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The Role of Social Media in Addressing Educational Inequality:�A Critical Examination of Marginalized Teens’ Social Media Usage

Daeun Jung

Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies

Florida State University

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June 17, 2024

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Introduction

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How can social media, already ingrained in teens’ everyday lives, play a role in their college choice system, and possibly address inequity in marginalized teens’ college access?

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Introduction

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  • Postsecondary education is important in individuals’ employment and earning potential (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020; Zhang et al., 2024)
  • However, college access manifests inequity (Cataldi et al., 2018)
  • Scholars have shown enthusiasm toward social media in the education field
  • Social media as a tool for leveraging social capital pertaining to college
    • Social media has the potential for youth to convert latent ties into weak ties (Ellison et al., 2007)

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College choice is impacted not only by social media but also by other factors

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The relationships between multiple factors that shape teens’ college exploration

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Introduction

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“At its simplest, a postdigital perspective is a rejection of digital as independent of material and social activity (Fawns, 2019), or of political, economic, biological, and environmental factors (Jandrić et al., 2018). Digital activity is always realized through material means and is always embedded in the world.” (Fawns et al., 2023)

-digital approach

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Introduction

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Research Question:

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How do prospective first-generation students describe the role of social media in their college choice system?

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Methods

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Participant recruitment

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Eligibility criteria

  • 12th graders in high school in a Southeastern state in the U.S.
  • Prospective first-generation college student, whose parents did not complete a 4-year college/university degree
  • Use social media to learn about college

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    • Korean church youth group (text)

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    • Local school guidance counselors (email)

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    • Local universities’ college readiness program directors (email)

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    • Local acquaintance (text, email)
    • Local business (flyer)

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    • Faculty members contacting local school principals

Naturalistic multiple case study (Stake, 1995, 2005)

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Methods

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Participant*

School*

IB enrolled

Race

Gender

Age

Fred

Ridgeview High School

Yes

Asian

Male

17

Veronica

Springfield High School

Yes

Asian

Female

17

Diego

Evergreen High School

N/A

Hispanic

Male

17

Jasmine

Silverleaf High School

N/A

Black

Female

17

Emily

Silverleaf High School

N/A

Black

Female

16

Amy

Silverleaf High School

N/A

White

Female

17

James

Silverleaf High School

N/A

Black

Male

17

Estella

Silverleaf High School

N/A

Black

Female

17

Tiffany

Silverleaf High School

N/A

Black

Female

17

Anakin

Northview Charter School

N/A

Black

Male

17

Chi

Northview Charter School

N/A

Hispanic

Female

17

TOTAL N =11

Ridgeview = 1 (9%)

Springfield = 1 (9%)

Evergreen = 1 (9%)

Silverleaf = 6 (55%)

Northview = 2 (18%)

IB = 2 (18%)

Non IB = 9 (82%)

Asian = 2 (18%)

Black = 6 (55%)

Hispanic = 2 (18%)

White = 1 (9%)

F = 7 (64%)

M = 4 (36%)

17 = 10 (91%)

16 = 1 (9%)

*Participant and school names are pseudonyms.

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Methods

Data collection (June – September 2023)

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Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022; Terry & Hayfield, 2021)

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Familiarize yourself with the dataset

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Coding

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Generate initial themes

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Develop and review themes

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Refine, define, and name themes

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Writing up the report

  • Open coding round 1:
    • Microsoft Word “comment” feature
  • Open coding round 2:
    • ATLAS.ti
  • Two undergraduate research assistants–peer debriefing

Interview 1

Social media diary

Interview 2

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Methods – Data Collection

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Interview 1

Social media diary

Interview 2

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  • 30 minutes on Zoom
  • Establish rapport
  • Get a sense of the participant regarding their college choice and social media usage
  • Explain about the next research steps

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Methods – Data Collection

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Interview 1

Social media diary

Interview 2

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  • Submitted by participants for 7 days via Qualtrics

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Methods – Data Collection

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Interview 1

Social media diary

Interview 2

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  • Submitted by participants for 7 days via Qualtrics

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Methods – Data Collection

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Interview 1

Social media diary

Interview 2

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  • 90 minutes on Zoom
  • Social media diary as an elicitation tool
    • Inquire about their daily social media use
  • College choice support system
    • Four contextual layers (Perna, 2006)
      • Family
      • School
      • Higher education
      • Social, economic, and policy
    • Any other support system?

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Cross-Case Findings I: Participants’ Social Media Usage Related to College

  • Social media platform

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Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Facebook

Reddit

Discord

GroupMe

Twitter

Fred

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Veronica

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Diego

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Amy

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Emily

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Estella

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Jasmine

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James

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Tiffany

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Anakin

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Chi

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r/A2C (Apply to College)

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Cross-Case Findings I: Participants’ Social Media Usage Related to College

  • Network

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Existing networks

Expanded networks �(via social media)

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  • Friends in college
  • Family members in college
  • High school friends
  • High school class
  • Youth organizations
  • College readiness programs
  • TRIO
  • College outreach program

 

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  • Official college accounts
  • Sororities/Fraternities
  • College sports teams
  • Random college students
  • College students in a specific program
  • College graduates with careers
  • Online friends
  • College coaches
  • College readiness programs (online)
  • College application prep programs
  • Fellow college applicants

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Cross-Case Findings I: Participants’ Social Media Usage Related to College

