. When the writing is devoid of mistakes, it creates a good impression about the writer. Finally, writing helps the writer be more flexible and mature . The more he or she writes , the more flexible his/her vision and thought process become towards the requirements and demands of the reader. Additionally, writing also prepares the learner for school and employment both of which in most cases require a lot of it. It assists the learner with other language tasks as well. It helps him learn how to form language, how to spell, how to put together a plot. The student learns how to make a logical argument or how to persuade through writing .Tan (2012) added that writing well opens the door to advancement in almost any field you might choose in the future. Chappell (2011) believed that writing is an essential job skill which helps the learner understand how truth is established in a given discipline. It also fosters the writers ability to explain a complex position to readers clearly. In short, writing is one of the most important skills that teachers must focus on as it prepares the learner to fight in life. 1.2.1.Why to Teach Writing? The teaching of formal grammar has a negative impact on learners because it usually displaces some instruction and practice in actual composition, even a harmful effect on the improvement of writing (AL Sharawneh,2012). Fifty years of research into grammar instruction confirm what many teachers have long suspected when it comes to improving writing, traditional grammar instruction simply does not work. In fact, the most unequivocal conclusion reached by Hillocks in his 1986 meta-analysis of twenty-five years of writing research was that traditional grammar instruction was the most ineffective method of improving writing. Many teachers, though, worry that throwing out all instruction in grammar and conventions will produce a generation of students who are unable to write an intelligible sentence. It is not surprising that teachers are finding ways to use social networking in academia. Blattner and Fiori (2009) recognize that educators should acknowledge the importance of utilizing these types of social networking sites (Facebook) in the context of education, especially since they meet the connectivity demands made by today's Digital Natives (Farris-Berg, 2005; Prensky, 2001). So what a teacher has to do is to find out different methods for teaching writing effectively and enthusiastically rather than eliminating instruction in conventions. 1.3 What is Facebook? Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes in 2004. The website's membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and eventually to anyone aged 13 and over. Facebook now allows any users who declare themselves to be at least 13 years old to become registered users of the site. The name of the social networking site stems from the colloquial name for face and book . Face means what you first see of the body in front of you .It is also the clearest part of the body that gives you an indication of what is the person in front of you like which is related to the social field. While the word book is related to the academic field. So, the word Face has social roots and the word book has academic roots and the social networking site (Facebook) can be used for achieving academic purposes in improving the learners' writing (Rosen,2011). Facebook has over one billion active users more than half of them use Facebook on a mobile device. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common-interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics, and categorize their friends into lists such as "People From Work". 1.4 What is the Importance of Using Facebook in Improving Students' Performance in Writing? Writing provides a means for students to proceed new information in their own words. It is particularly effective in large classrooms where breaking students into pairs or groups may be prohibitive. It also appeals to individuals who prefer to learn independently (Ruben,2011). English has been gaining importance as the most used language in the world . Continuous growth of new technologies makes English even more essential for everyone to communicate efficiently .Thus more emphasis should be given to teaching writing in English as a writing skill that may function as an important gate leading students to a successful career in this information technology driven world (Warschauer ,2006) Facebook is a vital means of communication and social interaction. It has something in common with the theory of Social Constructivism as they both lead to active, authentic and enjoyable learning. Social constructivism, strongly influenced by Vygotsky's (1978) work, suggests that knowledge is first constructed in a social context and is then taken up by individuals. According to social constructivists, the process of sharing each person's point of view-called collaborative elaboration results in learners building understanding together that wouldn't be possible alone. That is to say, Facebook is a social networking site which supports collaborative work among learners, sharing experiences in thoughts and ideas especially in the writing skill which by its turn plays an extremely important role in improving the learners' abilities to write effectively. Facebook is also an important means of motivation and interest. Advocates of social constructivism prove that learners should constantly be challenged with tasks that refer to skills and knowledge just beyond their current level of mastery. This captures their motivation and builds on previous successes to enhance learner confidence (Meyer 2009). This is in line with Vygotsky s zone of proximal development, which can be described as the distance between the actual developmental level (as determined by independent problem-solving) and the level of potential development (as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers) . As using Facebook has caused political revolutions in the Arab world recently , it certainly guarantees achieving effective and bold results in the academic field . 1.5 Creating a Suitable Environment in Learning through Facebook due to Social Constructivism One of the characteristic of the role of the facilitator in the social constructivist's viewpoint is that the instructor and the learners are equally involved in learning from each other as well (Holt and Willard-Holt 2000). This means that the learning experience is both subjective and objective and requires that the instructor s culture, values and background become an essential part of the interplay between learners and tasks. Learners compare their version of the truth with that of the instructor and fellow learners to get to a new, socially tested version of truth (Kolb 1984). The task or problem is thus the interface between the instructor and the learner. This creates a dynamic interaction between task, instructor and learner which entails that learners and instructors should develop an awareness of each other's viewpoints and then look to their own beliefs, standards and values, thus being both subjective and objective at the same time. Facebook facilitates this awareness of each others' viewpoints in writing and creates a suitable environment for learning as learners and their teachers can keep in touch learning and exchanging suggestions to improve their styles of writing . More and more teachers and administrators are taking advantage of the different tools Facebook offers to improve how they communicate with parents and students. What s exciting is the way Facebook is being used to create a vibrant learning community (Rosen,2011). The impact of the Internet on language learning in the content of higher education has been growing exponentially. A number of years ago, early incarnations of the internet provided students the opportunity to find information online and share their findings with other language learners. For today's generation, Facebook allows the creation of new content; thus previously unexplored communication channels have been opened, providing language learners with new incentives and opportunities to easily interact with people from across the globe (Barnlund, 2008). In addition, Lomicka and Lord (2009) underscore the importance of the individual as part of the collective whole, which makes Facebook well suited for language learning in traditional and hybrid environments as it fosters both interaction and collaboration. Facebook practices along with the growing use of the Internet have changed the nature of information flow and of how our students make sense of the world. These changes indicate that educators need new strategies and new tools to teach and capture learners' imaginations to fit their thought patterns and new socialization habits(Ruben,2011). Computer mediated social networks have been growing at an exponential rate. Buffardi and Campbell (2008) pointed out that having a web presence and being in touch with a large number of individuals via social networking sites has become part of the daily routine of people, many of whom are higher education students. In other words, according to Downes (2006), the emergence of Facebook is not simply a technological revolution, but rather a social transformation that enables and encourages communication and education as these websites allow members to express themselves and interact with others (Lin, 2012). 