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Vol. 8, No. 3, December 2025, pp. 205-221  

        https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v8i3.15311        http://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/eltej/index         eltej@pbi.uad.ac.id  

Exploring the use of Facebook in developing EFL skills and 

student leadership 

Nguyen Quoc Huy a, 1, Dat Bao b, 2, * 

a Lac Hong University, 10, Huynh Van Nghe Street, Tran Bien Ward, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam 
b Monash University Clayton Campus, Wellington Rd, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia  
1  nguyenquochuy@lhu.edu.vn; 2 dat.bao@monash.edu*      

 

*corresponding author   

A R T I C L E  I N F O 

 
 

A B ST R ACT   

 

 

Article history 

Received 15 October 2025 

Revised 17 November 2025 

Accepted 4 December 2025 

Available Online 15 December 2025 

 As social media becomes deeply embedded in the lives of young 
learners, English language educators are increasingly exploring its 
pedagogical potential. This article examines how Facebook can 
function as a multifunctional learning ecosystem that supports three 
key dimensions of EFL development: learner engagement, leadership 
growth, and humour competence. Drawing on reflective teaching 
practice and autoethnographic insights, the study synthesizes 
experiences from multiple classroom contexts in which Facebook was 
integrated into homework tasks, collaborative projects, and creative, 
meme-based activities. The findings reveal that Facebook fosters 
authentic communication, encourages active participation, and enables 
students to assume leadership roles through managing group 
discussions, organising challenges, and moderating peer interactions. 
Additionally, the strategic use of memes helps develop humour 
competence, a linguacultural and communicative skill often 
overlooked in language teaching. Despite challenges such as 
distractions, privacy concerns, and misinformation, the study 
demonstrates that when guided by clear pedagogical intentions, 
Facebook can serve as a holistic learning environment that enhances 
language proficiency, soft skills, and digital literacy. Implications are 
offered for educators seeking to integrate social media meaningfully 
into EFL instruction.  

 

© The Authors 2025. Published by Universitas Ahmad Dahlan. 

This is an open access article under the CC–BY-SA license. 

    

 

 
Keywords 

Teacher-student interaction 

Facebook 

EFL learning 

Student engagement 

Leadership skills 

Humour 

Social media pedagogy 

Memetic learning 

 

 

 

 

How to Cite: Huy, N. Q., & Bao, D. (2025). Exploring the use of Facebook in developing EFL skills and student 
leadership. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 8(3), 205-221. 
https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v8i3.15311      

1. Introduction  

The rapid expansion of social media has reshaped how young learners communicate, access 
information, and participate in digital communities. Platforms such as Facebook are no longer limited 
to social interaction; they have evolved into multifunctional spaces where users share knowledge, 
collaborate, and construct meaning in diverse ways (Livermore & Verbovaya, 2016; Lofters et al., 
2016; Van Dijck, 2013). For English language teachers, this shift presents both an opportunity and a 
challenge. While social media offers flexible communication channels, it also requires educators to 
rethink traditional pedagogical designs and consider how online environments can meaningfully 
support language learning. 

Recent research has highlighted the value of social media for fostering learner autonomy, 
increasing participation, and creating authentic communicative contexts (Wiwin & Widiati, 2022). 
However, much remains underexplored regarding how specific features of Facebook can enhance 
different dimensions of EFL learning, particularly in relation to engagement (Moghadam & Shamsi, 

https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v8i3.15311
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mailto:nguyenquochuy@lhu.edu.vn
mailto:dat.bao@monash.edu
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https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v8i3.15311
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2021; Hoi & Hang, 2022), leadership, and humour —three elements that strongly influence classroom 
dynamics but are often overlooked in digital learning studies. This article draws on reflective teaching 
practice to examine how a class Facebook group operated as a learning ecosystem. By analysing 
student interactions, the study offers insights into how social media can complement face-to-face 
instruction and contribute to more socially grounded, learner-centered EFL pedagogy. 

2. Literature Review 

2.1. Social media in language education 

Recent analytical research demonstrates that social media platforms, particularly Facebook, can 
enrich English language learning by providing accessible, socially meaningful environments for 
practice. Qadi (2021) found that undergraduate EFL learners perceived Facebook as supportive in 
developing their receptive skills, noting that the platform’s multimodal input and informal interactions 
encouraged more frequent engagement with English outside the classroom. Similarly, Zhao and Yang 
(2023) examined the effects of a social-media–supported flipped classroom and found that students 
who received Facebook-mediated pre-class instruction significantly improved their writing 
performance and experienced reduced writing anxiety compared with those who received traditional 
instruction. These results highlight how structured integration of social media can provide extended 
exposure, opportunities for collaboration, and greater flexibility in learning (Friedman & Friedman, 
2013; Gan et al., 2015; Mostafa, 2021). 

Further evidence comes from Ponsamak and Sukying (2023), who explored Facebook-based 
instruction with young Thai EFL learners and observed measurable gains in vocabulary knowledge. 
Their findings emphasize that repeated, contextually rich encounters with lexical items on social 
media can facilitate vocabulary development more effectively than isolated textbook practice. 
Together, these studies suggest that when used intentionally, social media can enhance various aspects 
of English learning by increasing input, lowering affective barriers, and fostering continuous learner 
participation. 

