Using Social Networks to Promote Student Leadership and Communication in the Language Classroom

The importance of using Web 2.0 tools such as social networking sites to enhance the learning experience has been increasingly recognised in the literature (Blake, 2013; Blattner & Lomicka, 2012; Blattner & Fiori, 2009; Lomicka & Lord, 2009; Mazer et al, 2007; Mynard, 2011; Peeters, 2015). Social networks foster autonomous learning, encourage student motivation and increase their social relationships (Promnitz-Hayashi, 2011). This article discusses how the use of Facebook can promote not only a sense of community of learners but also leadership development in language learners. Through the creation of an online learning community of practice and the use of Facebook groups, students’ interactions and interventions were analysed in order to explore the relationship between social networks, foreign language learning, collaborative learning and leadership development in a university context.