Felicia Folmers
The potential of using the social media platform Instagram in English Language Teaching to promote Education for Sustainable Development
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Maria Eisenmann, Prof. Dr. Theresa Summer, Prof. Dr. Christian Ludwig
In recent years, climate change and the digital revolution have often been named as the two main challenges humans are facing all around the world. Consequently, education for sustainable development (Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung) and the development of digital media competencies now constitute two major educational goals in curricula such as the Bavarian LehrplanPlus. However, whilst social media has long played a central role in the daily lives of students (BITKOM 2024; JiM 2023) and although recent surveys have highlighted the importance of platforms such as Instagram as a source of sustainability knowledge across all generations (EY/JA Generational Sustainability Survey 2023), their potential has so far been widely neglected in the context of institutionalised education.
This doctoral dissertation aims to analyse and exemplify how Instagram as one of the leading social media networks worldwide can be used in the EFL classroom to foster foreign language competencies and digital literacy as well as to promote a deeper understanding of sustainability issues and encourage students to take climate action. Using the example of water as an essential, yet often scarce and endangered resource, English-language Instagram posts related to the topic of water and its sustainable usage will be analysed to determine the criteria content on social media should meet to be both appropriate and meaningful for classroom use.
Based on the findings, practical examples of how these materials can be incorporated in instructional units will be developed to show the various potentials of Instagram in the context of foreign language teaching: Not only can the network serve as a platform on which students can find useful, up-to-date information on topical issues, but it can also be used by pupils as a tool to engage with international partners in global sustainability projects, as well as to create and publish their own content in the foreign language. When integrated in such a meaningful way, Instagram can enrich language learning and enable students to contribute to sustainable development, thus empowering them to become responsible and informed global citizens.
