This study aimed to determine the effect of social media-supported learning on the academic achievement of nursing students and their social media usage levels in nursing education.
Background
Using social media in nursing education enables students to experience interactive learning, strengthening learning outcomes and creating an enriched learning environment with up-to-date information.
Method
The study was conducted as a randomized controlled study. CONSORTchecklist was completed. The subject of parenteral drug administration was explained interactively to all students by the same instructors for a total of 12 h for weeks. After the theoretical course, each skill was demonstrated by the instructor in the laboratory setting in a 24-h laboratory course with the demonstration method in line with the checklists. After the training was completed, the students filled out the necessary forms. Videos and informative images about parenteral drug applications were shared with the intervention group for 4 weeks through an Instagram page created for social media-supported learning. Questions and answers were shared on the subject every day in the story section. The answer to the question was shared in the story section the next day with explanations. At the end of the 4th training week, the students were asked to complete the necessary forms as a post-test. Changes in academic achievement and social media usage after the intervention were measured using achievement tests and the Social Media Scale in Nursing Education. Data were analyzed with SPSS 23.0. Normality was tested using the Shapiro–Wilk test. Independent t-tests and the Chi-Square test for categorical variables were used for normally distributed continuous variables. Pre-test and post-test comparisons within groups were evaluated with the Paired t-test if normality was met, or the Wilcoxon test. The effect size was calculated using Cohen’s d.
Results
After social media-supported learning, it was found that the difference between the post-test mean scores of the nursing students in the intervention and control group was statistically significant(p < 0.001). It was also found that the average of the exam results after the training increased compared to the average before the training, and the difference between the two scores was statistically significant(p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Social media-supported education positively affected the academic achievements of nursing students and the level of social media use in nursing education.
Hinweise
Publisher’s Note
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Background
These electronic tools are being used to support learning among nursing students, but no review and synthesis of their effectiveness currently exists. Therefore, randomized controlled studies are needed to evaluate the effect of social media-supported learning in nursing education on students' academic achievement. Social media may aid in learning knowledge and skills among nursing students, enhance confidence, and facilitate professional and personal networks. The characteristics of social media, such as its dynamic, interactive, and online environments, can affect the learning process in several ways. The review findings provide clear recommendations for structuring and implementing social media-based educational interventions in higher and continuing education, ensuring targeted improvements in student engagement, learning outcomes, and overall educational effectiveness. The review findings may guide the design and delivery of social media-based educational interventions in higher and continuing education.
Introduction
In today's living conditions, technology is present in every aspect of our lives, constantly changing and improving [1]. As in many other fields, progress has been made in the field of communication, and this has provided the opportunity to access information quickly with the help of technological developments. After the use of mobile phones became widespread, access to information or information sharing can soon be done with smartphones, which are an integral part of daily life [2, 3]. By facilitating digitalization, smartphones have used social media, one of our age's most advanced communication and interaction ways, widespread [4]. The social media tools are social networking websites (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube) in our country and worldwide. The use of social networking websites in education has also increased in our present-day [5].
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Previous studies have reported that social media provides a unique space to renew educational methods and implement new educational strategies [5‐7]. Social media tools have many characteristics that can be used to develop educational processes [6, 7]. With these characteristics, social media has the role of improving the communication skills of students and instructors, expanding participation, strengthening peer support, and realizing collaborative learning [7]. It also offers opportunities such as supporting the instructor in the teaching and evaluation process [8, 9]. There has been a recent and increasing interest in using social media, which has been adopted as an educational tool in higher education by researchers, instructors, and practitioners [10].
Advanced technology and digital education concepts are becoming increasingly widespread in nursing education, requiring theoretical and psychomotor knowledge [10]. Digital education types such as computer-based, open online courses, virtual reality, augmented reality, virtual patients, games, and gamification that support education for nursing students are among the currently adopted areas [11].
Social media, the internet technology preferred widely in nursing education, improves the relationship between nurse academicians and nursing students, facilitating cooperation. It was reported in previous studies that the critical thinking, analysis-synthesis, and idea-generation skills of nursing students who use social media in their education processes increase [11‐14]. In European Union countries, nursing education programs should contain interesting, up-to-date information and include mobile smart devices and social networks as part of their teaching methods. Such changes will help attract nursing students' attention in academic and practice areas [12‐15].
