Concordia University St. Paul DigitalCommons@CSP Concordia University Portland Graduate CUP Ed. Dissertations Research Winter 12-15-2018 Social Media and Academic Performance: Assisting Academic Achievement for English Language Learners Eduardo D. Moreno Concordia University - Portland, eduardo.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Moreno, E.
Social Media and Academic Performance: Assisting Academic Achievement for English Language Learners (Thesis, Concordia University, St. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd/239 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia University Portland Graduate Research at DigitalCommons@CSP. It has been accepted for inclusion in CUP Ed. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSP.
For more information, please contact digitalcommons@csp. Concordia University - Portland CU Commons Ed. Dissertations Graduate Theses & Dissertations Winter 12-15-2018 Social Media and Academic Performance: Assisting Academic Achievement for English Language Learners Eduardo D. Moreno Concordia University - Portland Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.edu/edudissertations Part of the Education Commons CU Commons Citation Moreno, Eduardo D., "Social Media and Academic Performance: Assisting Academic Achievement for English Language Learners" (2018).edu/edudissertations/264 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses & Dissertations at CU Commons.
It has been accepted for inclusion in Ed. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Commons. For more information, please contact libraryadmin@cu- portland. Concordia University–Portland College of Education Doctorate of Education Program WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CERTIFY THAT WE HAVE READ AND APPROVE THE DISSERTATION OF Eduardo D.
Moreno CANDIDATE FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Nicholas J., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Donna Graham, Ph., Content Specialist Yvette Ghormley, Ph., Content Reader Social Media and Academic Performance: Assisting Academic Achievement for English Language Learners Eduardo Moreno Concordia University–Portland College of Education Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the College of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Transformational Leadership Nicholas Markette, Ed., Committee Chair Donna Graham, Ph., Content Specialist Yvette Ghormley, Ph., Content Reader Concordia University–Portland 2019 Abstract The purpose of this quantitative retrospective, causal-comparative study was to examine what, if any, statistically significant difference existed between Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) mathematical and reading achievement of English Language Learners (ELL) in a school using Seesaw—a social media platform—and those in a school not using Seesaw in an elementary school setting in Northern California. The population of ELL third and fourth-grade students within each participating school was 52, for a total of 104 participants. All ELL students in this study come from Spanish speaking homes and were Spanish speakers. Collection of data occurred through the MAP Growth assessments.
Once both schools administered the assessments, the data were compared through a two-sample t-test. The archival data from both schools were analyzed and the data supported the alternate hypothesis that there was statistically significant difference exists between MAP mathematical and reading achievement of ELL students in a school using Seesaw and those in a school not using Seesaw in an elementary school setting in Northern California. Recommendations for further research include allowing for a longer period of time besides one school year, and a larger study using other, but similar platforms to obtain specific data regarding the use of Seesaw within the classroom. Keywords: ELLs and social media, elementary students and social media, ELLs and Seesaw, elementary schools and social media ii Dedication This doctoral journey is dedicated to my wife, family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me all the way since the beginning of my educational years.
Their love, understanding, and patience have helped me attain this milestone. I hope that my sacrifices and constant motivation help inspire others within my family and personal friends to continue on with their own journey and attain their personal goals. iii Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude towards both administrators from the elementary schools, for graciously allowing me to use their student data to conduct this research. They were very supported and willing to help me in any way.
This research opportunity has given me a chance to contribute something to the public-school community, and for that I am thankful. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Nicholas Markette for always staying by my side being an advocate during the hard times of this doctoral process. His dedication to me will never be forgotten and I will always remember the pep talks over those countless numbers of phone calls and emails.
Also, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Donna Graham and Dr. Yvette Ghormley for always challenging me and helping me become a better researcher and scholar. As a result of this partnership, a meaningful contribution has been fulfilled towards further understanding English Language Learners and social media.
iv Table of Contents Abstract. iv List of Tables. x List of Figures. xi Chapter 1: Introduction.
1 Background of the Study. 4 Purpose of Study. 5 Research Questions and Hypothesis. 6 Research Question One (RQ1).
7 Significance of this Study. 7 Nature of Research Design. 8 Definition of Terms. 8 California Assessment of Student Performance (CAASPP).
8 English Language Learners (ELLs). 9 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 9 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). 9 Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations.
10 Chapter 2: Literature Review. 12 Statement of the Problem. 17 Research Question One (RQ1). 17 Review of Literature.
18 Academic achievement and assessment strategies. 18 Primary language and culture. 21 Drawing on students’ backgrounds and interests. 25 Integration of technology.
26 Meaning of social media. 27 Social media serves to create dialogue and connections. 27 Social media today. 28 Students and social media.
30 Academics and social media. 31 Social media in higher education. 32 vi The California Math/Language Arts Framework. 33 Historical data for benchmark assessment.
33 Theories for learning. 40 Review of Methodological Topics. 45 Synthesis of Research Findings. 46 Sources of data.
49 Critique of previous research. 52 Purpose of the Study. 52 Significance of this Study. 54 Research Question One (RQ1).
55 Population and Sampling. 63 vii Internal and External Reliability. 65 Conflict of interest. 67 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results.
