‫ اﻟﺠﺰاﺋﺮ‬.

‫ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ أﺣﻤﺪ‬2 ‫ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ وﻫﺮان‬

University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed. Algeria
Université d’Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed. Algérie

2 ‫ﻣﺠﻠﺔ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ وﻫﺮان‬

Vol.6 No1 / 2021

2021 ‫ ﺟﻮان‬/ 1 ‫ اﻟﻌﺪد‬6 ‫ اﻟﻤﺠﻠﺪ‬2 ‫ﻣﺠﻠﺔ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ وﻫﺮان‬

Oran 2 University Journal Volume 6 Issue 1 / June 2021

Revue de l’Université d’Oran 2 Volume 6 Numéro 1 / Juin 2021

N°6
2021

e-ISSN: 2716-9448
www.univ-oran2.dz/revueoran2 p-ISSN: 2507-7546
www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/PresentationRevue/705
 ‫ محمد بن أحمد‬2 ‫جـــــــــــــــــامعة وهران‬
University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed
Université d’Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed

N°6
2021

2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬

2021 ‫ جوان‬/ 1 ‫ العدد‬6 ‫املجلد‬

Oran 2 University Journal

Volume 6 Issue 1 / June 2021

Revue de l’Université d’Oran 2

Volume 6 Numéro 1 / Juin 2021

e-ISSN : 2716-9448 p-ISSN : 2507-7546

www.univ-oran2.dz/revueoran2
https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/PresentationRevue/705

-1-
 COMITE EDITORIAL

DIRECTEUR DE LA REVUE

Recteur de l’Université d’Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, Algérie

ÉDITEUR EN CHEF

Pr. Habib BEN BAYER

Université d’Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, Algérie

ÉDITEURS ASSOCIES

Hind BELKHIR Ali SMIDA

Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Paris13, France
Mokhtaria MEHDI-MIKAIKIA Abderrahmane ZIAD
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Caen, France
Nacerddine BOUSMAHA Nabil KHELIL
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Caen, France
Farid BELGOUM Alain LAURENT
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Grenoble-Alpes, France
Ahmed BOUAYACOUB Malika SAADI
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Grenoble-Alpes, France
Abdelaziz BENKAMLA Myriam DONSIMONI
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Savoie, France
Nabila BOUAYAD-HAMIDOU Ahmed SILEM
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Lyon, France
Abdelkader Lotfi BENHATTAB Daniel LABARONNE
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Université de Bordeaux, France
Houari BENCHIKH Gérard REGIMBEAU
Ecole Nationale Polytechnique d'Oran, Algérie Université de Montpellier, France
Meriem STAMBOULI Nicolas COLTICE
Ecole Nationale Polytechnique d'Oran, Algérie Université de Lyon 1, France
Abdelkader ABDEILLAH Anissa BENHASSINE
Université d’Oran 1, Algérie Université de Tunis, Tunisie
Mohamed BENBOUZIANE Brahim BOUAYED
Université de Tlemcen, Algérie Université de Marrakech, Maroc
TOUIL Khalida Iskra CHRISTOVA BALKANSAK
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie ERI BAS, Bulgarie

SECRETAIRES
Younes SAAID Mohamed TAHRAOUI
Université d’Oran 2, Algérie Ecole Nationale Polytechnique Oran, Algérie

Hafida HADDAD Rabeh RENNANE

Ecole Nationale Polytechnique Oran, Algérie Ecole Supérieur d’Économie Oran, Algérie

-2-
Editorial :
Editorial du numéro 6 de la revue d’Oran2 Ce numéro est constitué autour de dix (10) d’articles qui
concernent plusieurs domaines de recherche scientifiques. Le premier article porte sur :

Le premier travail du docteur Zineb Ouled Ali de l’Université de Ghardaïa-Algérie « Laboratoire de

l’analyse de discours et les études lexicales et comparées » porte sur l’Héroïsme et fatalité dans Le
Rocher de Tanios d’Amin Maalouf « Enjeux de l’écriture romanesque ». Le Rocher de Tanios d’Amin
Maalouf, et dont les péripéties se déroulent dans un Liban du XIXe siècle, déchiré entre plusieurs
appartenances. Dans le village chrétien de Kfaryabda, une malédiction pèse sur le rocher de Tanios; le
seul rocher qui porte le nom d’un homme ; il est défendu aux enfants de l'approcher depuis qu'un jour un
enfant du pays y a disparu. Tanios est le héros de ce roman, sa naissance est une énigme, et une fatalité
qui touche non seulement la famille de Tanios mais même son village.

Le second travail de Sara LAICHE of the University Batna 2 « Mustefa Benboulaid” (Algeria) et de
Nesrine Ghaouar of the University Annaba “Badji Moukhtar (Algeria)” deals with the subject of the
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook. The educators
highlighted technology's great significance in teaching and learning situations regarding the challenging
requirements of the network-based environment, which has increasingly dominated different sorts of
information exchanges and educational opportunities. This ongoing research aims to identify the
importance of technological facilities to allow language teachers developing new strategies that are
different from the traditional one through building a community of practice (CoP) on a Facebook
platform named "Algerian Association of English Language Teachers". their research is based on an
explanatory research method whereby an online questionnaire was administered to 76 EFL teachers
from different Algerian educational institutions.

