Social Networking in Improving Students’ Speaking Skills: The Case of First year Master Linguistics Stduents at Belhadj Bouchaib University Centre

Abstract

Technology has affected almost every aspect of our lives but most importantly on how we communicate. This last has become a necessity for every person which led to the creation of social networks that has become one of the most popular and useful tools. The present study attempts to investigate the impact of social networks on improving EFL students’ speaking skill. In order to test our hypotheses both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used in the analysis of the data collected through questionnaires set to first year linguistics Master students and to teachers from the department of English at Belhadj Bouchaib University Centre. The results indicated that the use of social networks can help students improve their speaking skill. Moreover, social networks have created new opportunities for language learners to interact in authentic ways. Thus, it is clear that social networks are a useful learning strategy in improving students’ speaking performance in foreign language.