2.2. Facebook and EFL learning 

Research over the recent years continues to demonstrate that Facebook can serve as an interactive 
environment that meaningfully supports English language development when intentionally designed 
for pedagogical purposes (Kabilan, 2010; Klimova & Pikhart, 2019; Sirivedin et al., 2018) Research 
shows that young EFL learners who regularly encountered vocabulary through Facebook posts 
showed measurable improvement in written word-knowledge (Boonkit, 2011; Ponsamak & Sukying, 
2024; Shiau et al., 2018), indicating that Facebook’s informal and repeated exposure can reinforce 
form–meaning connections. This aligns with Wahyuni’s (2024) classroom-based investigation, which 
used Facebook groups to facilitate recount-text speaking tasks and found that students not only 
produced longer, more accurate oral responses but also displayed greater confidence when 
contributing to online discussions. Complementing these findings, Uyen (2025) examined English 
majors at a university and reported that Facebook’s multimodal features and peer interaction enhanced 
learners’ motivation and language engagement. However, students also mentioned issues such as 
distraction and reliance on simultaneous social and academic uses.  

Together, these studies reveal that Facebook supports multiple language skills–vocabulary, 
speaking, and learner engagement–but they also illustrate that pedagogical structure determines 
whether the platform becomes genuinely beneficial or merely an unregulated social space. Across 
these empirical accounts, Facebook’s affordances, such as asynchronous commenting, multimodal 
input, and familiar interaction patterns, appear to promote learner participation and authentic language 
use (Blattner & Fiori, 2009; Dovchin, 2019). Yet, effective learning outcomes depend heavily on how 
tasks are designed, monitored, and integrated with classroom objectives. 

2.3. Engagement, leadership, and humour in language education 

Student engagement, learner leadership, and humour have become increasingly recognised as 
affective and interactional dimensions that directly shape the quality of language learning experiences. 
Recent empirical studies show that engagement in EFL settings is strengthened when learners 
participate actively, initiate interaction, or take ownership of tasks. Such engagement tends to increase 
when digital or social-media–supported activities offer autonomy, peer visibility, and meaningful 
communication. For example, a mixed-method study by Souzandehfar and Ahmed Abdel-Al Ibrahim 



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(2023) found that structured learner-led activities in university EFL classes significantly improved 
behavioural and cognitive engagement, as students were more willing to initiate discussion and 
maintain interaction when they had partial control over task direction. Similarly, Greenier (2023) 
demonstrated that leadership-oriented roles—such as peer facilitators and discussion leaders—
enhanced students’ confidence and collaborative problem-solving, suggesting that ‘micro-leadership’ 
can be a productive pedagogical strategy in communicative language teaching. These findings support 
the pedagogical argument that leadership is not limited to formal roles; instead, it emerges naturally 
when learners are given the space to contribute ideas, manage group tasks, or guide meaning-making 
processes. 

Humour also contributes meaningfully to engagement in language classrooms by influencing 
affective climate, learner motivation, and communicative willingness. A qualitative study by Purwanti 
et al. (2024) showed that teacher and peer humour increased classroom participation and reduced 
anxiety in Indonesian EFL classes, with students reporting greater ease in speaking activities when 
humour was woven into instruction. Likewise, a study by Qamar et al. (2024) found that humour-
integrated tasks improved learners’ retention of vocabulary and reading comprehension, attributed to 
reduced cognitive load and increased attention. Beyond affective benefits, humour also enhances 
pragmatic development: Nasrullah et al. (2025) reported significant gains in learners’ ability to 
interpret and produce L2 humour after a short instructional intervention, indicating that humorous 
discourse supports sociolinguistic competence. Taken together, these studies show that engagement, 
leadership, and humour are interconnected dimensions that can reinforce one another—engaged 
learners are more willing to take leadership roles, leadership often stimulates peer engagement, and 
humour provides a supportive emotional environment that enables both. In language education, 
especially in digitally mediated environments, these elements collectively strengthen interactional 
quality, learner agency, and communicative confidence, making them key considerations for 
contemporary pedagogical design. 

2.4. Gaps and research questions  

Although existing studies provide evidence that social media can enhance learners’ engagement, 
motivation, and skill acquisition in EFL contexts (Chen & Shu, 2025; Dirjal et al., 2020; Iswahyuni, 
2021; Maulida et al., 2024; Mitrulescu, 2024), several critical gaps remain. Most research has 
primarily focused on individual language skills, such as writing, vocabulary, or speaking, without 
considering learners’ leadership development in collaborative online environments. Leadership, in 
this context, refers to learners’ ability to initiate, coordinate, and manage peer interactions, thereby 
fostering deeper engagement and autonomy. Despite its potential importance, empirical evidence 
linking social media use with the cultivation of leadership skills in language learning remains limited. 