  • Topic

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College major

College option

College application

Scholarship

College transition

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College major

Career

Daily life of a person with career

School work review

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College options

College students’ perspectives

Specific college

College event

College sports

Greek culture

Daily life of a college student

College organization

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College stats

College acceptance results

College application tips

College essay

Deadlines (ACT/SAT)

Deadlines (college application)

 

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Scholarship/

college fund

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College preparation

Advice for incoming freshmen

Study tips

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Figure 3. The Role of Social Media in Participants’ College Choice System

Findings: Participants’ Descriptions of the Role of Social Media

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Findings: Participants’ Descriptions of the Role of Social Media

“I'd get too like oversaturated with all the information.” (Veronica, Int2)

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Findings: Participants’ Descriptions of the Role of Social Media

“…it's all still digital…you're kind of seeing stuff from somebody else's perspective. And it won't really be your perspective.” (James, Int2)

“…I haven't went on any college tours yet. So like, that’s [social media’s] the only way I can find out what the college is.” (Fred, Int2).

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Findings: Participants’ Descriptions of the Role of Social Media

“This Instagram story peaked [sic] my interest about studying college abroad, although I don’t think I could ever afford it.” (Veronica, Diary)

“because I know there's like requirements like essays and like the letters of recommendation… I'm not motivated enough for that.” (Chi, Int2)

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Findings: Participants’ Descriptions of the Role of Social Media

“…if she can do it, then I can do it, too.” (Jasmine, Int2)

“So, it makes me wonder like “is college what I really want”…struggling is my biggest fear in college.” (Tiffany, Int2)

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  • Participants were exposed to college life on social media through their college friends’ posts.
  • Limited college tour experience was complemented by vicarious experience via social media.
  • Scholarship information on social media was not enough to lead to actual applications without specific guidance.
  • Participants gave up on the diverse college opportunities found on social media due to financial constraints.
  • Participants were distressed by college students’ struggles portrayed on social media, possibly due to the lack of social networks that could act as a buffer.

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Discussion

The entangled relations between digital and non-digital components in college choice system

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Conclusion

What is the role of social media in addressing educational inequity?

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  • Social media play a beneficial role in prospective first-generation students’ college choice system, but with enduring boundaries and constraints.
  • Participants’ digital experiences are not transcending the boundaries existing in their non-digital world but rather are deeply intertwined with them, underscoring the existing structural inequities.
  • While the widespread narrative around digital technology is that it empowers individuals and emphasizes agency, such a narrative risks disembodying and depoliticizing learning (Selwyn, 2010, 2015).
  • Who is responsible for dealing with the inequity issues prospective first-generation students are facing?

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Conclusion

Implications for research

    • Postdigital approach
    • Interdisciplinary approach

Implications for high school

    • Offer more firsthand opportunities
    • Provide direct financial support
    • Provide courses designed for college readiness
    • Nurture relationships between prospective first-gen students and institutional agents

Implications for postsecondary education institutions

    • Expand outreach initiatives
    • Foster stronger partnerships with local high schools
    • Increase social media postings about application deadlines and scholarship opportunities, along with specific guidance

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Conclusion

Limitations

    • Data collection only for 7 days
    • Deficit framing– How can we address the structural inequities while empowering participants? (Macgilchrist et al., 2024)

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Future research

    • Data analysis through different lenses
    • Critical participatory action research involving multiple stakeholders as co-researchers

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References

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE.

Cataldi, E. F., Bennett, C. T., Chen, X., & Simone, S. A. (2018). First-generation students: College access, persistence, and postbachelor’s outcomes (NCES 2018-421; pp. 1–31). U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/B&B/

Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends:” Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143–1168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x

Fawns, T. (2019). Postdigital education in design and practice. Postdigital Science and Education, 1(1), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-018-0021-8

Fawns, T., Ross, J., Carbonel, H., Noteboom, J., Finnegan-Dehn, S., & Raver, M. (2023). Mapping and tracing the postdigital: Approaches and parameters of postdigital research. Postdigital Science and Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-023-00391-y

Jandrić, P., Knox, J., Besley, T., Ryberg, T., Suoranta, J., & Hayes, S. (2018) Postdigital science and education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(10), 893–899. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2018. 1454000.

Macgilchrist, F., Potter, J., & Williamson, B. (2024). Challenging the inequitable impacts of edtech. Learning, Media and Technology, 0(0), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2024.2350117

Perna, L. W. (2006). Studying college access and choice: A proposed conceptual model. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research (1st ed., Vol. 21, pp. 99–157). Kluwer Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4512-3_3

Selwyn, N. (2010). Schools and schooling in the digital age. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203840795

Selwyn, N. (2015). Challenging educational expectations of the social web: A web 2.0 far? Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 10, 72–84. https://doi.org/10.18261/ISSN1891-943X-2015-Jubileumsnummer-06

Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage Publications.

Stake, R. E. (2005). Multiple case study analysis. The Guilford Press.

Terry, G., & Hayfield, N. (2021). Essentials of thematic analysis. American Psychological Association.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020, May). Learn more, earn more: Education leads to higher wages, lower unemployment : Career Outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/data-on-display/education-pays.htm

Zhang, L., Liu, X., & Hu, Y. (2024). Degrees of return: Estimating Internal Rates of Return for college majors using quantile regression. American Educational Research Journal, 00028312241231512. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312241231512

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Thank you! ☺

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Daeun Jung, Ph.D.

Email: dejung918@gmail.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/jung-daeun/home