Instagram is a widely used social media platform with 1 billion users worldwide [16]. In most cases, Instagram is accessed via its corresponding smartphone app, which is used to view and share pictures or videos. Users can view photos and videos in two ways, either via their timeline or the so-called story function. The story function is found in the top section of the Instagram home screen. Content creators can share short video clips or pictures in the story function, which are then presented to the creator’s followers. Instagram stories are available for 24 h. Besides the sole presentation of images or videos in the story, creators can integrate different interactive functionalities, such as quizzes. A recent study evaluated the use of social media platforms. It showed that 59% of Instagram users visited Instagram at least daily, and more than one-third of the users visited the app several times a day [17]. Therefore, it seems like a reasonable approach for integrating nursing education into everyday life [18].
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Using social media at the right time in line with its purpose will make a significant contribution to education, including in both theoretical courses and practices in clinical fields, in a way that will enable nursing students to be active. It is considered that attracting and differentiating learners' attention with classroom environments enriched with technology will make positive progress in learning [19]. It is also essential that the information provided to students is organized in a specific plan, especially on social platforms where they spend most of their time [20]. The increasing number of social network users and the duration of their use shows the necessity of using these platforms not only as entertainment and communication tools but also for educational purposes [21]. However, the prolonged or inappropriate use of social media beyond educational purposes can lead to certain risks, including social comparison pressures, increased social isolation, and a rise in anxiety or depressive symptoms among students. Therefore, while leveraging social media's benefits for learning, it is crucial to be aware of these potential risks and manage social media use responsibly [20]. For this reason, the purpose of the present study was to draw attention to the use of social media to facilitate learning in undergraduate nursing students' education and determine the effect of social media-supported learning on the academic achievement and social media usage levels of students in nursing education.
The hypotheses of the research
H1: Social media-supported learning increases the academic achievement of nursing students.
H2: Social media-supported learning raises nursing students' social media usage levels.
Method
Type of the study
The study had a randomized, controlled interventional design. The Clinical Trials registration number is NCT05387629 Primary Completion 2022–06-20. Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines for reporting parallel group randomized trials checklist was used to guide the reporting of this RCT.
Study population-sampling
The study's population consisted of first-year students. The sample consisted of students who met the study criteria, were accepted to participate, and used Instagram as their social media. Before the study commenced, a priori power analysis was performed to determine the study's sampling size. It was found in this power analysis that the sampling size should be 60, with a significance level of 0.05, a Confidence Interval of 95%, a power of 95%, and a margin of error of 5%, with 30 students in the intervention group and 30 in the control group [22, 23]. A total of 70 students were included in the study, considering there might be data losses. The study was completed with a total of 65 students, 32 in the intervention group and 33 in the control group, because 2 students wanted to quit the study, 2 students did not participate in the collection of post-test data, one 1student could not follow social media—Consort 2010 Flow Diagram (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1
Consort 2010 flow diagram
×
Inclusion criteria of the study
Students using Instagram
Those who had smartphones
Those who did not have internet problems
Those who were not absent from classes throughout the study period
Blinding and concealment of participant assignment
In this study, participant assignments to the intervention and control groups were made through randomization. The names of the nursing students were written on individual pieces of paper and drawn randomly to determine group assignments. The researchers responsible for data collection and analysis were blinded to the group assignments to prevent bias in data interpretation. Additionally, the intervention group had exclusive access to an Instagram page created specifically for the study, while the control group was restricted from accessing this page. This process ensured the separation of the groups and maintained the blinding throughout the study.
Data collection tools
The study data were collected using the “Personal Information Form,” “Achievement Test 1,” “Achievement Test 2,” and “Social Media Scale in Nursing Education (SMSNE).”
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Personal Information Form: The questionnaire asked about age, gender, marital status, family structure, and place of residence.
“Achievement Test 1” and “Achievement Test 2”
The researchers prepared multiple-choice questions by scanning the literature data. The questions in “Achievement Test 1” and “Achievement Test 2” related to the subject of “Parenteral drug applications” were created differently from each other. A total of 25 of the 50 multiple-choice questions considered suitable for the study were duplicated as the number of students for “Achievement Test 1” and “Achievement Test 2” and were kept ready before the application.