70 Research Question One (RQ1). 71 Description of Sample. 71 Summary of Results. 74 Homogeneity of variance.
75 Research Question 1 Results. 76 Research Question 2 Results. 80 Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion. 82 Summary of Results.
83 Discussion of the Results. 84 Discussion of the Results in Relation to the Literature. 89 Implication of the Results for Practice, Policy, and Theory. 90 viii Recommendations for Further Research.
95 Appendix A: IRB Approval Letter. 114 Appendix B: Statement of Original Work. 117 ix List of Tables Table 1 Top Ten Languages in California, other than English. 35 Table 2 2015–16 Smarter Balanced for English Language Arts/Literacy Statewide Numbers, Percentage of Students, and Percentage Point Change from 2015 by Grade and Achievement Level.
37 Table 3 2015–16 Smarter Balanced for Mathematics Statewide Numbers and Percentage of Students and Percentage Point Change from 2015 by Grade and Achievement Level. 38 Table 4 2015–16 Smarter Balanced for English Language Arts/Literacy Statewide Numbers, Percentage of Students Achievement Level, and Percentage Point Change from 2015. 39 Table 5 2015–16 Smarter Balanced for Mathematics Statewide Numbers, Percentage of Students Achievement Level, and Percentage Point Change from 2015. 40 Table 6 Paired Samples t-test for the Difference between MAP Mathematical Achievement With Seesaw and MAP Mathematical Achievement Without Seesaw.
76 Table 7 Paired Samples t-test for the Difference between MAP Reading Achievement with Seesaw and MAP Reading Achievement Without Seesaw. 79 x List of Figures Figure 1. Q-Q scatterplot for normality for the difference between MAP Mathematical Achievement With Seesaw and MAP Mathematical Achievement Without Seesaw. The means of MAP mathematical achievement with Seesaw and MAP mathematical achievement without Seesaw.
Q-Q scatterplot for normality for the difference between MAP Reading Achievement with Seesaw and MAP Reading Achievement without Seesaw. The means of MAP Reading Achievement with Seesaw and MAP Reading Achievement without Seesaw. 80 xi Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction The purpose of this quantitative retrospective, causal-comparative study was to examine what, if any, statistically significant difference existed between MAP mathematical and reading achievement of English Language Learner (ELL) students in an elementary school using Seesaw and those in an elementary school not using Seesaw in Northern California. Seesaw is a social media platform that is student-driven through digital portfolios and allows students to comment, reflect, and collaborate with one another (Seesaw, 2017).
By integrating social media into learning and teaching practices, social media has the potential to trigger significant educational innovations, as they enable new forms of interactive and collaborative learning (Abe & Jordan, 2013). Terms such as comment, like, emoji, friend, and Tweet have taken on a new meaning in the public idiolect. No longer is social media a platform for young individuals such as college students, individuals of all ages to interact with one’s friends or contacts via social media (Boyd & Ellison, 2008; Pomerantz, Hank, & Sugimoto, 2015). Although the use of social media continues to grow, there has been little attention to the potential it can bring into learning (Greenhow & Lewin, 2016).
A review of the literature exposed a serious gap in the use of social media within the elementary classrooms. It is unclear how social media allows for rapid assessment of student’s needs, collaboration, identification of appropriate student feedback, and enhancement of communication within the classrooms (Blazer, 2012). In an attempt to reduce the achievement gap, classroom environments have become innovative and are now places where students can be creative, given clear goals, and receive feedback about their performance (Lawlor, 2012). Integrating social media into learning enables new forms of interactive and collaborative learning 1 (Abe & Jordan, 2013).
However, there is little in the literature addressing social media at the elementary level but there seems to be an emerging interest the connection between the implementation of social media into the curriculum for diverse learners (Piotrowski, 2015). Currently, elementary levels do not widely use social media, since it requires an extensive bureaucratic process to ensure student safety (Ahn, Bivona, & DiScala, 2011). Many administrators and teachers see technology as a risk to students’ academic success (Zheng & Warschauer, 2015). This ideology can lead districts to forget that measuring success within a classroom in terms of improving certain teaching and learning habits by using other unfamiliar methods is possible, rather than focusing on one accustomed way to teach within the classroom (Earle, 2002).
In this second decade of the 21st century, where young minds learn through video, streaming, and other forms of media, having such policies can restrict students and increase student disconnect in using technology. Schools are in a period of rapid change with using technology and teachers need to become curators of this new ideology (Male & Burden, 2014). The elementary years are a crucial time in a student's’ development. The classrooms are a haven for diversity, and educators need to adapt to the social changes that are happening through differentiation of instruction (Crider, Johnston, Rutledge, Doolittle, & Beard, 2014).
Crider et al. (2014) discussed how few educators are effectively prepared to use technology themselves, much less teach students in the use of technology. If social media is meant to be effective as an intervention tool in elementary schools, teachers and students must orchestrate learning environments that highlight a plan, collaboration, and innovation (Larson & Miller, 2011). 2 Background of the Study Technology can be defined as something valued by human or otherwise, and is instinctively intelligent enough to perform a purpose, or benefit (Carroll, 2017).
The first major paradigm shift in technology integration began in 1992, when Wager (1992), argued that it was not the hardware in technology that made the biggest difference, but the process of designing effective instruction that incorporates computer technology and other media appropriately.