The Influence of Social Media on Improving the Pragmatic Skills of EFL Saudi University Students

Abstract

Social media platforms can be a gateway through which English as a foreign language (EFL) students gain access to the world of the target language, communicate with native speakers, and learn more about their culture. Against this background, the present study aims to investigate whether EFL students’ use of social media has impacted the development of their pragmatic competence and conversational skills. Sixty Saudi EFL students, aged 17 or older, studying in the English Language and Translation Department at the Saudi Electronic University participated in the study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire that assessed the participants’ perceptions of using social media networks to practice their English conversation skills. The results showed that social media use had a positive impact on the students’ pragmatic and conversational skills. Specifically, a significant proportion of the participants reported an awareness of conversational and pragmatic improvements resulting from social media use that may not be available in traditional classroom settings. These findings suggest that technology-assisted language learning, particularly learning using social media, should be incorporated into language instruction to improve EFL students’ pragmatic and conversational knowledge. In this regard, social media networks are especially valuable in providing authentic and meaningful language and interaction opportunities. Future research could examine other forms of technology-assisted language learning beyond social media and employ a mixed-methods approach to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) on EFL learners’ pragmatic and conversational proficiency.