Seventy study participants were simultaneously taken to the same class, and “Achievement Test 1” was applied. The evaluation of the achievement tests was made out of 100 points. For this purpose, the total achievement scores of the students were calculated as four times the number of correct answers. The results of “Achievement Test 1” and “Achievement Test 2” were evaluated by giving “4” points for each correct answer and “0” for each wrong answer. The highest score students could obtain from the achievement tests was “100” and the lowest was “0”.The achievement tests were presented to experts to receive their opinions. Achievement tests were sent to 10 nurses who are experts in their fields. Achievement Tests 1 and 2 were created by taking the opinions of 5 experts in the field of Nursing Principles. This form's Content Validity Index (CVI) value was found to be 0.95.
Social Media Scale in Nursing Education (SMSNE)
The SMSNE, which was developed by Rodriguez et al. (2021) [24] and whose validity and reliability study was conducted by Erden et al. (2024) [25], consists of 13 items that determine the use of social media in nursing education. The scale consists of 3 sub-dimensions, the first of which is social media use in nursing education, the second is attitude, and the third is contrast information. The lowest score that can be obtained from the scale is 13, and the highest score is 65. High scores on the scale indicate that social media use in nursing education is high. Although Rodriguez et al. (2021) reported the Cronbach’s Alpha value as 0.84, it was found to be 0.87 in the present study [24].
Social media site
Only some social media sites are suitable for education. The Instagram site was used in the present study. Instagram is a social interaction and communication tool rather than an educational tool. If this point is not taken care of, it can become a tool where students will make friends, chat, and spend most of their time instead of education. It would be more beneficial for students to use social media tools that are safe, more suitable for education, and even designed only for education. For this reason, a new social media account was created for educational purposes that students could use. All social media-supported learning was performed from here throughout the study period.
Data collection
The data were collected in the Nursing Fundamentals course in the fall semester of the 2021–2022 academic year. All students were informed about the study, and their consent was obtained in the first step.
The Fundamentals of Nursing course is one of the compulsory vocational courses for first-year students in the first year, in which basic nursing skill methods are taught. The course consists of 4 h of theory and 8 h of practice. Parenteral drug applications were explained interactively to all students by the same instructors for a total of 12 h for three weeks in the second step. Then, the 12-h theoretical course on the skills to be taught to the intervention and control group students was explained again. After the theoretical course, the instructor demonstrated each skill in the laboratory environment in a 24-h laboratory course with the demonstration method in line with the checklists. In the third step, following the completion of the education, the students who gave their informed consent and agreed to participate in the study filled in the “Personal Information Form” under observation in the classroom setting. Then, the “Achievement Test 1” and “Social Media Scale in Nursing Education” were applied to all students as a pre-test.
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The creation of groups
The names of the nursing students who constituted the study sampling were written on separate papers and put in a box. From the randomly drawn papers, the first drawn was included in the “intervention group” and the second in the “control group.”The process continued until the papers in the box were finished.
Videos and informative photos on continuous parenteral drug administration for four weeks were shared with the intervention group from an Instagram page created for this study in the fourth step. Question–answer was performed in the story section on Instagram, and it was provided to write the scores in the comments. The answer to the question was shared with explanations in this section the next day. Practical information was given to the students with the effective use of social media tools, which were tried to be used more efficiently. Necessary measures were taken for students to use social media for one hour. The students entered the page when they determined outside the class, followed the posts sent by the trainer, and took notes according to the trainer’s directives. The notes taken were checked and evaluated in the messaging section. Students answered questions by asking other students and the trainer about the topics they did not understand. Students commented on their learning under the shared resources, and a discussion section was created. The trainer constantly checked the students' shares and comments and provided feedback. It was shared with the students in the Intervention Group that the “post tracking” feature should be turned on. In this way, the students can see every shared post. Also, students in the Intervention Group were warned that all posts should be recorded. Researchers created this page. After the students in the Intervention Group were accepted to the page, the privacy setting was turned off, and no students in the Control Group were allowed on the page.
In the fifth step, the “Achievement Test 2” and “Social Media Scale in Nursing Education” were applied to the intervention and control groups as a post-test.
Monitoring adherence to the education program
In this study, the adherence of participants in the intervention group to the social media-supported education program was regularly monitored. Participation levels were tracked through the educational materials shared on the Instagram page (videos, questions, and informative posts). Students' activities, such as viewing, liking, and commenting on the posts, were monitored, and their participation in the daily question–answer sessions was recorded. Additionally, students were asked to take notes based on the shared content, and these notes were reviewed through the messaging section. Reminders were provided throughout the educational process to ensure consistent participation, and any deviations from the expected level of engagement were noted. These measures were implemented to ensure program adherence and encourage active participation in the educational process.
