EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL MODEL

In the last decade, the teaching and learning processes have evolved and adapted in order to take into account the societal changes. The fast proliferation of online social networks creates new possibilities to get and share information as well as new opportunities for education. The powerful capabilities of the social media technologies make it possible to expand the context of the classroom, which is no longer the only place where teaching and learning takes place: pupils and students have access at home or anywhere to the teacher-supported courses and the support provided by their own colleagues. The social networking sites can bring something new to teaching and learning, not only in terms of transferring knowledge, but also in terms of increased motivation to learn with more familiar and attractive tools. The paradigm shift towards social learning brings in front new educational targets, such as increased engagement, personal and professional development. The aim of this research is to take a multidimensional approach in order to explore the new educational opportunities provided by the online social networks in the context of the social learning paradigm. The educational opportunities have been specified as a global factor that manifests along four dimensions: information opportunities, collaboration opportunities, personal development opportunities, and professional development opportunities. The multidimensional model has been tested and empirically validated on two samples of Romanian university students by using the SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) methodology. The results of this study show that the multidimensional model is a better conceptualization having a higher explanatory power.