Le troisième travail celui Meriem ZAOUI de l’Université de Tlemcen (Algérie) et Souad TALEB de
Université de Tlemcen (Algérie) porte sur “Lorsque le comportement langagier éclipse les politiques
langagières dans une émission de vulgarisation médiatisée. Les langues de la Méditerranée ne cessent de
faire l’objet d’innombrables études récentes notamment dans le domaine de la sociolinguistique
appliquée. «Une langue ne sert pas à communiquer, elle sert à être»: cette réflexion de Jacques Berque
exprime bien le lien profond de la langue à l’identité. La question est de se demander par quel détour
l’individu trouve dans la langue un ancrage pour son identité et sa culture. Comme tout pays maghrébin,
où le français fut implanté depuis les années quatre vingt, L’Algérie, est constituée d’un bouquet de
langues et variétés de langues. Malgré cette situation sociolinguistique complexe, l'Algérie a adopté la
politique d'unilinguisme qui consiste à favoriser une seule langue sur les plans politiques, juridiques,
sociaux, économiques etc.… c’est bien évidement l’arabe classique comme langue officielle associée à
des représentations de valeurs: langue du Coran, langue nationale, symbole de la culture et d’unité
nationale.

Le quatrième travail proposé par Abdelaaziz MIMI, de l’université Ibn Tofail de Kénitra (Maroc) porte
sur « les Personnages et leur parcours narratif dans un corpus de conte merveilleux marocains : analyse
sémio-narrative ». En se basant sur les apports théoriques de la sémiotique narrative et textuelle
appliqué au texte ethnographique, l étude proposé a pour objectif de faire une analyse sémio-narrative
d’une sélection de contes populaires marocains collectés oralement en arabe puis traduit et transcrits en
français. L’auteur suppose que l’application de cette méthode est suffisante pour rendre compte du
fonctionnement narratif et discursif de la catégorie du personnage dans le conte populaire marocain.

Le cinquième article d’ELAICHE Houda de l’université Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah –Fès (Maroc) et
du Laboratoire de recherche en langue, littérature, communication et didactique explique les «
Représentations sur l’apprentissage du français langue étrangère au cycle secondaire qualifiant marocain
». Sa contribution vise à analyser les représentations des apprenants du cycle secondaire qualifiant sur
l’apprentissage du français langue étrangère par le biais du texte littéraire. A travers son étude, elle
cherche, d’abord, à mesurer la motivation de l’apprenant quant à l’apprentissage de la langue française,

-3-
‫‪ensuite à savoir l’importance donnée, par les élèves, au texte littéraire considéré comme support‬‬
‫‪d’apprentissage de la langue française au cycle secondaire qualifiant. Sa recherche à pour but‬‬
‫‪d’identifier les stéréotypes et les préjugés des élèves quant à la culture véhiculée par la langue‬‬
‫‪d’apprentissage et de mesurer l’impact de ses représentations sur leurs comportements et leurs conduites‬‬
‫‪au sein de la société.‬‬

‫‪Le sixième article de Mr Abdelkader DJEFLAT de Maghtech – Clerse CNRS (UMR 8019) University‬‬
‫‪of Lille (France) porte sur “ The Research and Development and Innovation : what role for Design and‬‬
‫‪Engineering in African Economic Development”. this work aims to explain that Amongst the‬‬
‫‪components of innovation dynamics, the issue of design Engineering (D&E) is drawing more and more‬‬
‫‪attention by international organization and a growing corpus of researchers both in the North and in the‬‬
‫‪South. The author explains that the D&E raise various questions related to the concepts, the tools and‬‬
‫‪the instruments it uses, to the links with R&D and innovation capabilities and finally, to the practices of‬‬
‫‪D&E and the interactive learning at the enterprise level.‬‬

‫(جامعة لونيس على البليدة‪ : 02‬الجزائر) تهدف الورقة البحثية‬ ‫المقال السابع لألم الليفي العضلي و التبعات النفسية المصاحبة له ‪ :‬أمينة تازي‬
‫الى تسليط الضوء على مرض الألم الليفي العضلي أو ما يعرف بمرض الفيبروميالجي لما يتميز به من مزيج من الأعراض الفيز يولوجية و النفسية‬
‫المتمثلة في آلام متعددة في مناطق مختلفة من العضو ية‪ ،‬وتبعات نفسية متمثلة في اضطرابات النوم‪ ،‬و اضطراب الحصر و الوهن‪ ،‬واضطرابات‬
‫انفعالية ومعرفية‪ ،‬إضافة إلى صعوبة تشخيصه التي تعتبر من المحكات التشخيصية له فهو يسمى في عديد الأبحاث بالمرض المجهول‪ ،‬وكذلك المعاناة‬
‫التي تؤثر على مجالات حياة المر يض عامة‪.‬‬

