The Effectiveness of Using Twitter in Developing EFL Saudi Female Students’ Grammatical Knowledge

Abstract

The increasing popularity of social networking sites has tempted computer-assisted language learning (CALL) researchers to investigate their potential uses for language learning. Accordingly, this mixed methods experimental study aimed to determine the extent to which Twitter is effective in developing EFL Saudi female students’ grammatical knowledge, specifically their receptive and productive grammatical knowledge. It also investigated students’ perceptions of using Twitter to learn grammar. Fifty-five Saudi female students majoring in the English language at a Saudi university were divided into an experimental group (n=26) and a control group (n=29). The analysis of the pre- and post-tests indicated that Twitter was generally effective in developing the students’ productive but not receptive grammatical knowledge and its effectiveness differed based on the grammatical structures being taught. The data from the interviews revealed that the students generally had positive perceptions of using Twitter to learn grammar although they had some concerns. The study concluded with some pedagogical implications, in light of the study’s findings, and some recommendations for future research.