Using Facebook Group as a Blended Learning Medium in Teaching Cross-Cultural Understanding in Islamic Higher Education

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how social media, in this case, a Facebook group as Blended learning incorporated in teaching at Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia. Sixty-five EFL students participated in this study. The content of cross-cultural and responses in this closed group was analyzed to identify the patterns of interaction, and their responses to e-journaling through a Facebook group. The findings revealed that the students responded positively to this activity and promote the student's sense of the uniqueness of his own culture as a positive value and enables the students to accept the uniqueness of the other cultures. The power of sharing and learning from other students encourages understanding and appreciation of other cultures.Â

Keywords

• Blended learning
• Cross-cultural understanding
• English Foreign Language
• Facebook group
• Social Media Site (SoMes)