Preservice Teachers’ Use of Social Media for the Development of Their Research Skills

Abstract

This chapter explores the facilitation of preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) research thinking through the use of social media for designing their future lessons. In this study of 64 undergraduate PSTs in a second-year biology unit, the PSTs identified, reported and researched plants using Instagram. In the unit, the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework was integrated with social media-based learning in order to guide PSTs into research skills-rich activities, to frame assessment and feedback and to evaluate the impact of social media-based learning on the PSTs. This research aimed to develop PSTs’ research skills through the use of Instagram and determine the effectiveness of the approach. This chapter promotes digital learning strategies for interactive learning through widely used online platforms. Outcomes of the study suggest potential for PSTs, as future curriculum designers, to innovate with social media-based interactive instructional design models that enable improvements in their teaching-oriented research skills.