Evaluating teacher and learner readiness to use Facebook in an Australian vocational setting

Abstract

There has been a progressive move towards the adoption of social media in formal post compulsory learning. This qualitative study evaluated the readiness of teachers and students to use Facebook to enhance learning in a tertiary vocational setting in Australia despite a lack of support from the institute. Readiness was understood to be the balance sought between potential energy available (power) and the energy required for change (load). The findings, from surveys and focus group interviews, show that students were much more likely than teachers to have a Facebook account and to be interested in using Facebook as part of their learning. Agreed benefits, evident through a student-initiated closed Facebook group, included collaboration through sharing resources, knowledge and ideas, increased communication with peers and teachers, and a platform that was familiar to students. The difference lay in perceptions of purpose, places and spaces for learning, and an understanding of social norms.