Implementation in the classroom

The respondents were presented seven statements and were asked to mark to which extent they agreed or disagreed with each one of them on a scale from 1 to 5 (1=strongly agree, 2=agree, 3=neither agree nor disagree, 4=disagree, 5=strongly disagree). The statements concerned the meme’s implementation in the classroom. Each statement started with “If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to…” and could be completed in the following seven different ways:

1) I wouldn’t use it

2) Introduce a topic/an argument or start a discussion 3) Teach and talk about different types of sarcasm 4) Give an insight into everyday life (situations) 5) Teach vocabulary and phrases

6) Teach about society and culture 7) Teach grammar

The sum of responses representing a certain level of dissent is greater than the sum of those responses suggesting consent in most memes. The Leonardo di Caprio, the Pineapplepizza Meme and the Lava Meme are the only three memes that present better statistics and higher numbers in regards to a general agreement with the statements 2-7 than to a general disagreement. The other nine memes illustrate an overall tendency towards disagreement with these statements. However, this does not automatically imply a higher rate of disagreement with each statement individually. The Swedish Kid Meme shows the greatest gap between an overall agreement and an overall disagreement with these statements. While as few as 88 responses refer to any great or slight form of consent, the answers that indicate any form of disagreement are 208 votes. In comparison, the statistics of the Leonardo di Caprio, for example, are 168 responses that imply that the participants either strongly agree or agree with the statements 2-7. In contrast to that, the total number of answers that imply the opposite is 130.

I will now present and analyze the data of each statement individually. The analysis includes the statistics of all memes and presents an overview of the overall findings with regard to the respective statements.

Statement 1: If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to… I wouldn’t use it.

Overall, more respondents appear to agree or strongly agree with this statement, claiming that they would not use the respective memes in their classroom if they were teachers. Besides the Lava Meme, which shows a high number of responses for the response option “disagree” and has a mean value of 3,393 (x̅=3,393443, ϭ=1,255371), which diverges from the general arithmetic mean for this statement, the other memes find their responses quite equally equilibrated and distributed. This yields an arithmetic mean of 2,89 (x̅=2,893588, ϭ=1,330444) and a median value of 3 for this statement in general, which includes the responses of all memes for each response option. Therefore, results show that the participants were rather neutral about implementing the illustrated memes in the classroom and using them for teaching with a slight tendency towards not using them.

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Statement 2: If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to introduce a topic/an argument or start a discussion.

This statement encountered quite a lot of positive feedback. While the Leonardo di Caprio Meme counts most responses for the response option “agree”, resulting in a mean value of 2,88 (x̅=2,8852, ϭ=1,28284), the two memes that met with the least approval with this statement were the Bananas Meme and the Swedish Kid Meme. Their mean values are 3,55 (x̅=3,5573, ϭ=1,4682) and 3,54 (x̅=3,540984, ϭ=1,4682). All the other memes show quite similar and equally distributed and equilibrated response numbers, as can be seen in the graph (cf. Figure 4.23). Hence, the arithmetic mean for this statement in general is 3,019 (x̅=3,019126, ϭ=1,40145), which implies a neutral attitude amongst the survey participants in regards to using the memes from the questionnaire for introducing a topic or starting a discussion. The median value, which is 3, highlights the fact that the respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement in average. Nevertheless, the mode value being 2 implies that the memes’ function as introductory medium for certain topics appears to be quite plausible for the survey

Introduce a topic or start a discussion

Leomeme Aananspizzameme Maskmeme Lavameme Bananasmeme Catmeme Heavenhellmeme Italycatmeme Coronavirusmeme Aquameme Swedishkidmeme Trumpmeme

Figure 4.23: Introduce a topic/start a discussion

Statement 3: If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to teach and talk about different types of sarcasm

According to the data, the vast majority of the memes have not been considered a useful tool for teaching and talking about different types of sarcasm. Aside from the Leonardo di Caprio Meme, which shows a high number of responses for the response option “agree”, the other memes show rather similar numbers in average. Again, the sum of responses of all memes for each response option was calculated, yielding 78 responses in total for response option 1,

“strongly agree”, while the response option “agree” received 196 responses in total. “Neither agree nor disagree” counts 137 responses, while “disagree” has 122 responses and “strongly disagree” has 199. This results in an arithmetic mean of 3,229 (x̅=3,229508, ϭ=1,377682) and a median value of 3. Both values imply that in average, respondents neither agree nor disagree with this statement. The mode value is 5, which means that the response option “disagree”

received the most responses. Therefore, a tendency towards disagreement with this statement becomes clear, which means that the respective memes do not appear useful for teaching

Statement 4: If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to give an insight into everyday life (situations).

