ERIC Number: EJ1108405
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jun
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1492-3831
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Use of Facebook by Secondary School Students at Nuku'alofa as an Indicator of E-Readiness for E-Learning in the Kingdom of Tonga
Sopu, Hans T.; Chisaki, Yoshifumi; Usagawa, Tsuyoshi
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, v17 n4 p203-223 Jun 2016
The Kingdom of Tonga is an isolated least developing country located on the northeast of New Zealand with a population of 103,252 (2011 census) and with a gross domestic product per capita of USD $2,545.20. Before educational systems in a least developing country like the Kingdom of Tonga begin employing e-learning, an assessment of the current situation of students and learning institutions may contribute to its success. Using an appropriate assessment tool is important for accurately measuring the degree of e-readiness. In this study, we administered a survey to 186 students randomly selected from five secondary schools in the Kingdom of Tonga to measure Facebook usage as an index of e-readiness for e-learning. We found that a large percentage (81%) of secondary students use Facebook, and most (74%) of these students have used Facebook for two or more years. All (100%) students use a computer to access Facebook, and most also access Facebook through mobile phones (62%) or tablets (46%). We also found correlations between duration of having a Facebook account and other indicators of e-readiness. Our findings suggest that secondary students in the Kingdom of Tonga have developed e-readiness for e-learning through their use of Facebook.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Developing Nations, Use Studies, Social Media, Secondary School Students, Educational Indicators, Electronic Learning, Learning Readiness, Student Surveys, Likert Scales, Incidence, Access to Computers, Handheld Devices, Correlation, Internet, Computer Use, Data Analysis, Time on Task, Technological Literacy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tonga
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A