Theoretical Foundation

The theoretical foundation for this study was based on Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice and Cavazza's (2008) social media landscape.  According to Vygotsky (1978), students and teachers have a shared responsibility to collaborate and learning becomes a reciprocal experience for the students and teacher.  In today's technology infused classrooms, new methods of communication are affecting how and where this learning occurs.  Educational professionals are having to alter pedagogical practices and rethink interactions with students and peers.  Kim and Baylor (2006) even contend " people may apply the same social rules and expectations to computers as they do to humans in the real world. " (p. 571).  Participation in social media communities could lead to mastery of new knowledge and skills.

            Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice are "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly" (p. 29).  Social media, aligned within a pedagogical framework, can relate real world experiences for the learner and encourage interaction on a regular basis.  Dulworth (2008) stated, “Learning from your network can be more powerful than other types of learning because you are often learning from other people who have ‘been there and done that’" (p. 11).  Gunawardena et al., (2009) also states that social networking expands knowledge through the practice of making connections with individuals of interest. Social media tools have the potential to build a sense of community through communication and sharing.

            In addition, Cavazza (2013) described social media as "an ever-changing complex ecosystem" (para. 3).  Different services and tools make up the social media landscape (see Appendix A).  Social media provides a rich environment for communities of practice to establish, thrive, and mature.  As noted by Cavazza, the networking, discussion, sharing, and publishing are all part of the environment that allows social learning to occur.  As early as 2007, Polin even described the behavior of Web-savvy students as users who “create, consume, comment on, and rate Web material on a regular basis. Most understand, at least intuitively from experience, the power and value of networks and networking with like-minded or similarly interested peers” (p. 15).

            Using these conceptual frameworks as an overarching model, this research will address the impact social media (independent variable) has on the academic performance (dependant variable) of high school students.  Using Cavazza's model, four specific areas within the communities of practice will be addressed:  publishing, sharing, networking, discussing.  Other control variables, like age and gender, will also be evaluated in the analysis of the data. 

Appendix A

References

Cavazza, F. (2013). Social media landscape. Retrieved from http://www.fredcavazza.net/2013/04/17/social-media-landscape-2013/
Dulworth, M. (2008). The connect effect. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Gunawardena, C. N., Hermans, M. B., Sanchez, D., Richmond, C., Bohley, M., & Tuttle, R. (2009). A theoretical framework for building online communities of practice with social networking tools. Educational Media International, 46(1), 3-16. Retrieved from http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/routledge/09523987.html
Kim, Y., & Baylor, A. L. (2006). A social-cognitive framework for pedagogical agents as learning companions. Educational Technology Research & Development, 54(6), 569-596.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Boston, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Polin, L. (2007). Teaching the net generation. Threshold, 5(summer), 13-15, 18-19. Retrieved from http://www.ciconline.org/
Vygotsky, L. S., Cole, M., John-Steiner, V., Scribner, S., & Souberman, E. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.