‫قدمت عملا ً يتعلق عنوانه " التسو ية الداخلية للمنازعات الطبية‬ ‫المقال الثامن لأشواق زهدور (جامعة وهران ‪ – 2‬محمد بن احمد‪ -‬الجزائر)‬
‫في مجال الضمان الاجتماعي طبقا لقانون ‪ ".08-08‬وفق ًا لهذا العمل حدد المشرع الجزائري بموجب القانون رقم ‪ 08-08‬المتضمن المنازعات‬
‫في مجال الضمان الاجتماعي آليات تسو ية المنازعات الطبية في مجال الضمان الاجتماعي داخليا‪ ،‬فحصرها في طر يقتين إما الخ برة الطبية أو‬
‫الاعتراض أمام لجنة العجز الولائية المؤهلة و ذلك قبل اللجوء إلى القضاء كحل ودّي تجسيدا لفكرة الحماية التي يتميز بها الضمان الاجتماعي‪.‬‬

‫لترشيد النفقات العمومية فعالية الرقابة الداخلية والخارجية على‬ ‫‪ 2‬عنوانه‬ ‫المقال التاسع قدمه طاهر صايم و صادق شنوف جامعة"وهران‬
‫الصفقات العمومية كآلية في ظل المرسوم الرئاسي رقم ‪ 247-15‬المؤرخ في ‪( 2015/09/16‬تقديم حالة عملية)‪.‬‬
‫حسب المؤلفين إن الصفقات العمومية لها ارتباط وثيق مع عدة مجالات‪ ،‬كالاقتصاد‪ ،‬الاستثمار العمومي‪ ،‬البرامج التنمو ية الوطنية والمحلية‪ ،‬المالية‬
‫العامة والمال العام‪ .‬حيث هذه الأخيرة تمثل بالنسبة للدولة اعتمادات مالية معتبرة نتيجة تعدد الهيئات الإدار ية وذلك في إطار الاستعمال الحسن‬
‫لهذه الاعتمادات والهدف الأساسي هو توفير خدمة عمومية والذي يكون محل تناسق العديد من الأعوان‪ .‬من جهة‪ ،‬يوجد المتعاملين الاقتصاديين‬
‫اللذين يعرضون خدماتهم‪ ،‬يسعون دائما لتحقيق الربح‪ .‬ومن جهة أخرى‪ ،‬تسعى المصلحة المتعاقدة بصفتها المشتري العام‪ ،‬إلى تحقيق الأهداف‬
‫المسطرة والمتمثلة في إنجاز المشار يع التن مو ية مع احترام مبدأ الاستعمال الحسن للمال العام ونجاعة الطلبات العمومية التي هي محل إبرام الصفقات‬
‫العمومية‬

‫آخر مقال هو التغيرات الديمغرافية وأثرها على قيم التنمية الوطنية مقدم من طرف عتيق العربي‪ ،‬باحث لما الدكتوراه جامعة الجزائر‪ .2‬عرفت‬
‫الديموغرافيا في الجزائر ‪،‬كوضعية تغيرات هامة بينما كانت في حين الإستعمار أو فيما بعد الإستقلال ؛ونحن يمكننا توضيح بعض أثار ذلك على‬
‫المجتم ع وآليات فعالياته التقليدية في التنمية والجوانب الأخرى و الميادين ؛مع النظر إلى إبراز دور القيم المانعة أو السامحة ‪،‬وهي أصلا فاعلة في‬
‫تحر يك الظواهر الديموغرافية‪ ،‬خلال إنشاء صناعات أوبناء مشار يع تقنولوجية اومؤسسات إجتماعية وثقافي وإقتصادية‪.‬مثل المدارس ‪،‬الجامعات‬
‫‪،‬المستشفيات أو مراكز سياحية‬

‫‪-4-‬‬
 2021 ‫ جوان‬/ 1 ‫ العدد‬6 ‫ المجلد‬/ 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬

Oran 2 University Journal / Volume 6 Issue 1 / June 2021

Revue de l’Université d’Oran 2 / Volume 6 Numéro 1 / Juin 2021

SUMMARY – SOMMAIRE – ‫الفهرس‬

Name Title Page

Zineb OULED ALI Héroïsme et fatalité dans Le Rocher de Tanios d’Amin

06
Univ. Ghardaïa (Algérie) Maalouf « Enjeux de l’écriture romanesque »

Sara LAICHE1
Univ. Batna 2 (Algeria) Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice:
14
Nesrine GHAOUAR 2 The Case of Facebook
Univ. Annaba (Algeria)
Meriem ZAOUI1 Lorsque le comportement langagier éclipse les politiques
Souad TALEB2 langagières dans une émission de vulgarisation 24
Univ. Tlemcen (Algérie) médiatisée
Abdelaaziz MIMI
Personnages et leur parcours narratif dans un corpus de
Univ. Ibn Tofail de 34
conte merveilleux marocains : analyse sémio-narrative
Kénitra (Maroc)