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Bias reduction measures
Blinding was applied during the data collection and analysis phases. Pre-test and post-test data were collected by researchers who were unaware of whether participants were in the intervention or control group. Participant blinding could not be achieved as social media use was implemented specifically in the experimental group. However, during the data analysis phase, statistical analyses were conducted by a statistician who did not know which intervention condition each group was in. This double-blinding method was employed to enhance the objectivity and scientific validity of the study, thereby minimizing the risk of bias.
Statistical analysis
The SPPS 23.0 package program was used to analyze the data obtained in the study. The data collected in this study were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software. The normality of the continuous variables was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, which is suitable for small sample sizes. An Independent Samples t-test was used to compare the intervention and control groups for normally distributed continuous variables. For categorical variables, the Chi-Square Test was applied. When comparing pre-test and post-test scores within the same group, if the data followed a normal distribution, the Paired t-test was used. Nonparametric tests were used for data that did not meet the normality assumption, such as the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test for within-group comparisons of pre-and post-test results.
Additionally, skewness and kurtosis values were checked to confirm normality further. The data were generally distributed if these values were between -1 and + 1. If the values exceeded this range, nonparametric tests were applied to ensure appropriate handling of non-normally distributed data. Cohen's d statistical method was used to calculate the effect size.
Results
The mean age of the students in the intervention group was 18.69 ± 1.33in this study, which was conducted to evaluate the effect of social media-supported learning on the academic achievement of nursing students and the level of social media use in nursing education. It was found that 62.5% of the students were female, 56.3% lived in the city, 81.2%had an elementary family, and 90.6% had a medium income.
The mean age of the nursing students in the control group was 19.36 ± 0.92. It was found that 87.9% of the students were female, 66.7%lived in the city, 84.2%had an elementary family, and 87.9% had a medium income.
The nursing students in the intervention and control group were found to be similar in terms of age (t = -0.659, p = 0.420), gender (U = 378.00, p = 0.007), place of residence (KW = 0.375, p = 0.540), family type (U = 0.504, p = 705), and income level(KW = 0.134, p = 0.714) (p > 0.05) (Table 1).
Table 1
Descriptive Characteristics of Groups (N = 65)
Characteristics
Education (n = 32) Mean ± SD
Control (n = 33) Mean ± SD
Test Value
p
Age
18.69 ± 1.33
19.36 ± 0.92
-0.659
0.420
S
%
S
%
U
P
Gender
Famale
20
62.5
29
87.9
378.00
0.007
Male
12
37.5
3
9.1
Living place
KW
P
City
18
56.3
22
66.7
0.375
0.540
Town
9
28.1
5
15.2
Village
5
15.6
6
18.1
Family type
U
P
Core
26
81.2
28
84.2
0.504
0.705
Wide
6
18.8
5
15.8
Income
KW
P
Good
2
6.3
3
9.1
0.134
0.714
Middle
29
90.6
29
87.9
Bad
1
3.1
1
3.0
S Sample size, SD Standard Deviation, t t-value, p p-value, U Mann–Whitney U value, KW Kruskal–Wallis test value
According to the comparison of the SMSNE pretest–posttest mean scores of the nursing students in the intervention and control groups given in Table 2, the mean pre-test SMSNE score of the nursing students in the intervention group was found to be 49.71 ± 12.96, and the mean post-test score was 54.56 ± 7.80. The mean pre-test SMSNE score of the nursing students in the control group was 45.48 ± 8.57, and the mean post-test score was found to be49.21 ± 8.52.
Table 2
Comparison of SMSNE Pre-Test-Post-Test Mean Scores of Education and Control Group Nursing Students Within and Between Groups (n = 65)
Education (n = 32) Mean ± SD
Control (n = 33) Mean ± SD
Test and p
Pre- Test
49.71 ± 12.96
45.48 ± 8.57
t = 1.24
p = 0.124
d = 0.385
Post-Test
54.56 ± 7.80
49.21 ± 8.52
t = 0.362
p = 0.010
d = 0.655
Test and p
t = -2.295
p = 0.022
d = 0.429
t = -2.766
p = 0.006
d = 0.436
SMSNE Social Media Scale in Nursing Education, SD Standard Deviation, t t-value, p p-value, d Cohen’s d value
After the training, it was found that the mean posttest scale score of the nursing students in the intervention group increased when compared to the pretest scale mean score, and the difference between the two scores was statistically significant (p < 0.001). It was also found that the post-test mean score of the nursing students in the control group increased when compared to the pre-test mean score, and the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).
