The Use of Instagram in the Teaching of EFL Writing: Effect on Writing Ability and Students’ Perceptions

This study examined the effect of the use of Instagram on EFL students’ writing ability. It involved 34 EFL students of an Indonesian university. The students were taught to write opinion essays with Instagram as the instructional medium. The treatment was given in six meetings, excluding the writing pre-test and post-test. The students were asked to make an opinion essay in the pre-test and post-test. They were also asked to respond to a questionnaire designed to verify their perceptions on three aspects: their competence in writing, interest in the use of Instagram in the teaching and writing, and learning process. The results of the data analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test the post-test scores. Based on the findings of this study, some recommendations are given for teachers and future researchers regarding the use of Instagram on the teaching of EFL writing.

Using videos and pictures posted on Instagram can attract students' interest. A study conducted by Al-Ali (2014) integrated Instagram as an active mobile learning tool in the language bridge program. In that case, Instagram was used as a production tool for a holiday project with two writing activities. The result showed that students gradually welcomed the idea and were encouraged to be creative in completing their writing activities. In line with Al-Ali (2014) and Wiktor (2012), Instagram has potential to be a language learning tool in terms of language skills. When pictures or videos are uploaded and shared with the students followed by questions from the teachers, the students are encouraged to use their language skills. Listiani (2016) in her research examined the effect of the use of Instagram on junior high school students' in writing class. The study revealed that Instagram promoted a better understanding for students with high and low motivation. Another study was conducted by Kelly (2015) who used Instagram to develop students' ability in writing descriptive texts. The study showed that Instagram is as an effective tool for developing students' vocabulary range and grammatical accuracy. Mansor and Rahim (2017) conducted a similar study using Instagram and indicated that Instagram was an effective tool for students' interactions while discussing task-related content.
With references to the studies reviewed here, there has been no research which examined the effect of the use of Instagram on the ability of EFL students in writing opinion essays. Therefore, this study is aimed at filling in this gap by investigating the effect of the use of Instagram on students' ability in writing opinion essays. Besides, the study is conducted to know the students' response on the use of Instagram. The research questions are formulated as follows:

1)
Does the ability of the EFL students in writing opinion essays improve after being taught by means of Instagram?
2) Which of the EFL students improve more in their ability in writing opinion essays after being taught by means of Instagram?
3) What is EFL students' perceptions on the use of Instagram in the teaching of writing?

