social media as pastoral care tools

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Social Media as Tools for Pastoral Care

Postgraduate Certificate in Education Post-Compulsory Education and Training.

UTXGTJ-30-M Curriculum, Context and Sustainable Learning Communities.

Student no: 13006782

University of the West of England, June 2014Word count 3,832


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Table of Contents

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ 1

AUTHORS DECLARATION ...................................................................................... 3

CHAPTER ONE: AIMS AND PURPOSE1.1 - AIMS AND PURPOSE OF RESEARCH ............................................................ 4

1.2 - RESEARCH QUESTION ................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 - THE POWER OF THE INTERNET .................................................................... 6

2.2 - SOCIAL MEDIA PENETRATION AND THE AGE DIVIDE ...................... 7

2.3 - THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION .................................... 8

2.4 - ONLINE COMMUNICATION AND ANONYMITY .................................... 92.5 - PASTORAL CARE ................................................................................ 10

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 - DESIGN & METHODS .......................................................................... 11

3.2 - PARTICIPANTS .................................................................................... 13

3.3 - ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .............................................................. 14

3.4 - RELIABILITY & VALIDITY ..................................................................... 15

CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

4.1 - DEFINITIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ....................................................... 16

4.2 - CURRENT USAGE IN COLLEGE AND THE AGE DIVIDE ................... 17

4.3 - SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF SUPPORT ............................................... 18

4.4 - THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE ................................................................. 19

4.5 - SHARING SENSITIVE INFORMATION ONLINE .................................. 20

4.6ANONYMITY AND DISINHIBITION ...................................................... 21

4.7 - PEER PASTORAL CARE ...................................................................... 22

4.8 - EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY CONSIDERATIONS ............................... 23

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHERRESEARCH ............................................................................................................. 24

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 26

APPENDICES .......................................................................................................... 28

GLOSSARY OF TERMS & ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................... 31


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1

Abstract

Social media and digital technologies continue to increase in both their capabilities,

and the extent of their adoption. This study provides an insight into the attitudes of

further education staff and learners towards using these tools for pastoral care. This

research identifies some of the opportunities and challenges that using social media

for pastoral care might bring.

In order to understand the current role of technology in education, and the inherent

advantages of disadvantages of using these technologies pastorally, relevant

academic literature is reviewed and assessed. In addition to this, primary research is

conducted, in which conversations from focus groups with staff and learners are

analysed.

This study concludes that social media offer a number of opportunities to learners,

though any college-wide adoption of these tools pastorally would need to afford

learners the ability to tailor their own experience of pastoral care by communicating

using the communication tool of their choosing; be it Facebook, Twitter, or video-

based applications. The anonymity afforded to students presents a somewhat

difficult dilemma; many learners feel this allows them to share sensitive information

more freely, whilst staff suggest it may make the tools vulnerable to abuse.

As many learners would not feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues via any

methods other than face-to-face communication, social media should be a tool

through which learners can book or arrange face-to-face meetings with pastoral staff,

with the options of conducting follow-up meetings exclusively on social media.


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If social media is to be successfully incorporated into the pastoral care services,

there must be an official college-wide policy for using these tools in place. Such a

policy would help to settle many of the anxieties shared by staff regarding using

these tools, and the potential increase in workload that their introduction might bring.


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3

Authors Declaration

I declare that the work in this project was carried out in accordance with the

regulations of the University of the West of England. The word is original except

where indicated by special reference in the text and no part of this project has been

submitted for any other degree.

Any views expressed in this project are those of the author and in no way represent

those of the University of the West of England. This project has not been presented

to any other University for examination either in the United Kingdom or overseas.

Daniel Cranney

Date: 07/06/14


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Chapter One - Aims and Purpose

1.1 Aims and Purpose of Research

The primary aim of this research is to gain an insight into the attitudes of further

education (FE) learners and staff towards social media (SM) tools, and their pastoral

uses. This research looks to understand how SM is used in education and pastoral

care (PC) at the present time, and to undercover some of the opportunities and

challenges that SM might present. It is hoped that some advances will also be made

in understanding why many FE educators and institutions are hesitant to adopt these

tools in the classroom, or pastorally.

