There is an increasing body of work which explores the use of various social media platforms in different educational contexts. Social media and online learning communities have been positioned as contemporary forms of professional development that can address the clear challenges associated with teacher learning (Goodyear, Parker, & Casey, 2019). Several studies identified that teachers, particularly pre-service teachers, are increasingly using social media for professional learning, voicing teaching problems and/or sharing teaching experience with experts and colleagues (Carpenter, 2015; Goodyear, Casey, & Kirk, 2014).

From a higher education perspective, Wang et al. (2012) found that a Facebook Group could be used as a Learning Management System (LMS) for Singapore students with the purpose of posting announcements, sharing resources, organizing weekly tutorials and conducting online discussions. Findings showed that students were satisfied with using Facebook in this way as it mirrored the fundamental functions of a LMS at this teacher education institute (Wang et al., 2012). However, many studies have criticised formal educations use of LMS as they limit students’ control over their learning (Chen & Bryer, 2012; Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2012). Indeed, teachers and pre-service teachers may prefer informal learning activities, which do not follow a specified curriculum and are not restricted to certain environments (Desimone, 2009). Consequently, social media seems to provide teachers with more informal professional learning opportunities as they attempt to engage in professional development outside of formal contexts (Carpenter, 2015). Whilst some literature has reported that social media has the potential to integrate learners’ formal and informal learning, this work is under-theorized (Greenhow & Lewin, 2016). Indeed, little scholarly attention has been given to the study of the role of social media in supporting different types of learning from the learner’s perspective.

Research to date, concerningly, takes a predominantly Western perspective and focuses on students’ learning through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. In contrast, little is known about students learning through the unique social media environments in other countries such as China. Indeed, while Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest dominate the landscape of social media in many countries, they are infrequently used in China. Instead, social networking sites such as WeChat and Weibo are popular. Furthermore, given that cultural differences have been shown to strongly impact people’s online behaviour (Ji et al., 2010), coupled with the knowledge that the relationship between teachers and students in China is hierarchical (Zhao & McDougall, 2008), there is a need to better understand how students learn through the unique social media environment in China. This is even more important when noting:

(a) the dearth of research exploring how the Chinese educational culture might influence its students’ attitudes towards integrating social media into institutional settings, and

(b) that Chinese students are often inactive and unwilling to express their ideas in online discussions because they are not prepared to contradict their peers or instructors in a public platform, and they are afraid of losing face (Zhao and McDougall, 2008).

Despite this lack of knowledge, it is important to support the ambitions of the Chinese online community by furthering our understanding of social media in supporting physical education (PE) student-teachers' professional learning. There have, however, been very few research studies investigating how Chinese PE student-teachers' use social media as a professional learning platform and how they value online learning communities in their professional learning. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore Chinese PE student-teachers’ attitudes to using the WeChat group for professional learning under the lens of formal and informal learning theory. 

This study investigated the online learning of PE student-teachers at a sports university in the southwest of China. Since the university does not use a LMS (such as Blackboard or Moodle), and email is hardly used in the communication between students and teachers in China, the teacher educator created a WeChat group with her students with the purpose of connecting and undertaking online professional learning. There were 26 PE student-teachers and one teacher educator in this study. The 26 PE student-teachers (all males) were third-year undergraduates on a three-year sports training programme. On the sports training programme, students chose one of three course directions as their career plans: Elite Sports Coaching, Sports Club Coaching and physical education teaching. Importantly, students in sports training programmes had the same opportunity as the students in physical education programmes to obtain a teaching certificate. Therefore, whilst the participants studied the sports training programme in Chinese universities many considered themselves to be PE student-teachers. The teacher educator taught them the module of theory and practice of athletics in four years (total 8 semesters). The aim of the study was to explore PE student-teachers’ experiences and perceptions of online learning in a WeChat group. Qualitative methods were used as it was felt that these could generate a rich and detailed understanding of each participant's views (Gratton & Jones, 2010). A variety of data collection techniques were used, including online observation, and focus group and individual interviews. Firstly, the researcher joined in the WeChat group on 29th June 2020 and spent a year and half as a non-participant observer. During this time, she observed the student-teachers’ online learning activities and interactions. These observations allowed the researcher to study the student-teachers in their native environment and seek to understand “things” from their perspective (Baker, 2006). Twenty-three student-teachers engaged in one of five online focus groups. Each online focus group contained 4 – 5 participants and was conducted through the Tencent online meeting app. These interviews lasted between 60 and 70 minutes. Following this, 17 semi-structured individual interviews were conducted, and these lasted between 45–60 minutes. The data were analysed thematically. Braun and Clarke (2006) six phases of thematic analysis were utilised to identify and explore patterns.

