ERIC Number: EJ1256525
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jan
Pages: 37
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2164-5965
EISSN: N/A
Using Pinterest to Facilitate the Learning of Culture
Knouse, Stephanie M.; Abreu, Laurel
NECTFL Review, n77 p15-51 Jan 2016
In an effort to make the learning of the target culture a meaningful and motivating experience for foreign language (FL) learners, the researchers designed and implemented a semester-long project in which intermediate Spanish students used Pinterest to pin and comment on cultural artifacts and websites in the target language (TL) that were of personal interest to them. Students completed a variety of assignments related to their newly acquired knowledge, such as compositions, test sections, and in-class discussions. The results of a post-project survey revealed that students' pre-project familiarity and gender had an impact on their evaluation of the project, with females and previous users of the website rating the project more favorably than males and those students without much experience with Pinterest. While there were differences of opinion about various aspects of the project, students' responses were positive overall. To conclude the article, we offer the reader recommendations of how to implement social media projects in FL classrooms.
Descriptors: Social Media, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Web Sites, Teaching Methods, Student Motivation, Spanish, Cultural Traits, Assignments, Language Tests, Familiarity, Gender Differences, Student Attitudes, Computer Assisted Instruction, Cultural Awareness
Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. 2400 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214. e-mail: info@nectfl.org; Web site: https://www.nectfl.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A