The mean pretest scale score of the nursing students in the intervention group was close to the pretest scale mean score of the nursing students in the control group, and this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The difference between the training and control group nursing students' post-test mean scores was statistically significant (p < 0.001).
In Table 3, the mean score of the first exam before the education, which was conducted to evaluate the effect of social media training given to nursing students on their cognitive development, was 73.75 ± 9.75in the intervention group and 80.63 ± 11.27after the training. The mean scores of the nursing students in the control group were 71.36 ± 8.68 in the pre-test and 60.61 ± 14.67 in the post-test.
Table 3
Pre- and Post-Training Exam Scores of the Students in the Education and Control Group (N = 65)
Education (n = 32) Mean ± SD
Control (n = 33) Mean ± SD
Test and p
Achievement
Test 1
73.75 ± 9.75
71.36 ± 8.68
t = 1.24
p = 0.302
d = 0.259
Achievement Test 2
80.63 ± 11.27
60.61 ± 14.67
t = 3.846
p = 0.001
d = 1.530
Test and p
t = -7.017
p = 0.001
d = 0.649
t = -7.015
p = 0.001
d = 0.841
SD Standard Deviation, t t-value, p: p-value, d Cohen’s d value
It was also found that the mean score of the test after the training increased compared to the mean score before the training, and the difference between the two scores was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The mean post-test score of the nursing students in the control group decreased compared to the mean pre-test score, and the difference was statistically significant (p > 0.001).
Discussion
The present study found that social media-supported nursing education significantly increased the level of social media use of nursing students. When SMSNE questions were examined, it was found that students were used to contributing to academics. This is an expected and welcome situation. Because students generally think that they continue to use social media to contribute to their academic education. In terms of research, further studies exploring the effects of social media-supported learning across different healthcare education fields would be beneficial, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of its impact on student success. According to Cronquist and Spector, social media is a medium where feelings can be expressed and reflected, and support can be obtained among colleagues and friendship groups [26]. Bary and Hardiker, on the other hand, underlined that social media provides essential opportunities for nurses to follow the developments in the field of healthcare in their online dialogues with their colleagues, educators, and students from different parts of the world. In the field of education, structured and controlled use of social media can enrich learning experiences and increase student engagement. For instance, the “Connecting Nursing” action of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) aimed to create a digital forum where nurses from different parts of the world can share ideas, advice, and innovations [27]. Fraser defined social media as the “new friends” of nurses in healthcare as a space where patients and health professionals come together [27]. In social networks, sharing occurs generally for different purposes among nurses, such as access to information, education, and health promotion.
In this context, nurses shared all kinds of information about their profession, case discussions, information on practice environments, and employment in social networks [28]. In the study conducted with nursing students by Tuominen et al., it was reported that one-third (35%) of the students use social networks for educational purposes [29]. This finding highlights the importance of extending social media-supported education to broader educational levels. Educators could incorporate social media platforms thoughtfully to diversify students' learning experiences. Öztürk and Akgün reported that social networks provide online support for the academic activities of university students [30]. In another study conducted by Maloney et al., it was determined that 85%of physiotherapy students stated that social networks increased their learning experiences, and 73% said that social networks were suitable for educational purposes [31]. In the study by Tuominen et al. conducted with nursing students, it was reported that students stated that social networks positively affected their learning experiences (82%) [29]. Findings from this study demonstrate that social media-supported learning positively impacts students' cognitive development, suggesting that educators could use social media as an environment where students can learn in a more effective and lasting way. Hamid et al. stated that social networks benefit students by providing easier interaction with educators outside of class hours [32]. The study conducted by Tower et al. reported that most nursing students believe that social networks are an innovative method that supports their work. The same study also reported that social networks provided significant benefits in facilitating their learning and preparing for exams by enabling them to cooperate with their peers on social media [33]. In another study conducted by Hamid et al., students stated that social networks allowed them to improve their critical thinking skills by interpreting the work of their peers and contributed to monitoring their learning processes [32]. It is reported in the literature that social networks such as Facebook can effectively better understand the course contents and better prepare for courses with the group formed by peer [34]. It is also pointed out that social networks are an essential advantage in peer education since they facilitate cooperation for educational purposes and support students in receiving feedback among themselves [32]. Considering the positive effects of social networks reported in this and previous studies, it is suggested that integrating social media into higher education curricula, especially in nursing education, may offer valuable benefits for student engagement and learning outcomes. Social media can enhance interaction among students, allowing them to share knowledge, discuss cases, and collaborate on assignments in an interactive environment. Additionally, for educational purposes, structuring social media use with clear guidelines and within a specific plan can help harness its full potential in improving student success.