Finally, this research aims to highlight some of the ethical difficulties that using SM

might present, in order to try and pre-empt them ahead of any adoption of SM into

one particular collegespastoral system.


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1.2 Research Question

The question at the core of this project is what are the challenges and opportunities

regarding the use of SM pastorally in education?This report also looks to discuss

how students and staff feel about communicating via SM. It is the general contention

of the researcher that SM tools have inherent advantages and disadvantages that

must be investigated before utilising them pastorally.


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Chapter Two - Literature Review

2.1 The Power of the Internet

Everything is changing - you, your family, your neighbourhood (sic), youreducation, your job, your government () (and) they're changing dramatically(McLuhan and Fiore, 1967, p.8).

Intellectual Marshall McLuhans statement regarding the transformative power of

technology was undeniably prophetic; though, writing in 1967, he knew nothing of

the Internet or the impact it would come to have on modern life. Throughout history,

major developments in communication technology have brought profound changes

to society, with every social institution - education included - affected as a result

(Shirky, 2008). The importance of understanding the opportunities and risks that

these changes may bring - and the importance of harnessing the power of new

technologies - is clear when we consider that the law of accelerating returns

(Kurzweil, 2005) indicates technology is developing exponentially, and the impact

and frequency of new technological developments will continue to increase.


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2.2 Social Media Penetration and the Age Divide

Social networks have moved from niche phenomenon to mass adoption (Gross &

Aquisti, 2005 cited in De Souza and Dick, 2008, p.144), growing and evolving

throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century. This growth has run parallel to

- and mutually benefited - the mass adoption of smart mobile telephones, with SM

transforming from something to do in your spare time to an integral part of daily life

(Gefter, 2006 cited in De Souza and Dick, 2008, p.144).

Internet technologies now permeate the lives of many teaching and learning in FE,

with less than 1 per-cent of 16-24 year-olds not having used the Internet, a number

that rises to just 9 per-cent when considering 16-64 year-olds (Office for National

Statistics, 2013, p.33). Reports do, however, suggest, age has a sizeable effect on

an individuals likelihood (of going online) (Office for National Statistics, 2013, p.3),

with an individuals socioeconomic status considered a significant factor in this

equation, too (National Audit Office, 2012).

Statistics regarding smartphone penetration amongst teenagers show a dramatic

increase in recent years, with reports showing forty-seven per-cent penetration in

2011 (Ofcom, 2011, [online), and eighty-five per-cent in 2013 (Orange, 2013, [press

release]), evidence of a continued decrease in the digital divide.


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2.3 The Role of Technology in Education

Academics such as Thomas Frey (2007) suggest that education is in a

transformative phase that will result in a shift away from teacher-led delivery,

towards student-focused learning; a change driven in large part by technological

developments. This techno-optimistic view suggests SM inherently encourage

collaboration and co-operation (Rheingold, 2004; Rheingold, 2005; Surowiecki,

2004), and are consequently changing the role of teachers from that of experts to

coaches, and students from recipients of information to sharers of knowledge (Frey,

2007).

Education Secretary Michael Gove has echoed similar sentiments, claiming

government education reforms regarding technology were made to help create an

education system open to innovation, which can use technology creatively to

advance learning(Gove, 2014, [speech]). Such tasks are high on the International

academic agenda, too, with a 2011 survey of more than 2,500 chief academic

officers in the United States finding that 65 per-cent view online learning as a critical

part of their long-term strategy (Bell & Federman, 2013, p.166)and an integral part

of modern education.


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2.4 Online Communication and Anonymity

While many new technologies lend themselves to education, the online anonymity

they afford users is at the core of this discussion. In particular, we must understand

what effect having anonymity while using SM might have on SM communication.

