LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR LITERACY: A LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN SECONDARY EDUCATION
Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Human, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda
Dzivhonele Albert Sinthumule
Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Human, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda
Makhacani Miyelani Silence Makhubele
Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Human, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda
Abstract
This paper examines how school management can strategically leverage social media to enhance reading and writing among secondary school learners. Grounded in Connectivism, the study employed a qualitative literature review and thematic analysis of peer-reviewed research, policy documents, and educational reports. Through this process, dominant themes were distilled to reveal the systemic and pedagogical factors shaping digital literacy practices. Three key aspects emerged. First, management practices that align social-media use with curriculum goals, ensure safe and responsible participation, and provide structured support are essential for meaningful literacy integration. Second, structural and governance constraints, including inconsistent connectivity, limited device access, restrictive policies, and equity concerns, shape whether social media becomes an enabling literacy resource. Third, instructional leadership strategies such as sustained professional development, teacher collaboration, and modelling of effective digital-literacy practices strengthen teachers’ confidence in designing multimodal, networked literacy tasks. Recommendations emphasize the need for clear school-wide digital literacy visions, supportive policies and infrastructure, and continuous capacity building to foster effective and innovative use of social media for literacy. The study concludes that coherent leadership and enabling conditions are critical for cultivating inclusive, digitally connected learning environments, particularly in rural and under-resourced contexts. Ethical procedures guided the use of secondary data.
Keywords
Social media integration; literacy; instructional leadership; governance and policy; teacher professional development; Connectivism