Houda ELAICHE
Représentations sur l’apprentissage du français langue
Univ. Sidi Mohammed Ben 49
étrangère au cycle secondaire qualifiant marocain
Abdellah – Fès (Maroc)

Research and Development and Innovation:

Abdelkader DJEFLAT
What Role for Design and Engineering in African 62
Univ. Lille (France)
Economic Development
‫أمينة اتزي‬
‫األمل الليفي العضلي و التبعات النفسية املصاحبة له‬ 79
)‫ (اجلزائر‬2 ‫جامعة البليدة‬
‫أشواق زهدور‬ ‫التسوية الداخلية للمنازعات الطبية يف جما‬ 87
)‫ (اجلزائر‬2 ‫جامعة وهران‬ 08-08 ‫ل الضمان االجتماعي طبقا لقانون‬
1
‫طاهر صامي‬
‫فعالية الرقابة الداخلية واخلارجية على الصفقات العمومية كآلية لرتشيد‬
)‫ (اجلزائر‬2 ‫جامعة وهران‬
2
‫ املؤرخ يف‬247-15 ‫النفقات العمومية يف ظل املرسوم الرائسي رقم‬ 95
‫صادق شنوف‬
)‫ (تقدمي حالة عملية‬2015/09/16
)‫ (اجلزائر‬2 ‫جامعة وهران‬
‫عتيق العربي‬
)‫ (اجلزائر‬2 ‫جامعة اجلزائر‬ ‫التغيرات الديمغرافية وأثرها على قيم التنمية الوطنية‬
110

-5-
 Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
e-ISSN : 2716-9448 p-ISSN : 2507-7546
Volume 6 Issue 1 / June 2021 pp. 14-23

Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook

Sara LAICHE1
1
University of Batna 2 Mustefa Benboulaid (Algeria)
Nesrine GHAOUAR 2
2
University of Annaba Badji Moukhtar (Algeria)

Received: 29/05/2021, Accepted: 30/06/2021, Published: 30/06/2021

Abstract:
Educators highlighted technology's great significance in teaching and learning situations regarding the
challenging requirements of the network-based environment, which has increasingly dominated different
sorts of information exchanges and educational opportunities. This ongoing research aims to identify the
importance of technological facilities to allow language teachers developing new strategies that are
different from the traditional one through building a community of practice (CoP) on a Facebook platform
named "Algerian Association of English Language Teachers". The research opts for an explanatory
research method whereby an online questionnaire was administered to 76 EFL teachers from different
Algerian educational institutions. A group focus interview was conducted with 15 teachers from over
Facebook group chat. The study revealed that participants share knowledge, resources, advice, and
insights. They collaborate and communicate to provide feedback, support each other.

Keywords: CoP, digital era, Facebook group, virtual communication, teacher education.

Résumé :
Les chercheurs ont manifesté l'importance de la technologie dans les différentes situations d'enseignement
et d'apprentissage en ce qui concerne cette ère numérique, qui a dominé les divers types d'opportunités
éducatives. Cet article identifier l'importance des outils technologiques pour permettre les enseignants de
développer des nouvelles stratégies à partir d'une communauté de pratique virtuelle (CoP) sur Facebook
nommée "Algerian Association of English Language Teachers". La recherche opte pour une méthode
explicative par laquelle un questionnaire a été administré à 76 enseignants d'Anglais de différents
établissements d'enseignement en Algérie. Une entrevue a été menée avec 15 enseignants via le chat
Facebook. L'étude a montré que les participants partagent des connaissances, des ressources, des conseils
et des idées sur la communauté virtuelle. Ils collaborent et communiquent pour fournir des commentaires,
se soutenir les uns les autres.

Mots-clés : CoP, Facebook, ère numérique, communication virtuelle, l’enseignement.

_________________
1
E-mail : s.laiche@univ-batna2.dz
2
E-mail : ghaouarnesrine@yahoo.fr

- 14 -
________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

Introduction:

One prominent feature of this network-based era is its facilities to connect people worldwide, which
shaped all aspects of human life, even the educational and professional ones. During the last two decades,
educators attempted to spot the importance of technology to enhance teaching and learning situations;
however, teachers were not generally targeted. Hence, the development of online communities for teachers
shifted attention from face-to-face interaction to virtually oriented communication wherein teachers use
blog forums, Facebook posts and tweets to share their experiences, ask for advice and provide feedback.

This article highlights the importance of online communities of practice created via the Facebook
platform for English language teachers. It investigates Algerian teachers' attitudes towards using online
communities and the way they affect the teachers' education. Generally, teachers have positive attitudes
concerning online communities' use, which help to improve their teaching skills and provide them with
valuable resources promoting the teachers' education. This ongoing research aims to answer the following
questions:

1. What are the attitudes of Algerian teachers of English towards using Facebook communities of
practice?
2. How does the Facebook CoPs affect the teachers’ education?