Suler (2006) notes that Internet users say and do things in cyberspace that they

wouldnt ordinarily (p.321) and loosen up, feel less restrained, and express

themselves more openly (Ibid.). This phenomenon can be referred to as the online

disinhibition effect(Suler, 2006). Suler notes, however, this effect can manifest itself

in two very different ways; Anonymous acts of kindness or altruism online

exemplifying benign disinhibition, and in contrast toxic disinhibition is evidenced in

users behaving threateningly, harshly criticising others, trolling, or using foul or

offensive language.Even so, disinhibition is neither decidedly positive nor negative

due to the cultural relativity as well as the complexities of psychological dynamics

(Ibid., p.321). This is to say that anonymous online communication has great benefits

and noteworthy disadvantages, and it is difficult to predict beforehand which turn an

online interaction will take.


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2.5 Pastoral Care

When considering what effect the act of communicating via SM might have on PC, it

is fair to suggest that the status imbalance that might exist or develop in a

relationship between pastoral staff member and student is minimised by

communicating online (Suler, 2006, p.345) due to learners feeling disinhibited.

With this in mind, we must consider what effect anonymity and disinhibition can have

on the effectiveness of PC. Seminal psychology academic Carl Rogers (1959 cited in

Mills, 2011) pointed to six conditions that must be satisfied for a therapeutic

relationship to exist; the most important of which is that client and staff must be in

contact (face-to-face or otherwise). This suggests that the mode of communication is

somewhat irrelevant, so long as both parties can communicate. It is however, at this

point still unclear as to what extent the conditions can truly be met with the same

degree of effectiveness when communication takes place online.


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Chapter Three - Methodology

3.1 Design and Methods

Epistemologically, this research is founded on the logic that discussions with

students and staff who have experience of PC will produce valid and meaningful

data regarding how pastoral services might be improved. Moreover, this research

operates under an interpretivist paradigm. This is to say that this investigation hopes

to understand the world of human experience (Cohen & Manion, 1994, p.36),

however due to the uniqueness of the lives and experiences of the participants, the

conditions of this project are difficult to replicate.

Nonetheless, the qualitative research methods used allow us to explore the depth

and range of opinions and attitudes towards the topic of SM (Gaskell, 2000). This is

a significant advantage to using qualitative methods, and is well suited to the aims of

this research. Alternatives, such as quantitative methods, merely allow the

researcher to tally the number of individuals that hold a particular view, and would

produce only superficial results.

Two focus groups (FGs/FG) were conducted at the college this research was carried

out in; the first with five learners (Learner A-E), and the second with five staff

members (Staff A-E). This allowed participants the opportunity to thoroughly express

their thoughts and opinions, and discuss them with others. An approach this loosely

structured allows the researcher to encourage learners to elaborate more upon

particularly interesting or useful insights. What is more, this approach helps

overcome the ethical sensitivities of observing the behaviour of young people on SM;

research that would serve to simply outline how learners use SM, rather than why

they use it the way they do.


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In order to analyse the data obtained and produce meaningful results, a basic

qualitative analysis approach to data interpretation will be adopted. Common themes

will be identified in the transcripts of the conversations from the FGs in order to

organise the insights given by participants into a logical and well-founded discussion.


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3.3 Ethical Considerations

The British Educational Research Associations ethical guidelines (2011, [pdf]) are

the ethical framework used for this project. As half of the participants are considered

minors due to being under eighteen years old, consent forms (Appendix 2) were

required to be signed by parents, carers and guardians, before the research begun.

Additionally, the experimenter considered it of the utmost importance that

professional boundaries were strictly maintained, and learners identities were

protected.

Learners and staff were briefed as to the objectives of the study, informed of their

right to withdraw, and reassured of their anonymity. However, they were not

informed until a one-to-one de-briefing session following the focus group activity that

they been selected due to their experience of PC. Whilst it is ethically preferable to

fully inform students when gaining consent, this decision was made to minimise the

risk of learners feeling different in any way from the general college population.


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3.4 Reliability and Validity

The selective, purposive method of participant sampling used in this project affords it

some validity, however is detrimental to the reliability of the results produced. The

familiarity of each participant with PC means their contributions are informed by

experience, so are assumed to be of great value.

Even so, the subjective nature of participants contributions - and the individual

differences between them - mean that if this research were to be repeated, the

results may differ greatly as the conditions would be difficult to replicate. We should

also consider that one danger of communicating in a small group is that some

participants may not voice their opinions if they do not fit the norm of the group.


