Social media, Collaboration and Social Learning - a Case-study of Foreign Language Learning

Social media has created new possibilities for digitally native students to engage, interact and collaborate in learning tasks that foster learning processes and the overall learning experience. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this article discusses experiences and challenges of using a social media-enhanced collaborative learning environment in case-based teaching of foreign languages. Based on social constructivismwe argue that foreign language learning is an individual as well as collaborative process and cognitive processes underlying learning and in particular foreign language learning are facilitated by means of social media and especially for new generation of students. This article contributes to understanding of how best to make use of social media in an educational setting and how learning may be fostered in social, collaborative knowledge construction, sharing and building. The case-study findings indicate that collaborative learning processes that are embedded in a social media enhanced learning platform are supportive and conducive to successful problem-solving which leads to successful adult foreign language learning. Furthermore, the study reports on some of the challenges in using social media and collaborative group work for teaching and learning at university level.