1. The emergence of the communities of practice

Communities of practice (CoP) are groups of practitioners who share knowledge, concerns, and
values within a supportive culture. Wenger (1998) stated that CoP requires the reciprocal involvement of
members around a shared space. Members exchange repertoires of different means, experiences, practices,
and words that the community has generated or established. These repertoires become a part of the
community's proceedings. Therefore, Jung & Brush (2009) claimed that CoP differs from groups or
assemblies whereby they seek to develop members' abilities and knowledge to sustain the community.
Jones & Preece (2006) argued that the notion of CoP emerged broadly, referring to a group of people who
share perspectives and resources related to their work settings formally or informally. With new
technologies, they propose that CoP can be figured virtually to be supported by technological facilities.
Scholars emphasize the importance of getting engaged actively to learn through these communities of
practice.

A virtual Community of Practice (CoP) is a network of individuals who share a domain of

interest about which they communicate online. The practitioners share resources (for
example experiences, problems and solutions, tools, methodologies). Such communication
results in the improvement of the knowledge of each participant in the community and
contributes to the development of the knowledge within the domain. A virtual learning
community may involve the conduct of original research but it is more likely that its main
purpose is to increase the knowledge of participants, via formal education or professional
development. Virtual learning communities could have learning as their main goal or the
e-learning could be generated as a side effect (Jung & Brush, 2009).

Then, COP is an online community of participants who share the same area of interest and sources
with the primary objective to develop knowledge and share experiences. Wenger- Trayner & Wenger-
Trayner (2015) attributed that CoPs have three principal characteristics: the domain, the community, and
the practice. Accordingly, CoPs include friends or connections and individuals who share the same domain

- 15 -
________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

of interest. A participant, therefore, commits to this shared domain, which further requires one to develop
corresponding competencies. These individuals constitute a community wherein they help each other,
exchange information about the shared repertoire like experiences and tools, allow collaboration and
interpersonal relationships to improve learning.

2. Benefits of CoP

Brody & Hadar (2015) suggested that creating a CoP focuses on the professional development of
individuals within their discipline while highlighting the significance of relationships, caring, and mutual
support within the community. In addition, Gannon-Leary & Fontainha (2007) provided the following
benefits for CoPs:
 They enable more communication, participant interaction, and implementation of collaborative
pedagogy paradigms.
 CoPs facilitate simultaneous and asynchronous communication and access to and from physically
separated groups and international information exchange.
 They develop a sense of connectedness, similar interest, and knowledge growth can be fluid and
cyclical due to constant engagement.

3. Critical Success Factors

In considering the critical success factors (CSF) for an online CoP, Gannon-Leary & Fontainha
(2007) stated that given components are vital as the utility of technology, confidence, and approval,
interpersonal connectedness, cross-national and cross-cultural dimensions of the CoP, shared perceptions,
a shared sense of purpose, and longevity. They further clarified (2007):
 For a virtual CoP, the accessibility of technology is a critical success factor, as the online community
requires an internet connection, bulletin boards, and available web technology.
 The second CSF is communication, which is essential for trust between community members.
Continuous communication, collaboration, the development of shared values, and a shared
understanding are all ways to build trust (Gibson & Manuel, 2003).
 Memberships in CoPs is another CSF. Andrews and Schwarz (2002) reported that identifying
members with prior mutual knowledge helps develop a sense of trust.
 Fourthly, members of the CoP should feel belongingness as insiders (Brown & Duguid 2002).
Accordingly, Trayner, Smith, and Bettoni (2006) claimed that paying attention to cross-national and
cross-cultural dimensions in international online communities increases the cultural impacts on the
ability of members to promote a shared perception, and sub-groups of the community based on these
cultures can emerge quickly. Within the practice of the community, a shared register may comprise
evolved routines, language, methods of working, and tales, which are formed via negotiation to
imply (Wenger 1998).
 CSF requires the CoP to have a purpose. An online CoP should have a clear objective that could be
attainable through ICTs. The purpose behind the CoP involves leadership to monitor, regulate,
maintain boundaries and respond to the change (Stuckey and Smith, 2004). The necessity for driving
leadership becomes increasingly critical as the group gets large.

Hadar and Brody (2010) suggested a three-layered design concerning the effectiveness of a virtual
CoP in teachers' education, wherein each layer is a requirement to the next one. Breaking of isolation
represents the first layer where members need a safe environment for discussions, social and professional
interaction, and cross-area communication to promote the CoP's professional connections. Followingly in
the second layer, communication leads to enhancing teaching and research situation. The result, finally,
increases self-efficacy and competence, providing the third layer of the design.

