Investigating Facebook as a Tool to Improve English Language Proficiency among Higher Secondary Students in Bangladesh

Abstract

Aims: The study aims to examine the usefulness of Facebook as an effective platform for improving the English language proficiency skills of higher secondary-level students in Bangladesh.  Background: Facebook is the most used social media among students. The primary intention of Facebook use among students is entertainment. Several studies have examined Facebook's role as an educational tool, particularly for language learning, in specific Bangladeshi contexts, including private universities, colleges, and rural institutions. Methods: This article combines quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine the effectiveness of Facebook in language learning and also the challenges in using Facebook as a language learning platform. The participants are the students of classes 11 and 12 in Bangladesh. A stratified random sampling method has been used in collecting data from 382 students from all over the country. In this study, data were collected through a survey questionnaire consisting of 26 questions among them 23 questions were analyzed including 3 open-ended questions, and 20 were closed-ended using a Google form. The sample size was 382 selected from a population of 50,000, where the confidence level is 95%, and the margin of error is 5%. Results: This analysis includes descriptive statistics for summarizing some demographic parameters of the participants, cross-tabulations to identify what necessary relationships between some variables are, and correlation analysis to find out what associations are significant for a better understanding of Facebook and English skills. The result indicates that students show a positive attitude, motivation, and confidence towards gaining English language proficiency.  Conclusion: This research describes the effects and challenges of using Facebook to enhance English language skills. The study suggests that, when used strategically, Facebook can be a valuable supplemental resource for learning English. The participants come from various Bangladeshi higher secondary level colleges, and these results apply to specific areas. No data were collected from any public or private university, which is this study’s weakness. Further studies can be done in these areas.