The Effect of Twitter in Academic Achievement and Students’ Motivation toward Mathematics

Abstract

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effectiveness of Twitter when used in conjunction with a non-traditional type of educational approach referred to as the “flipped classroom method” upon the academic achievement of 12th grade students and their learning motivation towards mathematics. The study used a quantitative approach, and the sample consisted of 48 students. The study was conducted during a three-week period in two public high schools in Abha, Saudi Arabia. The first hypothesis was that the use of Twitter would improve academic performance in mathematics. The second hypothesis was that learning in a flipped classroom via Twitter would lead to an improvement in math performance but that this improvement within the flipped classroom would differ across gender. The third hypothesis was that learning in a flipped classroom via Twitter would lead to more positive attitudes towards mathematics. The findings did not support the first or the second hypotheses; when used in the context of a flipped classroom approach, Twitter, did not improve academic achievement: F(1, 46) = .49, p = .486. Improvement in academic achievement from pretest to posttest also did not differ across gender; F(1, 44) = .00, p = .963. However, the results did support the third hypothesis; within the flipped classroom, the improvement in motivation was stronger for girls than it was for boys; F(1, 22) = 51.32, p < .001.