Similarly, humour has been acknowledged as a useful pedagogical tool for reducing anxiety, 
increasing motivation, and facilitating language practice (Chinery, 2007; Crawford & Caltabiano, 
2011; Kruczek & Basińska, 2018; Zhao, 2019). However, there is a scarcity of studies exploring how 
learners themselves develop and exercise humour competence in social-media-mediated learning. 
Specifically, little is known about the ways learners use humour to communicate, negotiate meaning, 
and engage in peer interactions in online language learning spaces. Furthermore, most existing 
research examines engagement, leadership, or humour in isolation, rather than investigating their 
interaction as a multidimensional framework that could enhance holistic language development. 
Understanding the interrelationships among these three dimensions is critical for designing social-
media-supported pedagogical interventions that foster not only language proficiency but also socio-
emotional and cognitive growth. To address these gaps, this study focuses on the following research 
questions: 

1. How does social media use influence EFL learners’ engagement in language learning 
activities? 

2. In what ways does participation in social-media-mediated tasks promote leadership skills 
among learners? 

3. How does humour manifest in learners’ social-media interactions, and how does it contribute 
to language learning? 



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3. Methodology 

This study employed a qualitative, autoethnographic, multiple-case design, a combined approach 
that can tap into unique lived experiences (Hills, 2023; Le Blanc, 2016; Voorhees, 2016), to integrate 
insights from three English language teachers who use Facebook as part of their instructional practice. 
The research draws on autoethnography, reflective practice, and narrative case study to examine how 
Facebook supports EFL learning, leadership development, and humour competence across different 
teaching contexts. These complementary methodologies allow the researchers to explore their lived 
experiences while generating situated understandings of social media use in language education. 

3.1. Research approach 

The study brings together three forms of teacher reflection: autoethnography, reflective practice, 
and small case studies. Each teacher described their own teaching experiences, reflected on the 
outcomes, and examined how Facebook shaped student learning. Each classroom served as a case 
study, but the reflections were combined to provide a broader understanding of how Facebook can be 
used in EFL education. 

3.2. Participant recruitment 

Participants were drawn from the teachers’ existing classes. Each teacher selected one group of 
learners they were already responsible for during the semester, so no additional recruitment procedures 
were required. Students participated as part of their everyday learning activities, and no one outside 
the existing classes was invited to join. For younger learners, parental cooperation was obtained when 
necessary, particularly when students’ online access was supervised at home. All student identities 
were anonymized to protect confidentiality. 

3.3. Participant profiles  

Hoa works at a public secondary school in Vietnam and also teaches small private classes at home. 
These smaller groups allow her to test new activities—such as Facebook-mediated homework before 
integrating them into her formal classroom. She currently teaches an intermediate class of twelve 
learners and uses social media to strengthen engagement beyond school hours. 

Hien is an early-career English teacher who manages evening IELTS classes at a local English 
center. Teaching in a resource-constrained environment with late-night schedules, she explores how 
Facebook can support peer leadership and collaborative learning. Her experiences as a lifelong EFL 
learner shape her reflective approach to teaching. 

Thang is a Gen Z educator whose daily social media use has influenced her professional identity. 
Working with young learners in private and center-based classes, she incorporates memes to build 
rapport, enhance humour competence, and create emotionally supportive learning spaces. 

3.4. Data collection 

Data were collected qualitatively through materials generated during everyday teaching and online 
interaction. The primary sources included teachers’ reflective journals, lesson notes, and written 
observations about student engagement and classroom decision-making. Additional data were drawn 
from screenshots of Facebook group posts, comments, discussions, and student reactions produced 
during homework tasks, leadership activities, and meme-based learning. Informal student feedback, 
such as short messages, responses, and participation patterns, also contributed to the dataset. These 
combined sources provided insight into both the teachers’ reflections and the observable learning 
behaviours occurring during the Facebook-based activities. 

3.5. Data analysis  

Data were analysed through a practical, straightforward process designed to promote clarity and 
accessibility. First, each teacher reviewed their own reflections, classroom observations, and 
Facebook interactions. They examined these materials to identify recurring patterns, including 
moments of high engagement, common challenges, or noticeable shifts in student participation. After 
each teacher identified key patterns, the three cases were compared to determine shared themes. This 
cross-case analysis highlighted how Facebook contributed to interaction, creativity, confidence-
building, and collaborative learning across all teaching contexts. 

Using reflective journals, classroom observation notes, and archived Facebook interactions 
allowed the researchers to triangulate insights across personal reflection, behavioural evidence, and 



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peer-to-peer communication. This combination strengthened the interpretive validity of the findings 
by showing how online and offline learning behaviours reinforced one another. 

3.6. Researcher positionality 

As this study is grounded in an auto-ethnographic multiple–case design, the researchers themselves 
are positioned as both teachers and reflective practitioners. Each researcher drew on personal teaching 
experiences, emotions, and classroom observations as they integrated Facebook into their lessons. 
Their dual role as educators responsible for students’ learning and as researchers interpreting their 
own practice shaped the way data were collected and understood. 

The researchers acknowledge that their interpretations are influenced by their professional 
identities, teaching philosophies, and familiarity with social media platforms. Their prior experiences 
with Facebook also informed the types of activities designed for students and the way student 
engagement was perceived. Rather than attempting to remove this subjectivity, the study embraces it 
as a central feature of auto-ethnographic inquiry. By making their perspectives explicit, the researchers 
aim to provide transparent, honest accounts of how Facebook functioned in their classrooms and how 
their own beliefs, expectations, and emotions contributed to the insights generated. 