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________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

With all advancement and technological facilities, people have immersed themselves with the web
2.0 technologies that fashioned their everyday lives, especially the social network, which was designed to
meet the users' needs for social interactions. Having 2.45 billion active users worldwide (Facebook, 2019),
Facebook has become the most noticeable social network on the spot for educational research since 2005.
Although the primary focus of Facebook is creating electronically connected platforms for users to interact
and make friends, a need to establish communities has developed among its subscribers. Therefore, the
most significant feature of Facebook is to communicate online and share different resources, which makes
it ideal for forming virtual CoP to promote collaboration and knowledge building.

4. Facebook as a CoP

According to Abdallah (2013), advancements in Information and communication technologies

(ICTs) led to specific pedagogical domain applications, uses, and processes. For instance, Casimir & Doris
(2013) affirm that Facebook and other forms of social media are gradually and steadily transforming
education and how most subjects are taught because of its interactive nature as participants can produce,
update or share information. They add that Facebook has "the potential to become an exciting instructional
tool given its popularity and students' familiarity with its site".

Miniaoui & Halaweh (2011) explained that Facebook is a social network service and website where
users create a personal profile then build their network of contacts by adding other users as friends. They
can exchange messages privately or in public through synchronous or asynchronous communication,
receive/send automatic notifications when they update their profile or post a link, photo or video. Moreover,
"users may join common-interest user groups, school, a company or any religious, political, cultural
community".

5. Barriers to Virtual CoPs

Gannon-Leary & Fontainha (2007) provided the following list of limitations to the use of virtual
communities of practice:
 Some disciplines, such as the sciences and technology fields, may require specialized expertise to
conduct a virtual CoP.
 Academics included in virtual CoPs where the shared knowledge is already known, and the
community members already know each other.
 A virtual CoP necessitates hard work to manage energy and a high level of cooperation and
assistance in which membership shifting would lead to the group's destruction.
 Virtual CoP lacks the opportunity of face-to-face communication and socialization that interrelates
members, which may fail to engage them.
 Crossing virtual barriers between institutions, which creates a trust barrier, can lead to institutional-
related concerns, particularly legal ones such as data protection and intellectual property.
 A further barrier involves the choice of ICTs' use. Regardless of their digital literacy, many
academics, professionals, and students are strategic users of ICTs, aligning their use to achieve their
operational needs.
 The question about the CoP being task-based or practice-based is raised. A virtual learning
community may be short-lived have a limited opening and end. The task-based, therefore, set for a
particular learning activity.
The following chart explains the benefits, barriers, and critical success factor characteristics of CoPs:

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________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

Table (01): Benefits, Barriers and CSFs of online CoPs

Benefits Barriers CSF

Perpetuation vs. change Good use of ICTs
Enhanced learning
Disciplinary differences Technological provision
environment
Culture of independence Institutional acceptance
Synergies created
Tacit knowledge of ICTs as communication
Abilities extended to a higher
Transactive knowledge media
level
Physical community Good communications
Knowledge sharing &
Shifting membership, Trust
learning
Maintaining information flow Common values
Getting insights from each
No F2F to break Prior knowledge of
other
Read-only participants members
Developing knowledge,
Hidden identities, Sense of belonging
innovation & expertise
adopted personas Cultural awareness
Cyclical, fluid knowledge
Lack of trust – personal and Purposefulness
Sense of connect
institutional Sensitivity in monitoring,
Ongoing interactions
Selectivity in ICT use regulating, facilitating
Assimilation into socio-
Task-based usage Time to build up the CoP
cultural practices
Coordination to achieve
Practice-based usage
interaction
Source: Gannon-Leary & Fontainha (2007)

6. Methodology

6.1. The context

A sequential explanatory research method was designed to achieve the main goal of the study. It
has started by collecting and analyzing quantitative data, followed by a qualitative method developed based
on quantitative data (Creswell, 2017). The quantitative part of the study was designed under the survey
method and distributed online. The survey is a method of collecting data through interviews or surveys
(Fraenkel, Wallen and Hyun, 2015) and aiming to reveal the general view of the group. The qualitative data
was collected from a group focus interview to collect high-quality data in a social context (Patton, 2002).
The participants were interviewed through Facebook instant messages wherein a group chat was created,
and the teachers were invited to take turns. For the questions, they answered them orderly.

6.2. The participants

The study participants consisted of English teachers connected to the Facebook group "Algerian
Association of English Language Teachers". In this context, 76 EFL teachers who were selected randomly
responded to the online questionnaire. They work in different academic institutions throughout Algeria.
Concerning the qualitative dimension of the research, only 15 teachers were involved in the group chat.
Volunteerism was the basis for teachers' participation in the study in which they were questioned at the
very beginning of the study.

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________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

6.2.1. The platform

The "Algerian Association of Teachers of English" is a public group established on Facebook in

January 2014. It is all about teaching English and administered by Algerian English language teachers. The
group contains more than 104000 members with an activity of more than 100 posts per day. Participants
share resources, ideas, knowledge, teaching practices and many other tasks. They collaborate altogether in
order to improve themselves and their practices.