1.4 Statement of the Problem In a study done by Khalil (2002), It is found that most of the mistakes made by the non-native speakers of the Arab learners are in writing especially in sentence formation, usage and mechanics of writing. In another study done by Mahmoud (2012), it is found that non native speakers of English face problems in punctuation. Based on this assumption, the researcher looks for means to improve the students' way of writing as they lack writing perfectly as mentioned above. The researcher found Facebook a suitable and enthusiastic way of learning and decided to examine the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills. Thus, the researcher conducted this study and tried to answer the following main question at the end of the study : What is the effect of using Facebook on improving students' writing skills? 1.5 Purpose of the study This study aims at achieving the following purposes: 1- Discovering the effect of using Facebook on the students' writing skills in English. 2- Finding out if there are any significant differences in the learners' performance in writing as a result of using Facebook on the ninth graders' achievement in writing due to gender . 1.6 Questions of the study The study tries to answer the following questions: 1. What is the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills? 2. Are there statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the pre- test and post-test of the experimental group? 3. Are there statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the pre- test and post- test of the control group? 4. Are there statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the post- tests for both the control group and the experimental group? 5. Are there statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the pre- test and post- test of the experimental group due to gender? 6. Are there statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the pre- test and post-test of the control group due to gender? 7. Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for the post- test of the control group and the post- test of the experimental group due to gender ? 1.7 Significance of the study The importance of this study stems from two main points: First, students nowadays have many concerns rather than studying and they are addicted to different kinds of technology .They like chatting with friends using their Facebook accounts which in turn may make it easy to use Facebook in teaching them how to write effectively. Second, their academic performance in English especially in writing is not proficient as it should be because they do not have the passion to learn through traditional methods. The researcher finds it suitable to exploit and take the advantage of their passion to chatting with friends and their fondness to using Facebook to increase their enthusiasm and ability to learn English effectively. The researcher saw this study important to help teachers find different new methods to use while teaching writing. 1.8 Limitations of the Study This study considered the following limitations: locative, temporal, human and topical. 1- Locative Limitations: The study covered all the ninth graders in one private school in Qabatia district in Palestine which is Latin Patriarchate School Zababdeh . 2- Temporal Limitations: This study was carried out in the scholastic year 2012-2013 in the first semester. 3- Human Limitations: The population of the study consisted of all students in the ninth grade in the two classes in the mentioned school which were twenty in each class. 4-Topical Limitations: The study examined the effect of using Facebook on improving the ninth graders' writing skills . 1.9 Definitions of terms: -Facebook : Browse (2009) defined Facebook as a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. -Traditional Education : Robert( (2009) defined the traditional education as it focuses on teaching, not learning. It incorrectly assumes that for every ounce of teaching there is an ounce of learning by those who are taught. However, most of what we learn before, during, and after attending schools is learned without being taught to us. A child learns such fundamental things as how to walk, talk, eat, dress, and so on without being taught these things. Adults learn most of what they use at work or at leisure while at work or leisure. Most of what is taught in classroom settings is forgotten, and much of what is remembered is irrelevant (Hayashi, 2011). 1.10 Summary This chapter started by throwing light on the significance of the writing skill on the first hand and the significance of using Facebook on improving students' performance in writing on the other hand. It also included statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, significance of the study and limitations of the study. The chapter ended up with definition terms used in the study. The following chapter will include the most relevant studies to the present thesis. Chapter Two 2. Literature Review 2.1 What is Mutual Between Learning Theories and Facebook in the field of Teaching Writing? 2.1.1 Constructivism and Facebook 2.1.2 Social Constructivism and Facebook 2.1.3 Behaviorism and Facebook 2.1.4 Active Learning Theory and Facebook 2.2 The Importance of Surfing Facebook in the Teaching Learning Process 2.3 Cooperative Learning Theory and Facebook 2.4 The Importance of Writing Assessment 2.5 The Most Important Features of Writing and how to Focus on through Facebook 2.5.1 Mechanics 2.5.2 Usage 2.5.3 Sentence Formation 2.6 Summary Chapter Two 2. Literature Review For the sake of simplicity and clarity, the researcher arranged literature review topically and theoretically. That is, according to the topic each theory handles and its relationship with Facebook in the area of teaching and learning. The researcher discusses the importance of surfing networks, mainly Facebook, in the teaching learning process and its effectiveness on improving the students' performance in writing and enhancing their abilities to critical thinking and problem solving abilities through Facebook. 2.1 What is in Mutual Between Learning Theories and Facebook in the Field of Teaching Writing? Constructivism, Social Constructivism, Behaviorism and Active Learning are all learning theories which have something in common with Facebook in the field of learning. All try to create a suitable environment full of motivation and cooperation, interaction and enthusiasm, which is the purposeful hope of the teaching learning process. The researcher discussed the relationship between the mentioned learning theories and Facebook according to teaching and learning in the following few pages of this chapter (Meyer,2009). 