Method
A pre-experimental research design with no control group was chosen for this research. More specifically, it used one group pre-test post-test design. This research aims to find out the effect of the use of Instagram on the Indonesian EFL students' ability in writing. This research involved two classes of Argumentative Writing course offered in the English Department of Universitas Negeri Malang, one of the prominent universities in Indonesia. One of the classes had 14 students and the other had 20 students. There were 28 female (82%) and 6 male (18%) students in the two classes altogether. In this study, the two classes were considered as one group. Thus, there were a total of 34 participants in the study.
Argumentative Writing was one of the required writing courses for the English Department students.
The course aimed to develop students' ability to present logical reasoning, strong and convincing In the treatment which ran for six meetings, the students were taught to write opinion essays by focusing on the parts of essay: introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. One of us (i.e., the first author) acted as the teacher. In the first meeting, the students were introduced to the nature of opinion essays by emphasizing the introductory paragraph. In addition, they were also introduced to Instragram as an instructional medium to help them write. A video was posted in the Instragram and the students were asked to make comments regarding the topic of the video. In the second meeting, the students were involved in the discussion of body and concluding paragraphs of an opinion essay. The students were asked to work in pairs and to choose one of some topics posted by the teacher in her Instagram account. The were also asked to post their thesis statement of their essay along with three reasons for their opinions. In the end of the meeting, the students were asked to give feedback to their partners' works.
In the third meeting, the students were asked to write a full opinion essay by elaborating their reasons.
They were also asked to view the teacher's post in the Instagram which reminded them about some tips in writing an opinion essay. In the fourth meeting, the students were asked to continue writing their opinion essay. Through Instagram, the teacher gave the students self-checking worksheet and peer-feedback worksheet. They were then told to continue writing their opinion essay at home. In the fourth meeting, the students provided feedback to their partners' complete essays, and made some revisions based on the feedback. In the end of the meeting, the students were given homework to take a picture of the parts of their revised essays. They were asked to post them on their Instagram account and tag the parts of essays to the teacher by Instagram. They were also told to submit their printed essay in the next meeting.  Vol. 6, No. 2, 2018 In the last two meetings, students were asked to write one more opinion essay by following activities as conducted in the previous sessions. In the fifth meeting, after the students submitted their essay, they were asked to choose one within some topics posted by the teacher on Instagram. After choosing their topics, they students were asked to write an opinion essay. Through Instagram, they were given new self-checking worksheet and peer feedback worksheet as guidance for them to work at home. In the sixth meeting, the students worked with their partners to provide feedback to each other and revised their essays. They were also asked to send the pictures of their revised essay parts to the teacher's Instagram account. They were also told to submit their printed essay in the next meeting, before the post test was administered.
In scoring the essays, there were two raters involved. The first rater was one of the authors and the second rater was a student from the Masters program in ELT. Each rater assessed the students' writing tests by using scoring rubric adapted from Jacobs et al. (1989). The scoring rubric presented an analytic score. The analytic score assisted raters in giving scores for each category which resulted in providing information represented in more than a single holistic score. According to Richards (2003), analytic scoring more clearly defines the features to be accessed by separating, and some weighting, components of the ability. The scoring rubric comprised five aspects which has different weights: content (30), organization (20), vocabulary (20), language use (25), and mechanics (5). After scoring the writing tests, both raters discussed the results of the scoring. If there were score differences more than two points, an agreement between the raters could be made to gain the final score. The students' scores in the pretest and posttest are shown in Appendix A.
The second instrument used in the present study was questionnaire. The questionnaire was employed to find out the students' perceptions on the use of Instagram in the writing course. Some steps were followed to prepare the questionnaire. Firstly, a blueprint was developed as a guidance in constructing items the questionnaire items. It comprised three aspects: category, indicator, and item number.
Secondly, based on the blueprint, items were developed for the questionnaire. Some statements were adapted from Anggraeny (2017) as well as from Afrilyasanti, Cahyono and Astuti (2017) and some other items were constructed independently. The two instruments were then validated by consulting second language writing and English Language Teaching experts.
The questionnaire had 16 items which were divided into three parts: writing competence (Items 1-7), interest (Items 8-11), and process of learning (Items 12-16). The responses to the items were made in four-option Likert Scale with their values, varying from "strongly agree" (4), "agree" (3), "disagree" (2), and "strongly disagree" (1). The middle point option "neither agree nor disagree" was not included to avoid unclear responses regarding the students' (dis)agreement to the description stated in each item.
All of the students (34) completed the questionnaire. Therefore, the maximum possible score for an item is 136, while the minimum possible score is 34. In general, the students' responses are considered the most favorable (strongly agree) if the average value of the responses is close to 4 and the least

Results
The results of this study are presented in 3 parts. The first part deals with the effect of the use of Instagram on the EFL students' writing ability. The second part was about which of the EFL students improve more in their writing ability after being taught by using Instagram. Lastly, the third part focuses on the students' perceptions to the use of Instagram.

The Effect of the Use of Instagram on the EFL Students' Writing Ability
In order to know whether there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores, the means of the two sets of scores needed to be found out and compared. The descriptive data of the pre-test and post-test are shown in Table 1.   Table 2 showed that the paired t-test statistics was -12.506 and the observed significant level was .000.
In other words, the observed significant level was lower than .05 (.00 ≤ .05). It means that there was a significant difference between the pre-test scores and the post-test scores. On average, the post-test score was 15 points higher than the pre-test scores (95% CI [17.83, 12.84]). As a result, the null hypothesis could be rejected. To sum up, the students who were taught by using Instagram had better ability in writing an opinion essay.

The Students Who Improve More in Their Writing Ability
The next data analysis used correlation testing with paired sample correlation. This analysis was aimed to verify whether a student who had a high score in the pre-test would probably had a the high score in the post-test. Similarly, a student who had a fairly low score in the pre-test would have a fairly low score in the post-test. The result of the correlation data analysis is shown in Table 3.  Table 3 displays that the correlation results between the pre-test and post-test scores was .649, while the observed significant level was .000 which was lower than .05. It could be concluded that the pre-test and post-test score was positively correlated. This means that a student who had a higher score in the pre-test also had a higher score in the post-test. Similarly, a student who had a low score in the pre-test still had a lower score in the post-test.

The Students' Responses on the Use of Instagram
The results of analysis of the questionnaire taps into students' perceptions on three aspects: writing competence, interest, and learning process. In total, there were sixteen statements given in the questionnaire. The results are presented as follows.