6.2.2. The procedures

The survey was architected and distributed online. A 10-item questionnaire was delivered to 76 EFL
teachers who joined the Facebook community "Algerian Association of English Language Teachers". The
questions of the surveys have covered two basic concepts related to the aim of this research, which are (1)
Personal information including age, teaching level, teaching experience and their competence using
technology, (2) Teachers' education via Facebook CoP referring to the teachers' use of online communities
on the Facebook platform and their attitudes towards its use.
Following the analysis of the data obtained from the survey, a semi-structured focus group was
prepared. It attempts to answer the research question concerning teachers' education when interacting
through online Facebook groups. The time allocated for communication ranged between 10 and 60 minutes.
The Participants' answers were collected from the instant chat for Messenger. The textual answers are
depicted numerically by creating themes and analysis units within the framework of research problems.

7. Results

According to the quantitative results, all the participants (100%) willingly participated in the study.
The participants' age ranged from 21 to more than 50-year-old. Hence, most of the participants (32.9%)
were aged between 21 and 30. The majority of the teachers' age (34.2%) varies between 31 and 40. Another
group of participants (21.1%) was between 41 and 50 years old. The minority (11.8), then, was more than
50-year-old teachers.

Therefore, almost (57.9%) of the participants were middle school teachers and (27.6%) of them
taught at secondary schools. However, the minority of the teachers (14.5%) who took part in the study were
teaching at university or worked privately. Some of them (10.5%) had a teaching experience for less than
one year, wherein the great majority (55.2%) were experienced in teaching English as a foreign language
between one year and ten years. Nevertheless, some of the participants' experience (19.8%) in teaching
reached almost 20 years, and a few of them (14.5) were teachers for more than 20 years.

The participants' answers demonstrated that the majority (46.1%) of them had an average level using
the information and communication technologies (ICTs) and others (34.2%) were competent users of
technological devices. Still, about (10.5%) of teachers indicated that they were pretty skilled with the ICTs
use. However, the minority (9.5%) claimed that they had a poor level concerning the use of technology.

The results revealed that, on the one hand, the majority (35.5%) of participants were connected to
about five groups on the Facebook platform. Others (39.5%) were members in about 15 communities on
Facebook. On the other hand, some teachers (25%) belonged to more than 20 online Facebook
communities. Teachers' answers showed that (15.8%) allocate less than one hour weekly for participation
in the groups. They had also stated that (51.3%) of the teachers spent around 3 hours per week participating
in the online groups. The other group of correspondents (22.4%) spent about 6 hours per week contributing

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________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

to the online communities. The minority of teachers (10.5%) were used to spend more than 9 hours in a
week participating in the online groups.

On the first hand, some participants (89.5%) pointed that they were influenced by the online
teaching communities wherein they changed some of their classroom practices. On the other hand, another
group of teachers (10.5%) stated that they did not change their teaching routines due to participating in
teachers' virtual groups. However, all the teachers who participated in the study (100%) considered their
contribution in online communities helpful to the teachers' education in which the majority (86.8%) claimed
that these communities met their professional expectations, whereas the minority (13.2%) did not.

Concerning the importance of teachers' participation in Facebook teaching communities, a group of

participants (20%) assume that communities devoted to teaching on Facebook are an important place for
sharing teaching resources and material to help teachers achieve their teaching goals. Thus, most
participants (46%) claim that these groups allow them to exchange knowledge and experiences related to
classroom practices. Teachers are encouraged to self-reflect their work, update innovative teaching methods
and improve teaching competencies through collaboration and teamwork. The following table explains how
important the use of Facebook communities as expressed by the participants.

Table (02): The importance of teachers’ participation in Facebook teaching communities

Theme Frequency Percentage

Sharing resources and materials 15 20%
Exchanging knowledge and experiences 35 46%
Improving Teachers’ competencies 39 51%
Encouraging self-reflection 20 26%
Updating innovative teaching methods 15 20%
Collaborating 12 16%

Concerning the group focus interview conducted with the teachers, all participants (100%) stated
that they adopted given activities from the teachers' group. They also asserted the utility of the different
ideas members share and how they helped them develop their teaching skills. Regarding the development
of close interpersonal relationships between members, most correspondents (75%) confirmed establishing
mutual bonds with members they had never met before. They claimed that Facebook CoPs facilitated their
interaction, promoted their engagement to the group, and increased their sense of connectedness. However,
few teachers (25%) insisted that Facebook does not show people's real identity as the majority use fake
names and use web-generated photos for their profiles. Accordingly, building a connection with the knowns
can be hazardous. This would result in a mistrust and prevent teachers from being at ease when acting in
the group.

The participants (100%) credited that Facebook communities of practice are considered as a
problem-solving resource. They stated that whenever someone shares a post about an inquiry or a problem,
other members with different backgrounds and varied levels of knowledge try to help by giving advice,
support, feedback, or even share their experiences. Thus, Facebook CoPs are of great benefit to them as
they may find whatever they seek after. The support that members provide each other with promotes
teachers' education and help them evolve their teaching skills and develop new apprehensions regarding
their task.