It was also found in the current study that the “Achievement Tests” that were conducted to evaluate the effect of social media training given to nursing students on their cognitive development increased in the training group and decreased in the control group (Table 3). Social media-supported learning contributed positively to the success of students, and one of the crucial points was that although the students in the intervention group continued to learn after one month and could easily remember what they knew, it was observed that the students in the control group forgot what they learned as time passed. There are similarities in the literature in this respect. The study by Kuçukkaya et al.(2022)conducted with nursing students found that academic achievement was higher when students used social media at the right time for the proper purpose [35]. The study of Koç & Ayık with secondary school students concluded that the academic achievement of the students trained with Facebook was higher. Al-Shdayfat’s study reported that more than one-third of the students (36.2%) used social media for educational purposes and had a positive attitude towards these media in increasing their knowledge during their education [36]. In the study of Gunduz & Akınoglu, a very high increase was detected in the mean achievement score of the social media-supported learning group [37]. This result supports the results of the literature [38, 39]. The study results show that a learning medium supported by Instagram will yield positive results for the learner. Social networks employed in social media-supported learning applications increase the learning of students. The conveniences provided by social media-supported learning can be listed as being fun and enjoyable, helping to reinforce the topics, and allowing students to interact with each other, ask questions, share ideas, and do their homework. Social media-supported learning may have positively impacted students’ views of the course and Achievement Tests since it increases students' success and encourages them to study better, facilitating learning and making it enjoyable and entertaining. In addition to integrating social media into academic programs, maintaining a balance with traditional face-to-face education may provide optimal outcomes. Furthermore, using widely-used platforms such as Instagram in a planned and structured manner for educational activities can engage students effectively, leveraging their existing familiarity with these tools for academic success.
The challenges and limitations of the study
The limitation of the study was that it was conducted only with first-year nursing students studying at the nursing faculty of a university. Since the participants were first-year nursing students, this study did not measure their academic success levels. However, the potential impact of academic performance on the study's results must be considered. The exclusion of this factor can be viewed as a limitation of the study. Future research should incorporate academic success levels to allow for a more comprehensive interpretation of the findings and to enhance the generalizability of the results.
Conclusion and recommendations
The high score increases in the achievement tests in social media-supported learning show that education is permanent. It was determined that social media supports students' acquisition of new knowledge and skills.
Young people must be encouraged and guided to use technological tools consciously through various training courses. Using social media should increase students' interest and motivation. Internet and social media literacy training should be provided both to students and instructors.
The social media medium that is planned to be used for social media-supported learning must be suitable for education. It may be more beneficial to prefer social media sites that are now increasing and can only be used in education rather than social media mediums used for chatting, making friends, and spending time.
In future studies, it will be essential to contribute to the literature by investigating how students learn different courses through social networking, with results based on long-term observations and measurements. These studies, which will be planned using the interventional method, will examine quantitative and qualitative data using a mixed technique, and one-to-one student interviews will be conducted.
Relevance to clinical practice
Previous studies reported that social media provides a unique space to renew educational methods and implement new educational strategies. Social media improves the communication skills of students and instructors, expands participation, strengthens peer support, and realizes collaborative learning. The use of social media in nursing education increases the permanence of schooling.
Acknowledgements
Study conception and design: Y.E., H.A.K., B.Ç. Data collection: B.Ç. Data analysis: B.Ç. Study supervision: H.A.K. Manuscript writing: Y.E., H.A.K., B.Ç. Critical revisions for important intellectual content: Y.E.
Declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This study received ethical approval from the Erzurum Technical University Scientific Research and Publication Board on 20.09.2021, with decision number 02. All procedures performed in this study were by the moral standards of the institutional research committee and with the Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all participants before their inclusion in the study. Participants were informed about the purpose of the research, the procedures involved, and their rights, including the option to withdraw from the study at any point without any consequences. Measures were taken to ensure confidentiality and anonymity, and the data collected was used solely for research purposes. Furthermore, participants were given the researchers' contact information if they had any concerns or questions about their participation.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
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