Social networks to promote motivation and learning in higher education from the students' perspective

Social networks have a significant presence in universities. More and more teachers are showing an interest in taking advantage of the possibilities they offer for university learning. An empirical study was carried out. The research hypothesis was: the pedagogical use of Twitter and Instagram improves students' motivation and learning. The sample was constituted of 197 students from two different classes, all of whom received tuition in a subject known as Physical Education and its Didactics. A quasi-experimental design was implemented, involving a pre-test and a post-test with an experimental group (n = 100) and a non-equivalent control group (n = 97). The data was collected by means of a questionnaire. A factor analysis and an ANOVA were applied. The pedagogical use of Twitter and Instagram bore a significant influence, increasing both student motivation and involvement, as well as their degree of achievement. The impact of the factors of age and use of these tools outside of the classroom on the body of knowledge acquired by students was significant. This is in line with the evidence that suggests that social networks are very useful for fostering the teaching-learning process.