2.1.1 Constructivism and Facebook Piaget (1969) overemphasized that the way children learn came to the conclusion that learning is created by interactions with the environment. Piaget also added that the best way for students to learn is to keep them curious, make them wonder and offer them problem challenges, rather than giving them information. This is exactly what Facebook provides for learners to learn through challenging tasks shown on their accounts. Constructivist philosophy has a long history of application in education programs for young children, but is used less frequently in adult learning environments. As humans develop, there are qualitative changes in their ability to think logically about experiences, but the processes by which learning occur, cognitive adaptation and social mediation, are believed to be continuous or remain the same throughout the life. At the heart of constructivist philosophy is the belief that knowledge is not given but gained through real experiences that have purpose and meaning to the learner, and the exchange of perspectives about the experience with others (Piaget & Inhelder, 1969; Vygotsky,1978). Furthermore, Mayer (2004) added that in the constructivist classroom, students work primarily in groups and learning and knowledge are interactive and dynamic. There is a great focus and emphasis on social and communication skills, as well as collaboration and exchange of ideas. This is contrary to the traditional classroom in which students work primarily alone, learning is achieved through repetition, and the subjects are strictly adhered to and are guided by a textbook. As learning a language is pure communication as Barnlund (2008) stated, Facebook is a way of keeping in touch with family members, friends and also other people, which also achieves the purposes of communication. In terms of what Piaget, Vygotsky, Mayer and Barnlund said, it could be concluded that the use of technology mainly Facebook can engage students in new experiences and create a community of learners across geographical boundaries. Not only the Constructivist Theory supports creating a new suitable environment for learning but also the Social Learning Theory (SLT) which focuses on learning that happens within a social environment and emphasizes the premise that people learn from one another by means of observational learning. The theory argues that individuals are strongly influenced by society's reward and punishment systems and model their behaviors accordingly. A leading proponent of social learning theory, Barnlund (2008), helped to shape the conjecture by incorporating aspects of cognitive and behavioral learning. 2.1.2 Social Constructivism and Facebook Vygotsky, a psychologist and social constructivist, laid the foundation for the interactionists view of language acquisition. According to Vygotsky (1978), social interaction plays an important role in making meaning in the learning process. Vygotsky's theories stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition. It is believed strongly that communities play a central role in the process of learning. In other words, learning is a necessary and universal aspect of developing culturally ,organized specifically human psychological function that leads to effective authentic learning (Vygotsky,1978). Vygotsky (1978) added in his studies that higher mental processes in the individual have their origin in the social and cultural processes. Individual development cannot be understood without reference to the social and cultural context which it embed. Facebook is a pure social and cultural networking site which can certainly achieve the purpose of learning according to the theory of social constructivism. 2.1.3 Behaviourism and Facebook Skinner (1948) emphasized that any behavior is the result of stimulus- response- reinforcment and Facebook is full of stimulus-response activities and it is also full of reinforcement. Using Facebook is a behavior and learning how to write effectively through Facebook is another behavior which could be enjoyably applied and determined by the environment (Watson ,1920). 2.1.4 Active Learning Theory and Facebook Defining "active learning" is a bit problematic. The term means different things to different people, while for some the very concept is redundant since it is impossible to learn anything passively. Certainly this is true, but it doesn't get us very far toward understanding active learning and how it can be applied in college classrooms (Lin ,2012). Teachers might think of active learning as an approach to instruction in which students engage the material they study through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and reflecting. Active learning stands in contrast to "standard" modes of instruction in which teachers do most of the talking and students are passive. Think of the difference between a jar that's filled and a lamp that's lit. In the former case, liquid is poured into an empty vessel an apt metaphor for the traditional educational paradigm in which students sit passively in a classroom and absorb the knowledge transmitted by an expert. A growing body of research has made it clear, however, that the overall quality of teaching and learning is improved when students have ample opportunities to clarify, question, apply, and consolidate new knowledge. In this case, instructors create opportunities for students to engage new material, serving as guides to help them understand and apply information. They help "light the lamp" of student learning (Barnlund,2008). Students and their learning needs are at the center of active learning. There are many teaching strategies that can be employed to actively engage students in the learning process, including group discussions, problem solving, case studies, role plays, journal writing, and structured learning groups. All of these activities can be carried out through Facebook. The benefits of using such activities are many. They include improved critical thinking skills, increased retention and transfer of new information, increased motivation, and improved interpersonal skills which are in the center of the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) (Scarpell ,2009). Based on this, the researcher believes that creating a new environment which is interesting, enjoyable and full of social interactions can be achieved by appropriate use of Facebook in teaching English language skills especially writing skills. 2.2 The Importance of Surfing Facebook in the Teaching Learning Process The researcher discussed the importance of surfing networks in the teaching learning process and its effectiveness not only in enhancing the students to critical thinking and problem-solving but also in helping learners with physical disabilities in speaking ,for example, speak without any kind of fear or embarrassment (Lin ,2012). Gulek and Demirtas (2005) emphasized that rapid technological advances in the last decade have sparked educational practioners interest in utilizing laptops using Facebook as instructional tools to improve students' learning. Students learn depending on technological tools spend more time in collaborative work, participate in more project-based instruction, produce writing of higher quality and length, gain increased access to information , improve research analysis skills , and spend more time doing homework on computers. Research has shown that students report a greater reliance on active learning strategies (Ruben , 2010). Yee (2007) found that one of the positive influences is that the Internet plays a vital role in providing teenagers with multi-connected networks across the globe . It sets the basis of a virtual world, one which exists without face-to-face interactions which may cause the learners especially the shy ones feel embarrassed from their classmates. While Lenhart and Madden (2007) added one example of this , a teenager with a physical disability who felt out-casted and had no friends. After creating a Facebook page, he had a network of 30 friends within a week, all of them were his classmates. The interesting thing was how these classmates had never approached him in school but was rather receptive about adding him as a friend on Facebook. Social networking sites provide a flexible way for family and friends to connect with each other through means of online networking. They also provide learners with opportunities to maintain new relationships and keep old friendships because it is very easy and convenient nowadays to surf Facebook from mobile phones and other portable devices. The vast appeal of these technologies influence is the way learners interact with others causing communication which is the insight behind learning a language. Lenhart and Madden( 2007) also added another advantage for using Facebook in teaching. It is that some students who have speaking difficulty because of disabilities or who care a lot about