To ensure ethical integrity, all student-generated screenshots were anonymised, with names, 
photos, and identifying details removed before analysis. Students were informed that the activities 
formed part of regular classwork rather than graded assessment, thereby ensuring that participation 
did not disadvantage or pressure any learner. 

3.7. Research procedure 

The study was carried out over several weeks and followed a structured yet flexible process that 
aligned with each teacher’s existing classroom schedule. First, each teacher selected one class they 
were already teaching and introduced Facebook as part of their regular learning activities. Although 
the specific purposes differed across the three cases - homework engagement, leadership development, 
and humour-based learning, the teachers integrated Facebook gradually to ensure students were 
comfortable with the platform. 

Throughout the teaching period, each teacher documented their experiences through reflective 
journals and lesson notes, recording important classroom events, student reactions, and their own 
emotional or pedagogical decisions. At the same time, naturally occurring data were collected from 
Facebook, including posts, comments, discussions, and examples of student participation. These 
online interactions were captured via screenshots and saved as evidence of students' responses to the 
tasks. 

The teachers reviewed their reflections and online interactions weekly, noting any emerging 
patterns in engagement, motivation, collaboration, or challenges. At the end of the teaching cycle, 
each teacher compiled their reflections, screenshots, and observations into a descriptive account of 
their case. These three accounts were then compared to identify shared themes and meaningful 
differences across the cases. This step-by-step process allowed the study to remain grounded in real 
classroom experiences while generating a coherent understanding of how Facebook supported 
learning in different contexts. 

4. Data Presentation 

4.1. Case 1: Re-engaging students through Facebook homework 

After exploring Facebook's potential, Ms. Hoa decided to test it as a homework platform for her 
EFL students. Instead of assigning traditional paper-based tasks, she created a closed Facebook group 
for the class and posted discussion-based assignments. She believed that this private space would 
encourage students to express their thoughts more comfortably.  

To begin, the teacher posed a simple question: ‘Describe your day using only three emojis!’ She 
chose this prompt to help students feel at ease interacting without the pressure of writing a long 
paragraph right away. Although the class had about 12–15 students, only three commented, while the 
rest remained silent. It appeared that students enjoyed using Facebook for personal purposes, but 
turning it into a learning space was still unfamiliar to them. Hence, the challenge she encountered was 
ensuring full student participation. The teacher found that some students were excited about this new 



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approach to learning, while others remained passive and reluctant to engage. This was not too different 
from a traditional classroom, where some students actively participate while others prefer to stay on 
the sidelines and observe. 

After noticing students' initial reluctance, Hoa realized that she needed to motivate students. To 
foster engagement in the discussion, she implemented the following strategies: 

• Ask more open-ended questions: For example, ‘Does this emoji mean you are happy or tired?’ 
(Providing multiple-choice options makes it easier to answer.) 

• Provide sample answers: Weaker students can use these as a starting point, providing a 
formula to imitate rather than having to generate responses from scratch. 

• Use tagging and reactions: Encouraging students to @mention friends and exchange 
reactions helps ‘pull’ more participants into the discussion. 

• Gradually, participation increased. After two weeks, comments became longer, and students 
started responding to each other in English. One day, Ms. Hoa posted a debate question: ‘What 
is more important, following the trend or being unique? (Figure 1). ’Surprisingly, students 
engaged enthusiastically and clearly expressed their personal opinions in English (Figure 
2). This was a complete contrast to traditional writing assignments, where most students 
followed the model without truly conveying their own thoughts. 

 

Fig. 1.  Debate question posted on Facebook group 

 

Fig. 2.  Comments from students 

 



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Typically, the teacher assigns homework on Facebook in the following formats: 

• Discussion: The teacher posts a picture, a question, a trending phrase, or a situation; students 
comment, while their peers reply and react to the comments. 

• Mini-game: The teacher creates a small game, such as dividing students into groups to build 
a story from a given opening sentence or playing a word-chain match on a given topic. 

• Assignments from other platforms: The teacher shares links to quizzes, Kahoot, or Booklet, 
allowing students to complete the tasks on those platforms. 

• Class announcements: The teacher posts updates and important notices about the class. 

Among the above activities, Hoa primarily uses discussions because they are highly interactive. 
Besides, she implemented time limits to activities, sent gentle reminders, and offered small rewards 
for the best responses. To further enhance the effectiveness of social media assignments, she also sets 
an agreement with students. If they failed to participate more than three times, they would have to 
revert to paper-based homework. 

Quality control is another key concern. From the beginning, the teacher established clear rules, 
emphasizing that all feedback must be respectful, non-spammy, and relevant to the lesson. 
Additionally, all comments must be in English; they do not have to be perfect - the priority is 
communication. For students without Facebook accounts or those with parental restrictions on phone 
use, she ensures parental cooperation before implementing this strategy. 

What she noticed most was the significant increase in student engagement and interaction. They 
were no longer afraid to speak up, make mistakes, or be judged. Instead, they felt more comfortable 
sharing their ideas, responding to their peers’ writing, and expressing their views more naturally. Most 
importantly, students transitioned from passive to active learning. From her observation, they actively 
completed assignments without teacher intervention. As a result, this positive shift truly led to 
improved learning outcomes. 