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Chapter Four - Discussion and Analysis of Results

4.1 Definitions of Social Media

Both groups produced remarkably similar definitions, stating that SM allows many-to-

many communication and helps individuals connect with one another via the

Internet. Examples noted by participants include Facebook, Twitter, and photo-

sharing platform Instagram.


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4.2 Current Usage in College and the Age Divide

Whilst learners affirm Gefters (2006, cited in De Souza and Dick, 2008) assertion

that SM is now an integral part of daily life, they stressed there was some still some

disparity between the significant role SM plays in their lives outside of college, and

its relatively minor use in college. Furthermore, participants were in consensus that

to their knowledge SM is not currently used in any way pastorally in college.

Learners stated that the majority of their teachers do not use SM at all, but noted that

the age and experience of staff influences their use of SM, inline with Office for

National Statistics (2013) data regarding the impact of age on the digital divide;

Young ones ()get it more() Some older staff probably dont want to()change how they do things. () Young ones that are like thirty or somethinguse new media () (but) I think most of the (pastoral staff) is older, too, sothey dont get it (Learner B).

Both academic and pastoral staff members agreed with this view in part, however

suggested that age was but one of numerous contributing factors. Staff felt that their

busy schedules and demanding workload did not allow them time to explore SM

tools and experiment with them, and so more tried-and-tested methods are

necessary. Additionally, pastoral staff noted that a lack of an official college policy

towards using social media (Staff B) or adequate staff training regarding SM means

that they neither feel supported or encouraged to use SM, resulting in having very

little drive to use them when management is content (Staff C).

Learners, however, did stress that teachers and staff who do not use SM do still give

assistance by other means, but their help is more difficult to obtain, and less

frequent.


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4.3 Supply and Demand of Support

Discussions revealed there is a significant disparity between the demand for care

required by students, and the supply that staff will provide at this time. Learners state

that only being able to access pastoral services during college hours - and having to

physically travel to meet pastoral staff - could be resolved by an online

communication system. When reminded email was a current option students said

they felt this was insufficient as they do not access their student emails regularly as

they had very littlereason to bother(Learner C). Staff, too, support this;

Staff frequent the college email systems more often than students () mostlycontacting other staff. Students talk more on social media; They feel at homethere (Staff D).


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4.4 The Work-Life Balance

Though learners acknowledged that SM allows quick and easy (Learner C),

instantaneous, 24-hour communications, staff were decidedly less enthused by this

fact. Many felt it could blur the boundary between their personal and professional

lives, and place greater demands on them outside of office hours. Moreover, a pay

raise would not likely accompany this inevitable increase in responsibility (Staff C),

and thus their jobs could become more stressful as a result of any official adoption of

SM.


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4.5 Sharing Sensitive Information Online

Though adoption and use of SM amongst young people of college-age is extremely

high - and most are digital natives- surprisingly, some learners felt that SM were not

appropriate for discussing sensitive issues;

If youre dealing with a serious topic, and then youre just Facebooking it, it(...) takes away from the point that it s serious. I wouldnt want to talk aboutsomething thats making () me upset, ()on Facebook. I want to know andmeet the person first (Learner C).

Many learners felt that online communication was not sincere (Learner A), or

lacked physical things like body language (Learner C), allowing for a great deal of

misinterpretation and confusion, and thus less effective support. Several learners felt

that a suitable compromise was to use SM to arrange physical meetings, with the

possibility of using SM for follow-up appointments, once the offlinerelationship had

been established.

Conversely, other learners felt that when physical communication is removed its

less stressful than face-to-face (Learner E). For some, the depth and sincerity

relationship is not a necessity for a therapeutic relationship to develop and succeed;

I would just want () someone to cheer me up and give me a hand.Sometimes I dont want them to know who I am () but just to listen (LearnerD).


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4.6 Anonymity and Disinhibition

Both staff and students expressed awareness and experience of Sulers (2006)

benign and toxic disinhibition. Moreover, the majority of participants put forward both

privacy and anonymity as concerns. When asked about how anonymity might alter

how people use SM tools, learners felt it removed accountability and thus allowed

some to be nasty () because nobody knows who they are, or where. They can

() be someone else and get away with it (Learner B). Staff shared similar

anxieties, concerned about protection of services from trolls, and from abuse (Staff

B), with one even going so far as to suggest that an online pastoral system might

allow the most poorly behaved learners to abuse the system and staff without

consequence (Staff D).

