INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA INTO MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION: EFFECTS ON STUDENT SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING SKILLS AND ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

The increasing use of digital technologies has encouraged educators to explore innovative ways of supporting students’ learning beyond classroom instruction. This study investigated the effects of social media-supported mathematics instruction on sixth-grade students’ mathematics achievement and technology-based self-directed learning skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design was employed with 58 sixth-grade students enrolled in a public middle school in İstanbul, Türkiye. The intervention was implemented over seven weeks using a WhatsApp group through which researcher‑selected YouTube videos, Instagram posts, visual learning materials, and practice questions related to the mathematics curriculum were shared. Data were collected using a Mathematics Achievement Test and the Technology-Based Self-Directed Learning Skills Scale. The findings showed that students in the experimental group achieved significantly higher mathematics achievement scores than those in the control group. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of technology-based self-directed learning skills. These findings suggest that social media can serve as an effective supplementary instructional environment for improving mathematics achievement when it is integrated into teaching through well-planned pedagogical practices. At the same time, the findings indicate that developing students’ technology‑based self-directed learning skills may require longer implementation periods and more explicit instructional support.

Keywords: Social media, mathematics instruction, self-directed learning. 

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