This reflection led Hoa to realize that students are not unwilling to learn; they are simply waiting 
for a more suitable method to engage. Facebook, with its advantages—such as allowing time to think 
before responding, enabling instant interaction, and creating a less pressured environment compared 
to traditional classrooms—fosters a more positive learning atmosphere. 

4.2. Case 2: Building leadership through Facebook collaboration 

Every first time in Ms. Hien’s teaching career is rewarding and unforgettable, from her first class, 
first lesson plan, first feedback on the report card, to the first time she uses Facebook as an educational 
platform. Previously, she often embraced familiarity and simplicity in her teaching. Initially, Hien was 
very frustrated to integrate social media into lessons. She faced an uphill struggle to tailor the activities 
to achieve the learning objectives. She just shared some learning resources on Facebook and asked 
her students to read them and share their opinions below. What made Hien feel literally disheartened 
was that students played a very passive role in these activities. Some of them did not even care much 
and put very general comments such as ‘Thank you, I love it,’ or ‘It is so wonderful.’ 

To make matters worse, students secretly used Facebook for non-educational purposes in the 
classroom. They felt too lazy to do extra work and often made common excuses for incomplete 
assignments. However, her anger suddenly subsided when she realized that some students were 
genuinely eager to learn through Facebook. This gave Hien a sense of accomplishment and 
motivation. At present, she is working hard to use Facebook in more engaging ways so that my 
students can grow their social networks, strengthen relationships, share knowledge and worldview 
with others, foster collaboration, and promote involvement.  

Ms. Hien is currently teaching an intermediate class with twelve learners. She divides them into 
three teams, so each student has a chance to lead at least six times during a three-month course. There 
are myriad ways to foster language and leadership ability in students via Facebook. For instance, 
leaders must post a picture or video related to a specific topic after every lesson. Their teammates have 
to share, give reactions, and add comments below based on my eliciting questions like ‘What can you 
see in the picture?’, ‘If you are in this situation, what are you going to do?’, or ‘Why do you like/dislike 
this photo?’ A nice interaction, an informative response, and grading from leaders are necessary for 
this task. Other groups can comment on their perceptions and ask leaders questions. 



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In some cases, learners take the responsibility of a little contest organiser. Leaders make a mini 
plan for a learning challenge that follows their passion or a hot trend, such as an APT challenge, a 
daily vocabulary challenge, an English poem challenge, or a reading challenge. Besides, there are 
photography challenges that offer many thought-provoking topics, such as environmental protection, 
life in space, or a day without the Internet. Students share their favourite photos and write a paragraph 
describing each picture. Leaders have to set the rules, explain the descriptions, and share sample 
materials on Facebook so that their classmates understand how to take on the challenges. She will 
reinforce their ideas, identify procedural problems, and offer suggestions. Later on, students, parents, 
and teachers will share and post the clips on social media with a specific hashtag to gain reactions and 
comments in exchange for lovely rewards.  

Additionally, Hien utilises Facebook to create social groups for teaching. Her students are required 
to communicate in English by both texting and voice recording. Leaders, on the other hand, are 
expected to follow some academic pages on Facebook, such as BBC Learning English, and National 
Geographic. They have to tag at least three of their friends in a fantastic post to share the information 
they come across, or send the post directly to their groups. Moreover, she can hold many competitions 
among leaders. For instance, leaders are encouraged to form a unique Facebook group or page 
focusing on their interests and experiences, such as bookworm, shopaholic, backpacker, or chill guy. 
Sharing hobbies with others can lead to a more delightful and natural learning experience. Leaders 
can also organise small events or workshops and invite others to share and take part. Those who 
achieve the highest interaction levels and follower count will be awarded prizes such as ‘Leader of 
the Month’ or ‘5-Star Leader.’  

Nevertheless, social media in ELT is often recognised as a double-edged sword (D’souza et al. 
2021; Smith, 2016; Stieglitz & Ross, 2022). There is plenty of underlying concern towards the 
application of Facebook in education. The most obvious downside is distraction (Dietz & Henrich, 
2014). Many students fall into the habit of constantly browsing other irrelevant sites while doing their 
tasks. They keep procrastinating and shrinking their attention span due to several eye-catching 
advertisements, memes, viral content, news feed, trendy hashtags, and notifications. Moreover, 
Facebook introduces content that is endlessly appealing based on individual preferences. As a result, 
students are more likely to get addicted and reduce productivity (Adzovie, 2017). Another point worth 
noting is privacy. Not only students but also teachers prefer to set a clear boundary between study and 
personal life. Some teenagers regard Facebook as their own world, where they can hide their secrets 
and express outlandish ideas. It takes over their lives (Hempel & Kowitt, 2009). Hence, they tend to 
feel uncomfortable and fear that teachers can visit their ‘virtual house’ at any time and form a negative 
impression or make a hasty judgment of them. Although they can restrict access to a particular group 
of viewers, they want their academic postings kept separate from their private ones. 

