CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Of The Study
Internet technologies have impacted how individuals generate and distribute knowledge, as well as the nature of social media communication, during the previous few decades (Aburub & Alnawas, 2019). According to Alasmari & Zhang (2019), social media is getting more popular among the young and old as a result of its ability to address people's socialization demands. As a result, they have successfully changed users' interaction processes and have become a significant component in teaching and learning processes (Bere & Ramber, 2016). According to Bansal and Joshi (2014), students are surrounded by social media platforms such as WhatsApp (an instant messaging tool), which influences their communication dynamics and modifies their teaching and learning processes. WhatsApp, according to Embi (2016), is a social media tool that facilitates interaction between people and groups, offers a variety of social feedback alternatives, and aids in the construction of tangled social relationships. In other words, WhatsApp supports both synchronous and asynchronous communication. WhatsApp, according to El-Messiry (2016), is a social network that allows for quick communication. Considering communication is at the heart of educational activities, this suggests that the platform may be utilized to promote education. In other words, WhatsApp provides a route for teachers to communicate with students in a more timely and seamless communication (Deshen, 2014). It can also help students communicate more effectively and provide a new learning communication. Furthermore, according to Lin (2015), WhatsApp is a discussion tool that provides a good setting for online interactions, in which teachers may present various topics to engage learners in the discussion or to think through and gather opinions on any subject. Educators may use the platform to extend their teaching and learning to students after they leave class.
Furthermore, Cano (2014) stated that WhatsApp, as a mobile learning tool, allows for greater kinds of inclusion because learners are all different; some are more extroverted, while others are more introverted, and some have visual and other hearing issues (Infante, 2011). In any case, WhatsApp makes it easier for more introverted students to participate. Those who can express themselves well in writing have more self-assurance. Those with visual impairments can use voice messages to get the information. Hearing impaired people can read the entire article and upload a video that can be interpreted by a sign interpreter (Ogundare, 2017). This tool is extremely beneficial to attention deficit students since they may read or hear the material, pause or go on, and repeat it as many times as they like (Oliveira, 2013).
Additionally, WhatsApp is an excellent tool for motivating and stimulating students. Involving students in the teaching-learning process is critical to achieving both the curriculum's and students' personal objectives (Besel, 2018). When asking questions or discussing interests, students might feel more at ease using WhatsApp than they would in a face-to-face lesson. In view of the above, , the purpose of this study is to examine WhatsApp as a social media tool for teaching and learning in Nigerian tertiary institutions.