Within the context of Chinese educational culture and university conditions, the WeChat group served as a LMS where the educator delivered module materials to support formal learning. All participants valued the resources shared in the group, which not only improved their sports skills but also strengthened their understanding of different events. Therefore, this study suggests that WeChat groups can be used as LMSs substitutes, particularly for some Chinese institutes that could not afford commercial LMSs in sports training programmes. Furthermore, the WeChat group enabled ‘just-in-time’ interactions between the teacher and the students. The students highlighted those online informal interactions reduced the teacher’s hierarchal position and allowed them a degree of personal control in the learning progress and enabled them to determine their own learning strategies. Therefore, the WeChat group offered significant advantages over conventional LMSs in terms of promoting the students’ informal professional learning process. However, certain limitations of the WeChat group were evident. The resources in the closed group were limited and could not meet the professional learning needs of different individuals. Given that most students wanted to be a PE teacher after graduation, many complained that the pedagogical resources provided were of limited use and that too many resources were not suitable for use in primary and secondary school classes. Therefore, the participants had to do informal learning on other open social media platforms. Despite the limitations of the WeChat group, this study revealed that the participants had positive attitudes towards the WeChat group as it supported their formal professional learning. Because online learning communities have not been prioritized in the university policies, this study suggested that Chinese institutes could encourage teacher educators to make better use of social media groups as they help students to better understand their studies and widen their non-formal and informal learning environment.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Qualitative Research in Psychology Using thematic analysis in psychology Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uqrp20%5Cnhttp://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uqrp20 Carpenter, J. (2015). Preservice Teachers ’ Microblogging : Professional Development via Twitter. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 15(2), 1–21. Retrieved from http://www.citejournal.org/vol15/iss2/general/article1.cfm Chan, S. (1999). The Chinese learner – a question of style. Education + Training, 41(6), 294–305. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400919910285345 Chen, B., & Bryer, T. (2012). Investigating instructional strategies for using social media in formal and informal learning | The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 13(1), 87–104. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1027/2073?utm_campaign=elearni Dabbagh, N., & Kitsantas, A. (2012). Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning. Internet and Higher Education, 15(1), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.06.002 Goodyear, V. A., Casey, A., & Kirk, D. (2014). Tweet me, message me, like me: using social media to facilitate pedagogical change within an emerging community of practice. Sport, Education and Society, 19(7), 927–943. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2013.858624 Goodyear, V. A., Parker, M., & Casey, A. (2019). Social media and teacher professional learning communities. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 24(5), 421–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2019.1617263 Gratton, Chris & Jones, I. (2010). Research Methods for Sports Studies. In Research Methods for Sports Studies. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315796222 Greenhow, C., & Lewin, C. (2016). Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning. Learning, Media and Technology, 41(1), 6–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2015.1064954 Ji, Y. G., Hwangbo, H., Yi, J. S., Rau, P. L. P., Fang, X., & Ling, C. (2010). The influence of cultural differences on the use of social network services and the formation of social capital. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 26(11–12), 1100–1121. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2010.516727 Patahuddin, S. M., & Logan, T. (2019). Facebook as a mechanism for informal teacher professional learning in Indonesia. Teacher Development, 23(1), 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2018.1524787 Wang, Q., Woo, H. L., Quek, C. L., Yang, Y., & Liu, M. (2012). Using the Facebook group as a learning management system: An exploratory study. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(3), 428–438. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01195.x Zhao, N., & McDougall, D. (2008). Cultural Influences on Chinese Students’ Asynchronous Online Learning in a Canadian University. Journal of Distance Education, 22(2), 59–79.