Last but not least, Facebook may turn a person into a clown by its misinformation, disinformation, 
and fake news (Yang & Hindman, 2023). Misleading text impacts students’ understanding of a 
particular issue. Scammers can also create a perfect background by ‘self-branding’ and commit 
malicious behaviour in social networks.  

4.3. Case 3: Finding connection through humour and memes 

Thang’s view should be understood in the context of a lifelong English as a Foreign Language 
(EFL) learner and a novice IELTS teacher who leads night classes at a small English center in a 
developing country. Her workplace faces challenges, such as resource constraints and late-night 
schedules, with the latest class ending at 10 p.m; however, the expectations for excellence in teaching, 
research, and service are just as high as those in more well-funded academic institutions. As an 
inexperienced teacher, Thang relied heavily on the teaching method she had observed from her high 
school teachers and university professors over the years, which was predominantly teacher-led: the 
teachers talk, and the students listen and take notes. However, she struggled to engage students and 
felt inadequate, leading to depression and increased social media use. Luckily, the solution was right 
in front of her all along. She discovered that sharing memes, something she did in university to connect 
with peers, helped her break the ice with my students and build a friendly rapport, improving 
engagement and my overall teaching experience, as seen in Figure 3.  



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Fig. 3.  Students’ reactions to meme sharing on Zalo 

(translation: ‘For a brief moment, I had assumed everything was alright’) 
 

After receiving positive reactions to the memes Thang shared in my Zalo group chat, she began to 
use them in her lessons, starting with vocabulary. For example, she joined several English learning 
groups where members often shared vocabulary memes. These memes usually depict short, funny 
exchanges or relatable situations, paired with a word that captures the essence of the scenario, helping 
learners associate the target vocabulary with the amusing context and making it easier to recall 
whenever they remember the meme (Figure 4). Although she understood the mechanism, Thang 
struggled to find humour in everyday situations, let alone create her own memes. Nevertheless, the 
more excited her students became when she used memes in class, the more motivated Thang was to 
make her own.  

 

 

 

Fig. 4.  A cultural stereotype meme  

Figure 3 demonstrates the stereotypical view of Western countries towards Asian parents, 
perceiving them as strict and expecting their children to excel at everything, especially in academics. 
The meme plays on the literal meaning of ‘Facebook,’ suggesting that instead of using social media, 
students should ‘face a book’ and study. The humour comes from generational authority, moral 
admonishment, and a playful critique of digital distraction. By noticing this type of mainstream 
cultural portrayal, the teacher began paying closer attention to both her own culture and those of 
others, which ultimately inspired her to create a cultural meme using a meme generator website.  



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Fig. 5.  Vietnamese ‘rubber band’ time meme 

 

 

Fig. 6.  Language variation meme 

While Figure 5 portrays her ability to deliver implicit hints of the Vietnamese ‘rubber band’ time 
culture, where time tends to be more flexible in other places. Figure 6 illustrates her understanding of 
the differences between American and British English. For example, Americans use pounds (lbs) to 
refer to weight, whereas the British associate the same term with currency, highlighting a key 
difference in both language and culture. Ultimately, she has successfully combined her cultural and 
language competence to provide students with a fun way to see how the language works in real life. 

 

 

Fig. 7. Student feedback before incorporating memes in lessons 

 

 

 

Fig. 8.  Student feedback following the incorporation of memes in lessons 

The student in Figure 7 said that ‘the teacher was passionate, but her teaching method was not truly 
effective.’ This suggests that, despite my enthusiasm, certain aspects of my teaching may not have 
fully met students' learning needs or expectations. In contrast, the student in Figure 8 expressed 
‘extreme satisfaction with the teacher’s performance and wanted to attend her class every day.’ 
Clearly, this difference underscores the positive effect of using memes and humour on both student 
engagement and their perception of her teaching effectiveness.  



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5. Cross-Case Analysis 

Across the three cases, the findings reveal several common patterns that illustrate how Facebook 
shaped student engagement, interaction, and classroom relationships, despite the different 
instructional purposes in each setting. Although each teacher used Facebook for a specific goal — 
completing homework, developing leadership skills, or building humour competence — the platform 
consistently supported higher student participation and more authentic communication. In all three 
classrooms, students who were normally quiet or hesitant in face-to-face lessons became more active 
online, demonstrating greater willingness to comment, respond, and take part in tasks when the 
interaction occurred in a familiar digital environment. This shift suggests that Facebook can serve as 
a low-pressure space where learners feel more comfortable expressing themselves in English. 

Another shared pattern concerns motivation and responsibility. In the homework case, students 
completed tasks more regularly because they received quick responses and could view their 
classmates’ efforts. In the leadership case, students used Facebook to coordinate roles, update 
progress, and hold one another accountable. In the humour case, students often went beyond the 
minimum requirements, creating additional memes or reactions simply because they enjoyed the 
activity. Across all three contexts, students appeared to take more ownership of their learning when 
tasks were made public within the group, and when the platform allowed them to interact socially 
while completing academic work. The visibility of their contributions seemed to create both positive 
pressure and a sense of community. 