making mistakes in writing, online social networking can be an immense help for them. In another study made by Tynes (2007), he emphasized that online discussions direct teenagers into self-learning and create opportunities for them to develop critical thinking and argumentation skills . Researchers have found that virtual communication could potentially enhance its user s social understanding and offer positive influences (Nauert, 2010). Whereas Wheeler(2009) added that learners will not find it comfortable to learn with their teachers over their shoulders. Another study done by Scarpell (2009) emphasized that Bilingual people aren t cognitively smarter, but they are more cognitively flexible. Besides, Practice at constant switching improves an aspect of their cognitive abilities. They become more facile at adjusting to new situations and inventing new situations. (Page.2) This is much like what people do when they are updating their Facebook status, instant-messaging friends, or answering text messages and emails while they re doing something else. This multitasking, where people are stimulating new patterns of sequential processing, could then reap the same benefits as bilingualism. So, using Facebook does not only encourage students to learn in an interesting way but it also increases their abilities of multitasking and encourages an autonomous learning within a social environment for students. Activities using a social networking site, such as Facebook, can put control for studying into the students hands. While Phillips and others (2010) believed that Facebook can be a powerful tool to help learners share educational content, and enhance communication among them. Phillips also added that Facebook can provide students with the opportunity to effectively present their ideas, lead online discussions, and collaborate. It can facilitate student-to-student collaboration and provide innovative ways for the teacher to involve students in his or her subject matter. In addition, Ruben (2011) stated that people proudly boast about the number of friends they have on Facebook. It is said that an average of Facebook user has over 175 friends and the number simply increases if the user is a teenager or with a beautiful profile. Being already an addict to Facebook will facilitate using Facebook as a teaching tool as students will like the idea of learning and having fun at the same time. This enables teachers to convey their message in teaching the English language implicitly and in an interesting way. Besides, Odell (2011) said that social media has several effects on academic work. It also has a positive impact on students sense of themselves in the community . Students using Facebook are well-liked by their peers and practise extra activities and students who do not use Facebook feel themselves connected to their schools and teachers. Hayashi (2011) emphasized that social networking is not only easy to use; it can create and increase students social relationships outside of the classroom. Hayashi also discussed how simple activities in Facebook helped a lower language proficient class to become more comfortable participating in online discussions, giving their opinions and forging closer relationships with their fellow classmates. Hayashi also stated that the use of Facebook contributes to increased student motivation and language output. Ruiz (2011) found a direct relationship between site use and out-of- class sociability: the more time a student spent on Facebook, the more likely that student was to be involved with extracurricular activities. Lin (2012) stated that students learn more in less time when they receive computer-based instruction and the use of technology in higher level reasoning and problem solving abilities. On the other hand , few researchers contradict the idea of having a great effect of Facebook on improving students' reading and writing skills. An example of those contradictors is Findlay (2007) who stated that Facebook weakens long distance relationship and decreases the amount of concentration while learning. In addition , Findlay found that Facebook is time- consuming and it is bad because of people being addicted to using it. From the above mentioned studies, the researcher finds out that the majority of research agrees on the importance of Facebook in improving students' reading and writing skills like Hayashi, Gulek , Hayashi , Ruben and Odell (2011). As few researchers contradict the great power of Facebook in improving students' levels in reading and writing skills like Findlay . The present study emerges from agreement and disagreement to build a channel based on the gap left from previous literature and a channel suitable for the Palestinians learning English through one of the requirements of this digital world. Therefore, it is very important for learners to have out-of-class sociability because it is communication and learning a language is also communication. Social networking provides opportunities for learners to develop social skills online. 2.3 Cooperative Learning Theory and Facebook Cooperative learning is an approach to organizing classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences. It differs from group work, and it has been described as structuring positive interdependence. Students must work in groups to complete tasks collectively toward academic goals. Unlike individual learning, which can be competitive in nature, students learning cooperatively capitalize on one another s resources and skills (asking one another for information, evaluating one another s ideas, monitoring one another s work, etc.). Furthermore, the teacher's role changes from giving information to facilitating students' learning. Everyone succeeds when the group succeeds. Ross and Smyth (1995) describe successful cooperative learning tasks as intellectually demanding, creative, open-ended, and involve higher order thinking tasks. Facebook offers a wide array of technological affordances supporting a diverse range of interests and practices which integrate several modes of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) such as self-presentation, and one-to-one or one-to-many written exchanges with academic writing (Downes, 2006). Therefore, learning how to write effectively through Facebook is not only enjoyable but also efficient because learning is carried out cooperatively. Learners also exchange their ideas and information which is highly educative . 2.4 The Importance of Writing Assessment English is a compulsory school component and a medium of instruction at all Palestinian Universities. English is also important in the world of communication, science, technology and business. Therefore, it becomes a means of not only finding a job but also conveying a political message to the outside world about the Palestinians problems (Mourtaga 2004). The assessment of the writing ability among language teachers and students has always been important because the results of such an evaluation are used for a variety of administrative, instructional and research purposes. Classroom teachers , in particular, benefit from these results . They use these results to help improve, influence, refine and shape their student's attained writing ability ( Al Sharawneh,2012). Holt and Willard (2000) consistently sounds this theme: I am specifically interested in neutralizing assessment's more negative influences and accentuating its more positive effects for teaching and learning (page .82). Practices in evaluating writing with such positive effects go variously by the names authentic, educative, and rhetorical. So, teachers must find inharmful ways of pointing out their students' mistakes of writing . 2.5 The Most Important Features of Writing and how to Focus on through Facebook Conventions of the writing process are the surface features of writing mechanics, usage, and sentence formation. Conventions are a courtesy to the reader, making writing easier to read by putting it in a form that the reader expects and is comfortable with. 2.5.1 Mechanics Mechanics are the conventions of print that do not exist in oral language, including spelling, punctuation, and capitalization .Because they do not exist in oral language, students have to consciously learn how mechanics function in written language. For example, while speakers do not have to be conscious of the spellings of words, writers not only have to use standard spelling for each word but may even have to use different spellings for words that sound the same but have different meanings. The same holds true for punctuation: speakers do not have to think consciously about intonation and pauses, but writers have to decide where to use a period instead of a comma and how to indicate that they are quoting someone s exact words (Hillocks, 1986). 