THE PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF FACEBOOK FOR SOCIAL LEARNING AMONG PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

The research aims to study the perception of using Facebook for social learning in terms of readiness, expectation and the usability among pre-service teachers in Saudi Arabia. In this study, Facebook as a tool for learning was the basis for the assessment of students' perception and comparison in both genders. The sample consisted of 50 male and 50 female students from Primary Education department in Hail University. The results show the positive perceptions of these students in terms of readiness, expectation as well as usability. The male students’ readiness does not correlate with the overall perception, while, the expectation and usability were correlated with the general perception. However, the female students’ readiness, expectation and usability were not correlated with overall perception. It can be concluded that, students' perception is not affected by the potential constraints and students in both genders have similar perceptions. Findings also revealed students' concern about the availability and affordability of internet connection and the students-teacher online relationship which may cause real hindrance for social learning.