Creativity emerged as another unifying theme. Although it was most prominent in the humour 
case, where students designed memes and playful captions, creativity also appeared in the other 
cases—students phrased homework answers more naturally, responded to teammates with supportive 
or clever comments, and experimented with how they expressed themselves online. Facebook’s 
multimodal features supported this flexibility, giving students room to use images, reactions, and 
informal language in ways that made communication feel more personal and less restricted by 
traditional classroom norms. 

Teacher–student rapport strengthened across all cases as well. The online interactions allowed 
teachers to see sides of their students they had not noticed before: leadership tendencies, humour, 
personal interests, and even shy students’ hidden confidence when typing instead of speaking. 
Students also initiated more contact with their teachers, asking questions or sharing comments they 
might not feel comfortable voicing in class. These interactions created a warmer, more connected 
learning atmosphere that carried over into the physical classroom. 

Despite these benefits, similar challenges appeared across cases. Distraction was a recurring 
obstacle, as Facebook’s social nature sometimes pulled students away from academic tasks. Uneven 
participation also appeared in each case, with a small number of students remaining passive even when 
others were active. These challenges indicate that while social media can enhance engagement, it 
requires careful task design and clear expectations to balance participation and focus. 

Taken together, the three cases demonstrate that Facebook is not only a tool for communication 
but also a flexible learning environment that can support interaction, motivation, creativity, and 
relational warmth. The cross-case patterns show that regardless of whether students were completing 
homework, collaborating as leaders, or creating humorous content, Facebook consistently encouraged 
more active and meaningful engagement than traditional classroom approaches alone. The platform’s 
informal and familiar atmosphere helped remove barriers that often limit students’ participation, 
making it a valuable supplementary space for language learning across varied teaching goals. 

6. Interpretation 

The findings from the three cases illustrate that Facebook meaningfully supported learner 
engagement, leadership behaviours, and humour development in EFL learning, offering a 
complementary perspective to existing research on social-media–mediated instruction that Facebook 
increases learners’ exposure to English through informal interactions (see, for example, Monica-
Ariana & Anamaria-Mirabela, 2014; Qadi, 2021; Rabongue et al., 2024). The students in Case One 
demonstrated higher participation and reduced anxiety when completing homework tasks in the online 
group. Their willingness to comment, respond to peers, and seek clarification mirrors the multimodal 



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engagement benefits identified by Zhao and Yang (2023), who reported that Facebook-supported tasks 
reduced writing anxiety and promoted more active learning. 

The leadership-focused case reinforces previous claims that learner-led roles can enhance 
engagement and autonomy. In line with Greenier's (2023) findings that ‘micro-leadership’ strengthens 
collaboration and confidence, students in Case Two used Facebook to coordinate tasks, assign 
responsibilities, and monitor group progress. What this study adds is evidence that leadership can 
emerge organically without the teacher formally assigning leadership titles; instead, the visibility and 
public nature of Facebook posts encouraged students to take initiative and guide their peers. This 
extends earlier studies that suggest how social-media environments can support not only vocabulary 
development but also broader socio-interactional skills (Antoci, 2012; Maiz et al., 2016; Ponsamak & 
Sukying, 2024). 

The third case on humour complements the affective research presented in the literature review. 
Purwanti et al. (2024) and Qamar et al. (2025) both emphasise humour’s role in reducing anxiety and 
increasing retention, and similar patterns appeared here when students created and shared memes. The 
humour-based tasks lowered emotional barriers, encouraged creative risk-taking, and fostered rapport 
between teacher and learners. Aligning with Nasrullah et al. (2025), students also demonstrated signs 
of emerging humour competence, using English to play with cultural references, visual formats, and 
pragmatic meanings. 

Taken together, the findings contribute three key insights. First, engagement, leadership, and 
humour are not isolated constructs but mutually reinforcing dimensions, as theorised in = = 
Facebook’s familiar, asynchronous structure appears to support these dimensions simultaneously by 
offering autonomy, peer visibility, and low-pressure communication spaces. Third, the 
multidimensionality observed across the three cases addresses the gap identified in the literature, 
which noted the lack of research examining engagement, leadership, and humour together within the 
same social-media environment. Overall, this study suggests that Facebook can function as a 
pedagogical ecosystem where linguistic, social, and affective development intersect. While existing 
empirical work has examined each of these dimensions separately, the present cases demonstrate how 
they operate together in authentic classroom contexts. 

7. Implications for Teaching 

Despite its limitations, the study offers several important implications for English language 
teaching. First, teachers can use social media platforms like Facebook to extend classroom learning 
into familiar digital spaces where students feel comfortable participating. The cases show that even 
reluctant or quiet learners may become more active when tasks are presented in a less formal, more 
accessible environment. Second, the integration of leadership-oriented responsibilities—such as 
organising group posts or coordinating peer contributions—demonstrates that social media can 
naturally support the development of learner agency and collaboration. 

Third, humour-based tasks, such as meme creation, offer a low-stress and motivating way for 
learners to practise language while building pragmatic awareness and creativity. Teachers should not 
overlook humour as a meaningful instructional tool, particularly in digital spaces where playful 
communication is already everyday. Fourth, the study highlights the importance of task design: 
Facebook becomes pedagogically beneficial only when activities are structured with clear goals, 
monitoring, and scaffolding to prevent distraction. Finally, teacher education programs may consider 
preparing educators to navigate social-media–mediated learning more confidently, especially given 
its growing role in creating inclusive, engaging, and socio-emotionally supportive EFL environments. 