A. Responses on Writing Competence
Items 1-7 in Part 1 of the questionnaire were aimed to find out the respondents' perceptions on their writing competence as a result of the use of Instagram. The results of the students' responses are presented in Table 4. As depicted in Table 4, the students agreed to all of the criteria of competence as the average of the students' responses fell around the value 3. More specifically, they agreed that they could do well in their English writing class (Item 1), were confident about their ability to compose an opinion essay on the writing test (Item 2), could convey ideas based on the given topic (Item 3); could organize ideas based on the given topic in each paragraph (Item 4); could use proper vocabulary to the given topics appropriately (Item 5); could apply correct grammar in delivering ideas based on the given topic (Item 6); and could use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and capitalization in their writing (Item 7).

B. Perceptions on The Interest in The Implementation of Instagram
Five other statements of the questionnaire were about students' interest in Instagram. The results of the students' responses are displayed in Table 5.  Table 5 shows that the students agreed that it was fun to post writing assignments on Instagram (Item 8), that it was interesting to give feedback through Instagram (Item 9), and that posting writing assignments on Instagram better motivates them (Item 11). However, the students disagreed that it was interesting to get feedback through Instagram (Item 10).

C. Perceptions on the Process of Learning
The last part of questionnaire given to the students contained five statements. It was about the students' perceptions on the process of learning with the use of Instagram. The results of the students' responses on the questionnaire given are shown in Table 6.  Vol. 6, No. 2, 2018 As shown in Table 6, the students disagreed that the notes posted by the teacher on Instagram helped them to understand the material (Item 12). However, the students' responses to the other four items were favorable. It was found that the students agreed that pictures and a video about certain topics which were posted by the teacher on Instagram encouraged them to make opinions (Item 13); they enjoyed giving feedback/corrections to their partner's outline on Instagram (Item 14); their friends' feedback helped them in making their outline better (Item 15); and the features available on Instagram, especially direct message and comment box helped them to discuss their writing problem with the teacher.

Improvement of the Students' Writing Ability
The result of the post-test scores evinced that the students achieved better writing ability after being given the treatment. Based on the results of data analysis by using paired sample t-test, the observed significance level of post-test score showed 0.000 which was lower than .05. It suggested that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. Thus, the null hypothesis could be rejected. The result was consistent with Listiani's (2016) research which showed that the students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group as a result of the implementation of Instagram.
In spite of the fact that Instagram was still considered a new medium in Indonesian context, the students who were given the treatment seemed to get adjusted to the medium. When the students were asked if they were familiar with Instagram before the experiment was conducted, almost all of the students stated that they had Instagram accounts. Considering the fact, it proves that Instagram was indeed a popular application in the world with 300 million active users in 2015 and more than 800 million active users in 2017 (Kelly, 2015;Smith, 2017). As the students were familiar with Instagram, they did not seem to have any problem in operating Instagram. This was advantageous since we did not need to explain to them how to use Instagram in a greater detail. College students had higher level of engagement on the social networking sites (Solomon, 2013).
It was found in this study that the quality of the students' writings improved. Some mistakes like missing thesis statement in an essay and insufficient sentences in a paragraph decreased bit by bit. In general, the students were able to make a well-developed thesis statement. Moreover, they were also able to state their opinion as well as to provide the plausible reasons in the opinion essays with the given topics. By using Instagram, the students found it easier in giving feedback to their peer's writing outline. They also could ask for further explanation about the feedback through the same comment box on Instagram. Dron (2003; cited in Moriarty & Rajapillai, 2007) told that technology was relatively easy to employ as for giving and receiving feedback since students have been adjusted to it.
Instagram is also used to post visual media, especially pictures and video. Pictures of notes which were posted on Instagram by the lecturer are meaningful as it could help guide the students in making a good www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/selt Studies in English Language Teaching Vol. 6, No. 2, 2018 essay. The students became conscious that an essay has a thesis statement in the last sentence of the introduction paragraph. In addition, they became aware that a good body paragraph of an essay contains sufficient number of sentences. It was true that the students had passed the Essay Writing course in the previous semester, but they could possibly did not fully remember the material. Therefore, the use pictures of notes which were posted on Instagram could help the students to remember some material they got back then. It was much meaningful since they could just access their Instagram account and viewed the pictures on the class Instagram account by using their smartphone. They could access it outside class while they were about to do their essay at home.
Further, the video which was uploaded on Instagram could be used as background knowledge before introducing to the main material. By observing the video through their smartphone, the students could easily handle their smartphone. Based on our observation, the students seemed relaxed in doing the assignment. Besides, the video could be used as the basic for follow up activity. We used them to know the students' opinion toward the issue contained in the video. When the students asked their opinion as well as the reasons, some students voluntarily shared their opinion and reasons. This was in line with the implications of previous research conducted by Griesemer (2012) that had revealed that despite the time taken in the social media use, the media could be as a means for covering topics and introducing additional topics.
Although not all of students, there were some students who utilized Instagram to consult their problem related to the assignment. This proved that the students were more engaged. This result supported a statement that social media were rapidly changing the communication landscape (Griesemer, 2012).
Also, it proved Solomon's (2013) view that the level of engagement of college students on the network appears to be higher. Not only did the students actively participate in class, they also accomplished a positive learning result.