It is noteworthy that one learner emphasised a necessity for anonymity in order for

them to even consider using such tools. This learner shared that they had been

bullied via SM in the past, and so feared that information that could be tied to them

might be used as a weapon if the wrong person got hold of it (Learner A).

Furthermore, this learner felt that video communications via platforms such as Skype

would be just a tense as talking face-to-face(Learner A), though learners do note

that this tool empowers learners with the ability to exit or end the conversation

instantly; a power simply not available in face-to-face interactions.


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4.7 Peer Pastoral Care

Learners sentiments very much correspond with those of Frey (2007), Rheinhold

(2004, 2005) and Surowiecki (2004) in that they give great value to peer-assisted

learning and collaboration.

All of the students questioned are members of class-specific Facebook groups,

where they communicate with peers and teachers. For most, two parallel versions of

each group exist, only one of which is visible to teaching staff. Learners stress that

these groups form the basis of their peer support systems, as learners use the

groups to share useful or humorous materials with one another, and ask questions of

their peers. Learners feel this reduces the stress of contacting the teacher, and

asking them a stupid question (Learner B), and many feel it is better to ask

(peers) first as theyll probably get back to you quicker than the teacher will(Learner

E).

The pastoral benefits of this do not go unnoticed either, as the learners unanimously

agree that these groups have helped to ease the stress of college life, with help

ranging from misplaced assignment briefs during holiday breaks, to learners helping

each other out with money and problems at home (Learner C). Staff passionately

support peer-PC through these groups, and feel they free upthe pastoral services

staff () to deal with the more serious, majorly-life-affecting issues that some

learners have(Staff D).

Whilst peer support is surely beneficial, however it must be noted the six conditions

required for a therapeutic relationship cannot be guaranteed given that the vast

majority of the group will not have been trained, and thus are unlikely to show


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unconditional positive regard for those requiring support; just one of the six

conditions.


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4.8 Equality and Diversity Considerations

Additionally, learners made note of the fact that there is a need for pastoral staff to

be well trained regarding equality and diversity issues. Whilst staff did note that they

have all been provided with such training, they stressed a need for regular revision

sessions as they often cannot remember many of the details (Staff E) taught to

them, and find supporting BME learners more challenging due to often not

understanding the minor nuances of different cultures (Ibid.). Students echo such

sentiments, stating that;

(Whilst) support in the past has been good, no one has ever really ()knownabout my (Islamic) beliefs () I have to explain it every time. () I would alsoreally need to know if I was talking to a male or a female, and if theyunderstand my religion. (Student E)


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Chapter FiveConclusions and Recommendations

5.1 Conclusions and Recommendations for Further Research

This research has identified a number of potential opportunities for using SM in PC,

along with numerous challenges, too. Firstly, for any college-wide pastoral adoption

of SM to be a success, there is an immediate need for specific training using these

tools, particularly for pastoral staff. The lack of education and familiarity with using

these tools and official college policy regarding their use - means that many staff

members are simply unable to engage with SM, even if they may wish to.

It in the recommendation of the researcher that college management must make an

overt and official commitment to these tools if they are to be used to any significant

extent. Staff suggest that such a commitment would afford them the time they need

to use these tools; time that it is simply not available to them with the present

system.

It is not deemed appropriate for any SM-based pastoral services to require users to

use their real name in order to access them, though in the interests of student

tracking, students should be encouraged to reveal their real name to pastoral staff,

but this should not be compulsory. In the interests of responsible data protection,

learners who do opt to give their real names should be afforded a certain degree of

anonymity by default, in so far as their real name should be recorded in an offline

system (ie: non computer-based) so that the learners can be traced to a pseudonym,

but their sensitive data is still protected from immediate online privacy threats.