8. Limitations 

Although this study provides valuable insight into engagement, leadership, and humour in 
Facebook-mediated EFL learning, several limitations must be acknowledged. Its auto-ethnographic 
multiple-case design is inherently subjective, shaped by teachers’ personal histories and classroom 
relationships, which limits generalisability. The participant groups were small and varied across 
instructional settings, restricting broader claims. Data were drawn mainly from naturally occurring 
interactions rather than structured instruments, meaning some learner perspectives may not be fully 
captured. Facebook itself introduced constraints such as distraction and inconsistent access. Despite 



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these limitations, the study offers meaningful guidance for future research and more sustained digital 
interventions. 

9. Conclusion 

This auto-ethnographic multiple–case study explored how Facebook supported engagement, 
leadership, and humour across three EFL classroom contexts. The findings indicate that Facebook 
meaningfully shaped learners’ participation and classroom dynamics, offering insights that address 
the three research questions. 

First, Facebook positively influenced learner engagement by providing a familiar online space 
where students could interact more freely and consistently. Across all cases, students who were 
normally quiet in physical classrooms became more willing to comment, ask questions, and respond 
to peers in the asynchronous Facebook environment, aligning with earlier studies that highlight the 
role of social media in increasing learner participation and lowering affective barriers. 

Second, participation in social-media mediated tasks promotedleadership skills, particularly when 
students were assigned roles or responsibilities within group activities. Leadership behaviours 
emerged naturally through online coordination, decision-making, and peer support, demonstrating that 
Facebook can function as a space for ‘micro-leadership,’ where learners manage tasks and guide group 
interactions—an area under-explored in previous research and directly addressing the gap identified 
in the literature review. 

Third, learners demonstrated humour competence through meme creation, playful exchanges, and 
multimodal expression. Humour helped reduce anxiety, strengthened rapport, and encouraged 
authentic language use, supporting previous evidence that humour enhances motivation and 
communicative confidence. In the online setting, humour also became a creative tool for meaning-
making, allowing students to blend cultural references, English captions, and visual symbolism in 
ways not typically achievable in traditional classroom tasks. 

Together, these findings reveal that engagement, leadership, and humour do not operate 
independently; instead, they reinforce one another when mediated through social media. Increased 
engagement created more opportunities for leadership to emerge, and humour contributed to an 
emotionally safe environment that encouraged both interaction and initiative. Facebook, therefore, 
acted not merely as a digital platform but as a social learning space where affective, interpersonal, and 
linguistic dimensions intersected. 

Although challenges such as distraction and uneven participation were present, the overall 
evidence suggests that intentional pedagogical design — combined with reflective teacher practice — 
can transform social media into a meaningful extension of the EFL classroom. Future research may 
further examine these three dimensions using larger participant groups or more robust experimental 
designs. Still, this study demonstrates that even small-scale, reflective, teacher-led interventions can 
generate valuable insights into how learners engage, lead, and express themselves creatively in digital 
language-learning environments. 

Looking ahead, further studies may investigate how these patterns of engagement, leadership, and 
humour unfold in larger or more diverse student populations, or explore whether similar dynamics 
emerge on alternative platforms such as Instagram, Zalo, or TikTok. Such comparative work would 
help determine the extent to which the pedagogical benefits observed here are platform-specific or 
reflective of broader digital learning behaviours. 

  



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Acknowledgment 

The researchers gratefully acknowledge the participation and valuable contributions of all the 

students who took part in this study. Their time, insights, and willingness to share their experiences 

made this research possible.  

Declarations 

Author contribution : The research was collaboratively undertaken by both authors, 
encompassing topic selection, proposal development, 
methodological application, data analysis, and the preparation of the 
discussion section.  

Funding statement : No funding is available for this research. 

Conflict of interest : I declare that there are no competing interests. 

Ethics Declaration : As the authors, we confirm that this work has been written based on 
ethical research principles in compliance with our university’s 
regulations and that the necessary permission was obtained from the 
relevant institution during data collection. We fully support ELTEJ’s 
commitment to upholding high standards of professional conduct and 
practicing honesty in all academic and professional activities.   

Additional 
information 

: No additional information is available for this paper. 

 

 

 

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https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v8i1.3284
https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqac051
https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14000
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1052737

	1. Introduction
	2. Literature Review
	2.1. Social media in language education
	2.2. Facebook and EFL learning
	2.3. Engagement, leadership, and humour in language education
	2.4. Gaps and research questions

	3. Methodology
	3.1. Research approach
	3.2. Participant recruitment
	3.3. Participant profiles
	3.4. Data collection
	3.5. Data analysis
	3.6. Researcher positionality
	3.7. Research procedure

	4. Data Presentation
	4.1. Case 1: Re-engaging students through Facebook homework
	4.2. Case 2: Building leadership through Facebook collaboration
	4.3. Case 3: Finding connection through humour and memes

	5. Cross-Case Analysis
	6. Interpretation
	7. Implications for Teaching
	8. Limitations
	9. Conclusion
	Acknowledgment


