FACEBOOK AS A SUPPORT TO STUDENTS LEARNING GERMAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Abstract

There is no doubt that university students represent a population that is particularly sensitized to the use of social networks, including Facebook, as the most popular. Students usually use Facebook for the purposes of entertainment, but also for communication and gaining new information that promotes and enhance the quality of the learning process in different areas. A large number of studies in developed countries indicate the benefits of Facebook in the area of cooperative learning and the exchange of information and learning materials in social, technical sciences, as well as in the sciences of language. Consequently, the aim of this study is to determine students' attitudes about using Facebook for learning German as a foreign language. Data obtained on a selected sample of 110 students of the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Law, University of Nis, who learn German as a foreign language, confirmed the initial hypothesis that Facebook provides significant support to the learning process. Data show that a large percentage of surveyed students used Facebook communication for the exchange of different content and information, learning materials such as translations, professional texts and others. According to the survey there are no differences in the attitudes of students in relation to the independent variables (belonging to the department and years of study), which supports the view that students actively use Facebook, regardless of the subject they study, and whether they are freshmen or senior. Research findings, however, suggest that students still do not sufficiently exploit the advantages of Facebook and the new technologies that support the development of quality learning. In order for this issue to be resolved, greater involvement across the entire higher education system is required.