Language learning through Facebook: A descriptive case study

According to the statistics as of 15 November 2015 in Italy there are about 28,000,000 Facebook subscribers, which means a 46.1% penetration rate. Facebook is also the most commonly used social networking tool among university students: their involvement and the hours they spend on this popular networking site should encourage educators in higher education institutions to consider it as a place for learning and to integrate it in the academic practices. This paper reports and analyzes the data collected using a questionnaire concerning students’ perceptions of language learning possibilities on Facebook. The survey was conducted at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” (Department of Literary, Linguistics and Comparative Studies) during the academic year 2015-2016 and involved students enrolled in three different courses. At this step, students’ perceptions and attitudes were measured through a questionnaire including several questions about demographic information, their perceptions of Facebook and their use and behavior on this social network site. The main purpose of this study was to find out the role and benefits of Facebook in students’ language learning processes, whether Facebook is able to improve students’ language skills and whether students use specific Facebook groups to facilitate language learning. The study was limited only to the generic social networking site Facebook, excluding all the other social networking sites (including the relatively new Language Learning Social Network Sites (LLSNSs) too, such as Babbel, Busuu, italki; Polyglotclub, etc.