My Research Design

This study adopted a qualitative research which has been designed to investigate the APB English lecturers’ perception on the use of social network services (SNSs) in the ESL writing classroom.  The three research questions posed where examine through a three-pronged system of collecting data. Data will be obtained through a number of research instruments such as in-depth structured interviews with the APB English lecturers, online discussion board and via email.

The purpose of the interview, online board discussion and feedback via email is to acquire an insight about how lecturers perceive the use of SNSs in the ESL writing classroom, the strength and weaknesses SNSs, and the types of social-network related activities being used by the lecturers to enhance the students’ writing skills in the ESL classroom. This methodology will enable the researcher to obtain a more thorough picture of respondents’ perception. It comprises flexible questioning designed to uncover basic features of the individual’s discerning.

The questions posed during the interview will vary in relation to the respondents. The probing procedures that will be use are a set of problems to be identifying the processes used to attain relevant answers. Each respondent will be in his or her office. The personal interviews are generally expected to last between 25 to 45 minutes, although the length will vary depending on the respondents’ explanation and the probing procedures.

Some of the questions that will be asked are:

1) Do you make use of social network services (SNSs) to teach writing?

2) How do you perceive the use of SNSs to be relevant in teaching writing in the ESL   classroom?

3) What are the strengths of integrating SNSs in the ESL writing classroom?

4) What are the weaknesses that you see when integrating SNSs in the ESL writing classroom?

5) What kind of social-network related activities that you use in the ESL classroom to enhance students writing skills?