All participants were wholeheartedly in support of using SM to book pastoral

sessions, and college staff should explore this as a possibility. Such a system should


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allow users the possibility to select one of many options for the type of PC they wish

to receive, based on their needs and preferences; ranging from text-based and

Facebook messaging,, to video calling. A range of options allows students to tailor

their pastoral experience, and communicate in the way they find most convenient or

comfortable.

When considering introducing a SM based pastoral service system, it is important to

remain cognisant of the changing requirements placed upon staff. Pay and staff

benefits should be considered if an increase in workload results, and threats to

staffs work-life balance should be weighed against the benefit to students.

Finally, this research has revealed a need for more in-depth, regular training

regarding equality and diversity for pastoral staff. Whilst basic training equips staff

with some superficial knowledge of different cultures, customs and special education

needs (SENs), staff should be encouraged to specialise in different cultures and

areas of SEN so that the support they offer is informed by a deep understanding of

the lives of those to whom the help is to be given. Moreover, learners should be able

to choose the gender of their pastoral staff contact.

Further research in this area could include the creation or design of a PC app or

computer program. Moreover, research could look to identify effective ways of

incorporating SM into pastoral services, to understand how best to utilise the

technology available.


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Appendices

Appendix 1: Semi-Structured Focus Group Questions

These questions were used as an aid in the focus groups, and a general skeleton for

the conversation. Even so, both conversations touched upon a number of subjects

not listed below.

How would you define social media?

What is your understanding of 'pastoral care'?

If at all, how do you use social media in your education?

Can social media be used pastorally?

Do you think more or less use of social media needed in college?

Do you think it would help, or hinder you in your education/ability to give

pastoral care?

Can you think of any downsides to this?


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Appendix 2

CONSENT FORM

Title of Project:An investigation into social media as tools for pastoral care.

Name of Researcher:Dan Cranney

Please initial all boxes

1. I confirm that I have read and understand the attached information sheet

for the above study. I have had the opportunity to consider the

information, ask questions and have had these answered satisfactorily.

2. I understand that participation in this study is voluntary and that

participants are free to withdraw at any time. No reason for withdraw is

required and medical and/or legal rights remain unaffected.

3. I understand that contributions from participants will be recorded in audio

format for the purposes of analysis. Individuals will remain anonymous

and information will not be passed on to any third party.

4. I agree to give consent for the participant named below to take part in this

study.

Name of Student

Parent / Carer Date Signature


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Appendix 2 (contd)

STUDY INFORMATION SHEET

Title of Project:An investigation into social media as tools for pastoral care.

Name of Researcher:Dan Cranney

Researcher Contact:[email protected]

The aim of this research project is to understand the effectiveness of social media

platforms (eg: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) as tools for pastoral care at South

Gloucestershire and Stroud College.

As part of this study, two focus groups will be conducted. One focus group will

comprise of approximately 6-8 students, and the other will feature members of staff.

These informal, group discussions will last between twenty and thirty minutes, and

will be held at the Wise Campus on Wednesday April 30 th 2014. In these focus

groups, students and staff are encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions on

social media in general, how these social media tools are currently used in college,

and how they could be better utilised in future to offer pastoral support in the learning

environment.

It is hoped that these conversations will identify some new opportunities for ways

that social media could be integrated into the pastoral care system at SGS College,

in order to offer students effective support during their time at college.

The audio from the focus groups will be recorded for the purposes of analysis, and

both students and staff are free to withdraw at any stage of the research process.

Moreover, these audio recordingsand the research report that will subsequently be

produced - will be made available to participants and/or parents, carers and

guardians upon request. All participants will remain anonymous throughout this

project.

Participation in this study is greatly appreciated, and the researcher can be

contacted at the email address given at the top of this page if you wish to ask any

questions or have any concerns about this project. Furthermore, a contact telephone

number is available upon request.


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Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

Term /Abbreviation

Definition

BME Black minority ethnic

Digital natives Individuals who were born subsequent to the invention and mass-adoption of the Internet.

FE Further education

FG / FGs Focus group / focus groups

PC Pastoral care

SM Social media

Smartphone Mobile telephones with Internet capabilities.

Trolls Internet users who deliberately provoke others online, or purposelyshare false information.

social media as pastoral care tools

Documents