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________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

8. Discussion and conclusion

This study targeted the English language teachers' participation in different teaching communities
on the Facebook platform and how this later affects teachers' education. The sample under investigation
reflects Wenger and Wenger-Trayner's (2015) claim that CoP can differ in size, geographic location, and
fundamental purpose. CoP demonstrated Wenger and Wenger-Trayner's (2015) three elements of domain,
community, and practice. The Algerian Association of Teachers of English Facebook group complies with
these criteria, and all were formed by individuals who engaged in the process of collective learning in a
shared domain of teaching. Thus, teachers' participation in an online CoP served to break isolation and
support their professional growth.

To establish meaningful professional development, encouraging conditions that allow teacher

educators to share experiences, attitudes freely, and concepts must be present (Ben-Perez, Kleeman,
Reichenberg, & Shimoni, 2010). Accordingly, Hadar and Brody (2010) claimed that the significance of the
initial development of relationships and the social nature of learning as a requirement to discussing more
topics was crucial. The teacher in this study created the necessary structural and supportive human
environment to facilitate intentional, collaborative learning and the application of that learning through an
online platform, therefore, leading to continuous progress in teacher education. Engagement with online
CoPs sustained the teacher education developmental process over initiating meaningful conversations,
resulting in building a shared belief between group members. It also created challenging situations to
increase the level of interaction to solve problems and help to foster teachers' competencies to deal with
such conditions. Joining these communities spreads group process aspects like commitment, safe space,
professional relationships and shared focus.

Facebook seems to be everywhere and permeate nearly every aspect of society. However, there are
still several pending questions regarding using social media to assist pedagogical practices. This research
showed that when individuals within the same domain (teaching) form a community supporting their
practice, they could create a collaborative and supportive CoP within Facebook. It does not mean that
Facebook is the only social media platform for creating a CoP or that any Facebook group can be a CoP
that supports learning. The Algerian Association of English Teachers seemed to be a good CoP where
Algerian English teachers share the same interest to evolve their teaching practices wherein its
accomplishment depends on the willingness of the community members to trust, share, and participate in
the CoP. The Facebook group continued to be used since the data for this research was gathered and
analyzed. Accordingly, the Facebook platform is considered more than a social networking site for
entertainment and chatting. It proves to sustain teaching and learning practices through creating different
beneficial spaces and communities where both teachers and learners can freely meet virtually and develop
their capacities.

References:
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Abdallah, M. M. S. (2013). A Community of Practice Facilitated by Facebook for Integrating New Online
EFL Writing Forms into Assiut University College of Education. Journal of New Valley Faculty of
Education 12(1), Assiut University (November, 2013), 581-650.
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Amin, A. & Roberts, J. (2006) Communities of Practice? Varieties of Situated Learning. Draft paper
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3
Andrews T. & Schwarz G. (2002) Preparing students for the virtual organization: an evaluation of
learning with virtual learning technologies. Educational Technology and Society 5(3), 54–65.

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[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

4
Ben-Perez, M., Kleeman, S., Reichenberg, R., & Shimoni, S. (2010). Educators of educators: Their goals,
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Gibson, C.B. & Manuel, J.A. (2003), Building trust: effective multicultural communication processes in
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Hadar, L., Brody, D. (2010). From isolation to symphonic harmony: Building a community of learners
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Jones, A., & Preece, J. (2006). Online communities for teachers and lifelong learners: A framework for
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Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
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[Vol.6 No1] Oran 2 University Journal 2 ‫مجلة جامعة وهران‬
Language teachers and Virtual Communities of Practice: The Case of Facebook
Sara LAICHE1, Nesrine GHAOUAR2

Appendices
1. Teachers’ questionnaire
Teachers' Education through Facebook Community of Practice
1. Your consent is required to participate. Tick in if you agree to the declaration.
2. How old are you?
[21-25] [26-30] [31-35] [36-40] [41-45] [46-50] More than 50

3. Where do you teach?

Middle school University
Secondary school Private school

4. Teaching experience
Less than one year [1-5] years [6-10] years
[11-15] years [16-20] years More than 20 years

5. How do you grade your level in technology use?

Very poor Poor Average Competent Very competent

6. How many online communities do you belong to on Facebook?

[1-5] [6-10] [11-15] [16-20] More than 20

7. What is the average amount of time per week you spend participating in groups?
Less than 1h [1-3] [4-6] [7-9] More than 9 h

8. Have you changed any of your teaching practices because of participating in online teaching
communities?
Yes No

9. Has your membership to the online communities met your professional expectations?
Yes No

10. How can you identify the importance of participating in such communities to the teachers' education?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Group Focus discussions

1. Have you used any ideas or activities from the community discussions in your classroom?
2. Have you formed closer personal relationships with any member?
3. Do you consider Facebook online community of practice as a problem-solving resource? Justify.
4. Do you think that membership to an online community of practice represents a key to teachers’
education?
5. Is the continuity of using community of practice on Facebook is advantageous?

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