Impact of "WhatsApp Chaupal" on the Academic Performance of Graduate Students of Karachi - A Case Study

This study finds out the effects of using WhatsApp as a teaching method to improve writing, speaking, listening, reading and critical skills of postgraduate students of Karachi, Pakistan. An experimental research approach was employed in which `within-subject experimental design' was selected. n = 25 female students enrolled in the first semester of master's in mass communication from media studies department of a private university were selected through purposive sampling. Participants were first taught for two hours in the classroom followed by a one-hour face-to-face learning session entitled traditional Chaupal. The same students were taught during the second semester in the classroom for two hours along with an additional hour of learning session was given to them through the WhatsApp group with the name of digital Chaupal. Data was collected through a test to evaluate their writing, reading, listening, speaking and critical skills after both sessions. Findings show that the students performed better after using WhatsApp as a teaching method. Teaching through WhatsApp becomes the best-preferred teaching aid, which can be supplemented by classroom learning for better results.