2.5.2 Usage Usage refers to conventions of both written and spoken language that include word order, verb tense, and subject-verb agreement. Usage may be easier than mechanics to teach because children enter school with a basic knowledge of how to use language to communicate. As children are learning to use oral language, they experiment with usage and learn by practice what is expected and appropriate. However, the oral language that many children use at home is often very different from formal school language. In addition, children who speak a language other than English at home may use different grammatical rules, word order, and verb conjugations. Although it may be easier to teach correct usage when a child s oral language at home is already very similar to school language, children from all oral language backgrounds benefit from learning about how language is used in different situations (Rosen,2011). 2.5.3 Sentence Formation Sentence formation refers to the structure of sentences, the way that phrases and clauses are used to form simple and complex sentences. In oral language, words and sentences cannot be changed once they have been spoken. But the physical nature of writing allows writers to craft their sentences, combining and rearranging related ideas into a single, more compact sentence. As students become more adept at expressing their ideas in written language, their sentences become longer and more complex (Rosen,2011). As mechanics including, spelling, punctuation and capitalization and usage including, word order, verb tense and subject verb agreement and sentence formation that refers to the structure of sentences ( simple or complex) are the most important features of writing, the researcher focused on making the students of the experimental group train more and suggest corrections to each others' mistakes in the field of study so that they could use the features of writing mentioned above properly and suitably and could consequently create effective pieces of writing which are to some extent, free of mistakes. 2.6 Summary This chapter summarized some of the literature in the importance of using Facebook in improving the students' writing skills .It also presented a review of what is mutual between learning theories and Facebook in the field of teaching writing and the importance of writing assessment. The chapter ended up with some light shed on the most important features of the writing skill. Chapter three describes the methodology and the procedures of the study. Chapter Three 3. Methodology 3.1 Sample 3.2 Instrument 3.3 Procedures of the Study 3.4 Design of the Study 3.5 Statistical Analysis 3.6 Reliability and Validity 3.7 Variables of the Study 3.8 Summary Chapter Three Introduction This chapter reviews methodology of the study, sample, instrument and procedures used in analysis. Design of the study, statistical analysis, reliability, validity and variables of the study are also included in this chapter. 3. Methodology This research is a semi-experimental qualitative research. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' performance in English writing in Latin Patriarchate School in Zababdeh during the scholastic year 2012-2013. To achieve this goal , and in an attempt to answer the research questions presented in chapter one, the researcher collected data through analyzing an English proficiency writing test which was classified into three domains each of which dealt with sub writing skills (mechanics of writing , usage and sentence formation).The procedures contained design and statistical analysis. 3.1 Sample The researcher used a purposeful sample which is the Latin Patriarchate School in Qabatia district. The sample was divided into two groups : the experimental group which was taught using Facebook , and the control group which was taught traditionally. Each one of them contained twenty students .The following tables present the study sample. Table (1) Sample Distribution According to Gender. Gender Student total Percentage Male 20 50% Female 20 50% Total 40 100% . Table(1) above showed that the total number of the students in each group is forty. Twenty males and twenty females. Table (2) Sample Distribution According to Group. Group Student total Percentage Experimental 20 50% Control 20 50% Total 40 100% Table(2) showed that the total number of students is forty. Twenty students are in the control group and twenty students are in the experimental group. 3.2 Instrument The researcher used an IQ test designed by Saleh (1978) to examine equivalence in intelligence for both groups. The researcher used an English proficiency writing test which was classified into three domains (mechanics of writing , usage of writing and sentence formation) each of which dealt with sub-writing skills. The researcher used a pre-test and post- test distributed over three dimensions. The pre- test was applied before using Facebook and the post- test was applied after using Facebook. The students received intensive training of correcting each others' mistakes and giving some suggestions to improve writing in terms of conventions of writing like mechanics, usage and sentence formation through a group on a Facebook page ,consisting of twenty students as an experimental group. The researcher's job was to administrate the whole work including correcting, commenting and giving suggestions for presenting ideas in a better way. 3.3 Procedures of the Study The researcher used a diagnostic pre-test for evaluating the level of the students and a post- test for noticing the difference in the students' performance in writing quality. The post- test was applied to both groups, the experimental group and the control group. The study was conducted according to the following procedures: - Preparing the ninth graders of both the control group and the experimental group in Latin Patriarchate School to sit for an IQ test designed by Saleh (1978) for examining the equivalence of the two groups. - Identifying the study sample. - Applying the pre-test to the students before using Facebook which was writing about a famous person. - Preparing the study tool, which was creating a group of twenty students who were the experimental group on the social networking website "Facebook" and exposing them to extensive training on correcting each others' mistakes in the mechanics and usage of writing and sentence formation. The researcher as she was the teacher herself created the Facebook group and decided with the students in the experimental group to meet each Thursday for an hour on the created Facebook group to play and learn English enthusiastically. Some of the activities were like, story completion, dialogue completion and mistakes correction. Regardless all of the difficulties at the beginning like not being online at the agreed upon time, the teaching-learning process continued successfully as the activities and the games were full enthusiasm . - Applying the post-test to the students writing skills after using Facebook. - Analyzing data by using the statistical package for social science (SPSS). 