The Students Who Improved Better Ability in Writing
The study also showed that the positive correlation between the students' pre-test and post-test scores.
A student who had higher score in the pre-test had higher score in the post-test. Similarly, a student who had lower score in the pre-test still had lower score in the post-test.
Based on our observation, the student who had higher score in the pre-test and post-test was responsible for all of the assignments. They always paid attention to the teacher's explanation and did the tasks. In addition, they always submitted the assignments on time. These evidences proved that these students had higher level of engagement compared to the students who had lower scores in the pre-test and post-test. During the implementation of Instagram, the student who had lower score in the pre-test and post-test seemed to have low spirit. Out of all assignments that needed to be submitted through Instagram, the students submitted only some assignments. Besides, they never asked for more explanation with regard to the material they did not understand. This indicates that the students had lower engagement during the implementation of Instagram. Therefore, motivation needed to be given  Vol. 6, No. 2, 2018 during the teaching and learning process. To obtain a good learning result, motivation to communicate should be possessed in order to be able to exchange ideas and broaden knowledge (Listiani, 2016).

The Students' Responses
As shown earlier, most of the statements were responded by the students positively. To confirm the students' answers, we checked their essays. The result showed that the quality of their writing improved. There were some mistakes in their essays such as grammatical mistakes and mechanics but those mistakes were less frequently found in the students' results of post-test.
The other part of the questionnaire was students' interest on the implementation of Instagram. The result proved that Instagram could be implemented in the educational context. This was in line with Anggraeny's (2017) statement that making use of Instagram in teaching and learning process was notable as today was the era of 21st century where social networking sites and technology were growing rapidly. However, an adverse response was shown in one statement in the same part of the questionnaire. The students responded that they found it interesting to give feedback through Instagram. In contrast, they did not feel the same when they received feedback through Instagram.
Many of the students did not think receiving feedback online was interesting.
The last part of the questionnaire was concerning the learning process on the implementation of Instagram. Many of the students showed positive responses toward each statement. The students believed that the video and the uploaded pictures of notes encouraged them in making opinion and make their essay better. The students could access them inside and outside classroom as long as the internet connection was available. This result showed that Instagram enabled its users to take pictures or photos, apply different filters to transform the appearance of the pictures, and share them instantly with friends (Hochman & Schwartz; cited in Ting et al., 2015). In addition, some of the students made use of it to ask questions regarding their writing problem. It meant that Instagram was beneficial in helping the students easier to consult their problem.

Conclusions
Based on the result of the data analysis, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the EFL students' ability before and after the implementation of Instagram. It means that the students get better writing ability after the implementation of Instagram. In addition, the correlation testing showed positive correlation which means the student who had higher score still had higher score in the post-test. Similarly, the student who had lower score in the pre-test score still had lower score in the post-test. Regarding to the result of questionnaire, the result shows that the students had positive response toward the implementation of the Instagram. The students view that Instagram was meaningful and fun to be implemented in class. However, in the implementation of Instagram, it is necessary to give peer or teacher feedback offline due to the negative responses of some students.
Based on the conclusions, it can be suggested that in using Instagram in teaching, teachers necessarily give peer or teacher feedback offline. It is intended to enrich the feedback that the students will receive.  Vol. 6, No. 2, 2018 In addition, it can also be suggested that teachers give more motivations to all students and pay more attention to the students with lower spirit and engagement during the teaching and learning process. As for future researchers, they are expected to explore many other features contained on Instagram which potentially can be implemented in class, such as instastory, instapolling, etc. Further, similar studies with different level of students and language skills are needed in order to present wider perspective of the use of Instagram in educational context, especially in the EFL context.