Social Media Learning in the Light of Communities of Inquiry: A focus on WhatsApp learning

Abstract

This paper explores the use of social media specifically WhatsApp for learning by undergraduate
students of Arts and Science Colleges. Literature review shows that social media could be used as an
instrument for learning in different parts of the world and reflects the advantages and disadvantages of
using social media for learning. This paper uses Communities of Inquiry (CoI) model to prove the point
that production of knowledge is done through three presences explained by the conceptual model of CoI
developed by researcher. Survey questionnaire is used to elicit answers from the undergraduate students.
769 samples from 10 select Arts and Science colleges in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, South India,
were collected. Nominal and ordinal measurements are used to construct the survey questionnaire.
Demographic results presented in this paper show cross-sectional representation of the population. Using
results of crosstabulation and Kruskal-Wallis-H tests, 3 sets of significant statements concerning
teaching, social and cognitive and learning presences are tested and the results are presented. The paper
concludes that results of tests prove that social presence and cognitive and learning presence are reflected
more than the teaching presence. The social, cognitive, and learning presences make teaching presence a
reality.