3.4 Study Design The researcher used two groups, an experimental group and a control group. Symbols below clarify the design of this study . G1 O1 X O2 G2 O1 --- O2 Whereas G1 stands for group 1which is the experimental group and G2 Stands for group 2which is the control group. X represents the treatment using Facebook and O1 is the pre- test and O2 is the post- test. 3.5 Statistical Analysis To answer the questions of this study, the researcher used the following statistical measures : 1 - Means and standard deviations to check differences on pre and post test 2- Chronpach Alpha formula to check the internal reliability of the test 3- Independent sample T- tests on the pre- test to check equivalence between the two experimental groups. The researcher used the same statistical test on the post-test to find the impact of treatment 3.6 Reliability and Validity Chronpach Alpha was used to test the reliability of control and experimental test. It was (0.86) for the two groups and this result is acceptable for the study purposes. The researcher calculated correlation for each of the three dimensions before and after applying the tool and the total score of the exam. The researcher found that there is a significant correlation between the pre test and the post-test as shown in table (3) below. Table (3) Correlation Coefficients Distributed by the Three Dimensions before and after applying the tool . Description N Correlation Pre-mechanics & Post- mechanics 40 0.62 Pre- usage & Post- usage 40 0.56 Pre-sentence formation &Post-sentence formation 40 0.69 Pre- total & Post- total 40 0.74 Table (3)shows that the high correlation coefficient of the pre- test and the post-test was (0.74),while the lowest dimension correlation is the usage with (0.56). On the contrary, the highest dimension correlation coefficient was between the pre- sentence formation and post- sentence formation with (0.69). 3.7 Variables of the Study The study contained the following variables: The independent variables : - Gender variable: male & female. - Group variable: experimental and control. The dependent variables : The total of the grades for the post- test after using Facebook in teaching writing. 3.8 Summary This chapter presented sample of the study, procedures, study design, statistical analysis, reliability, validity and variables of the study. The following chapter describes the results of the study. Chapter Four 4. Results 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Results related to questions of the study Chapter Four 4. Results 4.1 Introduction This study aimed at identifying the effect of using Facebook on improving the students writing skills in Latin Patriarchate School in Zababdeh in Qabatia district in the second semester 2012-2013. This section presents the statistical data that was analyzed using the SPSS statistical program. It was collected through the tool of the study represented by the pre- test and the post test for the writing skills in Latin Patriarchate School in Qabatia district . The questions were answered. Each question dealt with the effect of using Facebook on improving the students writing skills. 4.2 Results Related to Questions of the Study: Question (1): What is the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills? To answer the first question, the researcher used the average grades for every student on the pre- test and the post- test as shown in table (4) below. Table (4) The Total Average of the Pre-Test and the Post-Test Grades Distributed by the Experimental Group and the Control Group Experimental Group Control Group Serial Pretest Posttest Average Serial pretest posttest Average 1 25 27 26 21 23 23 23 2 25 25 25 22 16 17 16.5 3 21 26 23.5 23 19 22 20.5 4 27 28 27.5 24 19 20 19.5 5 19 21 20 25 21 22 21.5 6 20 21 20.5 26 20 20 20 7 18 21 19.5 27 22 22 22 8 21 25 23 28 22 22 22 9 22 24 23 29 24 24 24 10 17 19 18 30 22 22 22 11 17 23 20 31 22 20 21 12 25 26 25.5 32 17 20 18.5 13 23 25 24 33 21 21 21 14 19 21 20 34 24 21 22.5 15 24 26 25 35 18 19 18.5 16 17 21 19 36 19 19 19 17 18 22 20 37 21 22 21.5 18 17 22 19.5 38 21 22 21.5 19 19 21 20 39 22 22 22 20 20 23 21.5 40 21 22 21.5 Average 20.7 23.35 22.025 Average 20.7 21.1 20.9 To answer the main question of the study which is related to the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills, it is clear from table(4) above that the total average of the pre- test is equal to the experimental group and the control group. On the other hand ,the total average of the post-test of the experimental group is higher than the total average of the post-test of the control group and the total average of both pre- test and post-test of the experimental group was higher than the total average of the control group which means that the students in the experimental group are affected more than the students in the control group. In order to investigate the effect of using Facebook on improving students writing skills ,the researcher stated some sub-questions. They are as the following: Question (2): Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average between the pre- test and post- test of the experimental group ? The researcher used ( Paired Sample T-Test) to investigate the significance of the differences according to the three dimensions and the total average grade for the tool of the study by measuring the mean of the students grades on the pre- test and the post -test of the experimental group. The results are illustrated in table (5) below. Table (5) Paired Sample (T-Test) of the Students Grades mean on the Pre- Test and the Post- Test of the Experimental Group according to the Dimensions and Total Average. Exam Mean Standard Deviation Degrees of Freedom t Sig.(2- tailed) Pre-test mechanics 6.8 1.24 19 -6.85 0.000 Post-test mechanics 7.9 0.97 Pre-test usage 6.95 1.19 19 -5 0.000 Post-test usage 8 0.92 Pre-test sentence formation 6.95 1.05 19 -3.7 0.002 Post-test sentence formation 7.45 0.83 Pre-Test total average 20.7 3.18 19 -7.6 0.000 Post-Test total average 23.4 2.52 Table (5 ) above showed that there were statistically significant differences at ( = 0.05)in the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average between the pre- test and post- test of the experimental group. Testing this previous question showed that using Facebook for improving the students writing skills of the experimental group had a positive effect on the achievement of the students in favor of the post- test grades according to the three dimensions and the total average. This result indicates that there was a great effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills in terms of mechanics of writing and usage of writing. Question (3) : Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average between the pre- test and post- test of the control group The researcher used ( Paired Sample t-test) to figure out the significance of the differences of means of the three dimensions and the total average grade for using Facebook in improving the students' writing skills by measuring the means of the students grades in the pre- test and the post- test of the control group. The results are illustrated in table (6). Table (6) ( Paired Sample T-Test) of the Students Grades Mean in the Pre- Test and the Post- Test of the Control Group according to the Dimensions and the Total Average. Exam Mean Standard Deviation Degrees of Freedom t Sig.(2- tailed) Pre-test mechanics 6.85 0.88 19 -0.83 0.42 Post-test mechanics 7.00 0.79 Pre-test usage 6.85 0.88 19 -1.56 0.14 Post-test usage 7.10 0.64 Pre-test sentence formation 7.00 0.73 19 0.0 1.0 Post-test sentence formation 7.00 0.73 Pre-Test total average 20.70 2.15 19 -1.32 0.20 Post-Test total average 21.10 1.62 Table (6) showed that there were no statistically significant differences at ( a<=0.05) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average between the pre -test and post -test of the control group. Question (4) : Are there statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the post- tests of both the control group and the experimental group? To answer the fourth question, the researcher used the (independent T- Test) to find out the significance of the mean differences of both post- tests in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills with regard to the control group and the experimental group of the total average grade and the three dimensions average. Table (7) shows the results of the post- test of the students of the experimental group and the students of the control group. Table (7) (Independent T-Test) the Mean of the Post- Test due to the Control Group and the Experimental Group Experimental Control Total Average Mean Standard Deviation Mean Standard Deviation (t) Significance* Post-test mechanics 7.90 0.97 7.00 0.79 3.21 .003 Post-test usage 8.00 0.92 7.10 0.64 3.60 .001 Post-test sentence formation 7.45 0.83 7.00 0.73 1.83 .075 Post-Test total average 23.35 2.52 21.10 1.62 3.36 .002 *Statistically significant at ( <=0.05) Table (7 ) showed that there were statistically differences at (a <= 0.05) between both post- tests of the experimental group and the control group according to the two dimensions (post-test mechanics, post-test usage) and the total post- test average. Testing this previous question showed that using Facebook in improving the students writing skills had a positive effect on the achievement of the students in the experimental group more than the students in the control group. On the contrary, there were no statistically significant differences at (a<=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to post-test sentence formation dimension. Question ( 5 ) : Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for both the pre- test and post- test of the experimental group due to gender ? To answer the fifth question, the researcher used the (independent t- test) to investigate the significance of the mean differences for both the pre - test and the post- test of the experimental group due to gender. The results are shown in table (8). Table (8) ( Independent T-Test) Mean Differences for Both the Pre -Test and the Post -Test of the Experimental Group due to Gender . Male Female Total Average Mean Standard Deviation Mean Standard Deviation (t) Significance* average-test mechanics 7.20 0.86 7.50 1.25 -0.63 0.54 average-test usage 7.30 0.92 7.65 1.00 -0.81 0.43 average-test sentence formation 6.95 0.76 7.45 0.98 -1.27 0.22 Total average 21.45 2.44 22.60 3.06 -0.93 0.37 *Statistically significant at ( <=0.05) Table (8) showed that there were no statistically significant differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for both the pre -test and post- test of the experimental group due to gender . Question (6): Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for the pre-test and the post-test of the control group due to gender? To answer the sixth question, the researcher used the (Independent T-Test) to investigate the significance of the mean differences for both the pre -test and the post- test of the control group due to gender variable. The results are shown in table (9) below. Table (9) (Independent T-Test) Mean Differences for both the Pre- Test and the Post- Test of the Control Group due to Gender Male Female Total Average Mean Standard Deviation Mean Standard Deviation (t) Significance* average-test mechanics 6.95 0.72 6.89 0.78 0.19 0.85 average-test usage 6.95 0.61 7.00 0.79 -0.15 0.89 average-test sentence formation 6.91 0.44 7.11 0.86 -0.68 0.50 Total average 20.82 1.45 21.00 2.21 -0.22 0.83 *Statistically significant at ( <=0.05 Table (9) showed that there were no statistically significant differences at ( <= 0.05) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for both the pre- test and post- test of the control group due to gender. Question (7) : Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for the post- test of the control group and the post-test of the experimental group due to gender ? To answer the seventh question, the researcher used the (Independent T-Test) to measure the significance of the mean differences for the post- test to both the control group and the experimental group due to gender . The results are shown in table (10). Table (10)( Independent T-Test) Mean Differences for the Post- Test of the Control Group and the Post-Test of the Experimental Group due to Gender. Male Female Total Average Mean Standard Deviation Mean Standard Deviation (t) Significance* Average- test mechanics 7.4 0.97 7.5 1.02 -0.46 0.65 Average- test usage 7.4 0.80 7.7 0.99 -1.25 0.22 Average- test sentence formation 7.1 0.48 7.3 1.06 -0.68 0.50 Total average 21.9 1.92 22.6 2.81 -0.89 0.38 Table (10) showed that there were no statistically significant differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for the post- test of the control group and the post-test of the experimental group due to gender. 4.3 Summary Chapter four presented the results related to the questions of the study. It also showed some tables to illustrate the results of the seven questions of the study which indicated that there is a great and obvious effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills especially in the mechanics and the usage skills of writing. Chapter Five 5. Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Discussion 5.3 Conclusion 5.4 Recommendations 5.4.1 Teachers 5.4.2 Learners 5.4.3 Decision makers 5.4.4 Parents 5.4.5 Further research 5.5 Summary Chapter Five 5. Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 Introduction This chapter included discussion of the results, conclusions and recommendations to the teachers, students, parents, decision makers and researchers for further research . 5.2 Discussion This part included the discussion of the results. Question (1): What is the effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills? Research on this question showed that there was a positive effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills. The total average of the pre-test for the experimental group was (20.7) and the total average of the pre-test for the control group was also (20.7) which guaranteed the equivalence in performance between the two groups before using Facebook. On the other hand ,the total average of the post-test for the experimental group was (23.35) while, the total average of the post- test for the control group was (21.1) which indicated that the students of the experimental group achieved better results than the students of the control group. This finding revealed that using new and different enthusiastic techniques had a positive effect on improving the students' writing skills more than traditional teaching. This progress could also mean that students participating, sharing ideas, opinions and comments through Facebook had better results and a more active role than students in large classes, sitting passively in rows, receiving and not having the chance to produce. Question (2): Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average between the pre-test and post- test of the experimental group ? Research on this question showed that the mean of the pre-test mechanics was (6.8) and the mean of the post-test mechanics was (7.9), while the mean of the pre-test usage was (6.95) and the mean of the post- test usage was (8.0). On the other hand, the mean of the pre-test sentence formation was (6.95) and the mean of the post-test sentence formation was (7.45). Teaching mechanics of writing including punctuation, spelling and capitalization is difficult because those mechanics do not exist in oral or spoken language. Despite the difficulty to teach mechanics of writing, the students of the experimental group showed progress in writing in terms of mechanics more than usage or sentence formation which in turn overemphasized the importance of using Facebook in improving the students' writing skills. Students of the experimental group achieved little progress in improving their writing in terms of sentence formation. This fact could be attributed to their lack knowledge of reading. Students learning through Facebook could achieve more progress in writing in terms of sentence formation by reading more. Question (3) : Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average between the pre- test and post- test of the control group? Research on this question showed that the mean of the pre-test mechanics was (6.85) and the mean of the post-test mechanics was (7.00), while the mean of the pre-test usage was (6.85) and the mean of the post- test usage was (7.10). On the other hand, the mean of the pre-test sentence formation was (7.00) and the mean of the post-test sentence formation was (7.00). These numbers showed that there was little progress in the results of the students of the control group in comparison with the students' progress in the experimental group. Students of the control group improved their writing in terms of usage including, word order, subject-verb agreement and verb tense more than sentence formation. This fact revealed that teaching writing traditionally overemphasized accuracy than fluency. Question (4) : Are there statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the post- tests of both the control group and the experimental group? Research on this question showed that there were statistical differences at (a <= 0.05) between both post-tests of the experimental group and the control group according to the two dimensions (post-test mechanics, post - test usage) and the total post- test average. The mean of