Data analysis yielding a mean value of 3,211 (x̅=3,211749, ϭ=1,394821) and a median value of 3 outlines the respondents’ neutral attitude towards this statement. Even though the response option 2 (“agree”) has 196 responses in total-adding up the responses of all memes for each response option-, the response option 5 (“strongly disagree”) counts 199 responses and thus slightly exceeds the number of responses of response option 2. Therefore, the mode value is 5, as it counts the highest number of responses, which leads to the conclusion that respondents tend to disagree with this statement, but in average, they have no clear tendency and are not sure, whether they would implement the illustrated memes in the classroom for teaching about every day life situations.

Figure 4.25: Give insight into everyday life

Statement 5: If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to teach vocabulary and phrases.

As can be seen in the graph (cf. Figure 4.26), there is a clear tendency towards disagreement with this statement. While response option 1 (“strongly agree”) has a total number of 56 responses summing the responses of all memes in regards to this statement, response option 5 (“strongly disagree”) counts 221 responses. Hence, the mode value for this statement is 5, which emphasizes that the respondents would not use the memes for teaching vocabulary or phrases.

Moreover, the median value is 4, which further highlights a disagreement with this statement.

The arithmetic mean is 3,427 (x̅=3,427596, ϭ=1,335182). Therefore, in average respondents tend to neither agree nor disagree with this statement but the other statistical values, as well as the graph, show that the tendency towards a disagreement is still rather evident.

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Figure 4.26: Teach vocabulary and phrases

Statement 6: If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to teach about society and culture.

The Heaven and Hell Meme and the Trump Meme show the highest numbers for the response options that indicate an agreement with this statement. Opposed to this, the Swedish Kid Meme has the highest number of responses that indicate a disagreement. The mean value of the Heaven and Hell Meme and the Trump Meme are 2,6 (x̅=2,606557, ϭ=1,4999) and 2,8 (x̅=2,819672, ϭ=1,4074), while the mean value of the Swedish Kid Meme is 3,57 (x̅=3,57377, ϭ=1,445648).

Therefore, the mean values of these memes slightly diverge from the general arithmetic mean.

Summing up the responses of all memes regarding this statement for each response option, data analysis reveals that the arithmetic mean for this statement in general is 3,1 (x̅=3,107923, ϭ=1,4231). This means that the respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement in average. Also the median value is 3, which confirms the neutral attitude amongst the survey participants. The mode value is 2, as response option 2 (“agree”) counts the most responses with a total of 197 responses. This value stresses that even though the mean value shows that respondents have a rather neutral attitude, there is a tendency towards agreement with this statement, meaning that participants may use the illustrated memes to teach about society and culture.

Figure 4.27: Teach about society and culture

Statement 7: If I were a teacher, I would use this meme to teach grammar.

Results show that the opinions and attitudes of the survey participants are very consistent in regards to this statement. The following statistics apply to all of the twelve memes that are featured in the questionnaire: Less than 20 respondents would use the memes to teach grammar, while at least 25 and in most cases even more than 30 participants claimed that they disagreed with this statement. This yields a mean value of 3,6 (x̅=3,632514, ϭ=1,293013). The median value is for and the mode value is 5, as “strongly disagree” received 260 responses in total, summing up the responses of all memes for this response option in regards to this statement.

These values outline a clear tendency towards disagreement with this statement. In other words, none of the featured memes is considered a proper tool for teaching grammar according to the survey participants.

4.12 Possible connection between the students’ language interest and their perceived language improvement

Comparing the data regarding the survey participants’ language interest and their personal language improvement, the following can be concluded: as already stated, there is a rather high language interest amongst the survey’s respondents, as statistics show an average interest of 2,56. Furthermore, students claim to have improved their language skills, either regarding vocabulary or their overall understanding, mainly in the English language, as 52 students claimed to have improved their English vocabulary and 34 self-reported an improvement of their overall understanding in English. Therefore, one could assume that the participants’

language interest could be somehow connected to their language improvement via IG. This appears to be a logical argument, as most people who are interested in a language assumably also show great will and motivation to improve it, either at school or in private through applications, social media, books etc. Passion or interest pushes people to gather information and acquire knowledge in a specific field. Thus, if the language knowledge is rather poor and there is no wish for improvement due to the lack of motivation or interest, it may also result difficult to improve a language via IG on your own.

4.13 Possible connection between the students’ use of Instagram and their language