Abstract:

Social media is known to have revolutionalised learning in many countries. However, it was not the case in the small island, Mauritius, until the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic in 2019, when there was an urgent shift in learning from the traditional classroom to the remote and online learning. In this context, the use of the social media websites and applications became prominent and challenging as well, as the usage of the social media changed. This study aimed at analysing the use of social media as a learning tool by students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It examined the relationship between the perceived ease of use of social media and perceived usefulness of social media as a learning tool, how and why are learners using social media as a learning tool. The study adopted a mixed methods approach. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from students aged from 13 to 24 years old. It was found that perceive ease of use and perceived usefulness of social media have a positive effect on the use of social media as a learning tool. Moreover, students are using social media as learning tool for self-directed learning be it individually and by engaging in collaborative learning.

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