post-test mechanics for the students of the experimental group was (7.90), while the mean of the post-test mechanics for the students of the control group was (7.00). These numbers showed that the students of the experimental group were affected by using Facebook in improving their writing more than the students of the control group. This result could be because the students in the experimental group could have the chance to read their classmates pieces of writing and give better suggestions for their mistakes in terms of mechanics. With regard to usage of writing, the mean of post-test usage for the students of the experimental group was (8.00), while the mean of the post-test usage for the students of the control group was (7.10). This result proved that the students of the experimental group achieved progress in writing in terms of usage more than the students of the control group, which in turn emphasized the importance of cooperative learning through Facebook. On the contrary, there were no statistically significant differences at (a<=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to post-test sentence formation dimension. Question ( 5 ) : Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for both the pre- test and post- test of the experimental group due to gender ? Research on this question showed that the significance of the total average for male and female students in the experimental group was (0.37) which indicated that there was no statistically significant difference for the effect of using Facebook in improving the students' writing skills due to gender. The researcher found that this result could be attributed to the students' knowledge and obsession with using Facebook. With regard to this result, it becamr obvious that there were no differences between male and female students of the experimental group towards learning how to write perfectly through Facebook. This result proved that both males and females could get the benefit of using Facebook in improving their writing skills at the same level, which in turn considered to be a positive point concerning using Facebook in the teaching learning process. Question (6): Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for the pre -test and the post- test of the control group due to gender? Research on this question showed that there were no statistical differences at ( <= 0.05) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for both the pre- test and post- test of the control group due to gender. The researcher concluded that there were no importance for gender while teaching whether traditionally or through Facebook. Question (7) :Are there statistical differences at ( <=0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for the post- test of the control group and the post-test of the experimental group due to gender ? Research on this question showed that there were no statistically significant differences at ( <=0.05) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills according to the three dimensions and the total average for the post-test of the control group and the post-test of the experimental group due to gender. The total average for both post-tests was (0.38) which was not statistically significant. Based on this finding, the researcher revealed that male and female students could improve their writing skills without any importance for gender. 5.3 Conclusion This study examined the effect of using Facebook in improving the students' writing skills in the private school Latin Patriarchate in Zababdeh in Qabatia district. The results of the study however, shed some light on issues concerning using new , modern and enthusiastic social networking websites especially Facebook in the academic field of teaching the writing skills. In general, the results show that there were effective and obvious effects in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills especially in mechanics of writing (capitalization, punctuation and spelling) on one hand and usage (word order , and subject verb agreement) on the other hand. The effect of using Facebook on improving and strengthening the students' sentence formation was not that clear. The main results could be summarized as follows: 1.There was an obvious effect of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills. 1. There were statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the pre- test and post- test of the experimental group. 2. There were no statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the pre- test and post- test of the control group. 3. There were statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the post- tests for both the control group and the experimental group. 4. There were no statistical differences at ( <= 0.05 ) in using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills between the pre- test and post -test of the experimental group due to gender. 5.4 Recommendations Based on the results of the study, the following points are suggested and recommended to teachers, learners, decision makers, parents and further research to maintain parallelism. 1- Teachers should limit the time allowed for the students to read each others' topics or post their own and they will consequently take the subject of writing using Facebook seriously. 2- Teachers should explain to their students the criteria which are going to be used for assessing their writing. 5.4.1 Teachers 1-Facebook is not only a social networking website that has a great effect in the students' social life, but also it has a limitless impact on the students' academic improvement. This is the reason why teachers should take into consideration the importance of using Facebook on the teaching -learning process. 2- Since there are many different sources of learning nowadays ,teachers should always search for new and enthusiastic methods of teaching, especially in teaching English writing so that they could attract the students' attention and motivation to learn . In this case, using Facebook in teaching can solve this problem. 3- Teachers should be responsible for students' mistakes or development. So, they should cooperate with other English teachers in other schools to create groups of more students from different schools, backgrounds and experiences. 4- Teachers should motivating students who show progress after the training on how to write through Facebook by showing their own work on the Facebook group page. 5.4.2 Learners 1- Students should not worry too much about their mistakes because mistakes are inevitable and one can learn from these mistakes. 2- Students should give the value of the priceless change made by using the modern technological tools as Facebook for improving their writing. 3- Reading is considered a vital key for good writing . So, students should read more and cooperate with each other so that, they could get the benefit of others' good writing or mistakes in an enthusiastic way through Facebook. 5.4.3 Decision makers 1- Decision makers should organize trainings and workshops for discussing the effects of using Facebook on improving the students' writing skills and training teachers how to teach writing perfectly through Facebook. 2- More emphasis should be given to teaching writing as well as using Facebook for teaching it. 5.4.4 Parents 1- Parents should consider Facebook as a modern technological tool in teaching not as a way of wasting time as it has recently caused political revolutions in the Arab world. 2-Parents should also motivate their children to widen their thoughts and ideas by reading others' writings through Facebook web pages. 5.4.5 Further Research Finally, the researcher would like to suggest the following issues for further research: 1.Developing techniques and activities for teaching writing through Facebook. 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Samples of the pre- test for the control group Samples of the pre-test for the experimental group Samples of the post- test of the control group Samples of the post- test of the experimental group The IQ test Samples of the IQ test answers A sample of the group work on Facebook The IQ test results for both the control group and the experimental group The IQ test answer key )Facebook ( . .. 2013 )Facebook ( . . . . . . . . . This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF. http://www.win2pdf.com