SOCIAL MEDIA IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF PEDAGOGICAL USES, BENEFITS, AND CHALLENGES

Rahim Uddin Choudhury, Md. Mokbul Hossain, Mohammad Mazedul Huq Talukdar, Mohamed Elboussairi Salih Elhaj Mohamed

Abstract


Social media has become an integral feature of contemporary communication and is increasingly embedded in English language teaching and learning contexts. Its growing presence in educational settings has generated considerable interest among researchers and practitioners, yet its pedagogical value remains debated due to variations in instructional design, learner engagement, and contextual constraints. This article presents a systematic literature review examining the pedagogical uses, benefits, and challenges of social media in English language teaching and learning. Drawing on thirty peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2025, the review synthesises research findings related to communicative competence, learner motivation, language skills development, digital literacy, affective factors, and emerging instructional practices. Relevant studies were identified through structured searches of academic databases and selected according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The literature was analysed thematically to identify recurring patterns and areas of convergence across diverse educational contexts. The findings indicate that social media can support vocabulary development, oral and written communication, learner autonomy, motivation, and collaborative learning by facilitating authentic interaction and flexible, learner-centred engagement beyond the classroom. At the same time, persistent challenges are reported, including learner distraction, unequal access to digital resources, exposure to informal or non-standard language, limited teacher preparedness, and potential social and psychological risks. Overall, the review suggests that social media represents a valuable but complex pedagogical resource whose effective integration into English language education requires informed instructional planning, sustained teacher training, and further longitudinal research to understand its long-term impact on language development better.

 

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social media; English language teaching; digital literacy; communicative competence; EFL; learner motivation; collaborative learning

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v10i4.6452

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