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Note: This is the last author’s copy prior to publishing. The final, definitive version of this article has been
published in International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Environments, 2(3). Available at
http://www.inderscience.com/offer.php?id=64205
Creating Virtual Communities of Practice
with the Visual Social Media Platform Pinterest
Julie A. Delello
Rochell R. McWhorter
The University of Texas at Tyler
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Abstract
This paper reports results of a mixed methods study on the use of the visual social media
platform Pinterest in the higher education classroom. Research methods included data collection
of Pre-Experience and Post-Experience student surveys from two disciplines, Education and
Business, regarding students’ experiences using Pinterest for learning. A total of 227 students
(189 undergraduate and 38 graduate students) participated in the study. Findings included
student attitudes regarding the usability of Pinterest in the classroom setting, student learning and
development, and ways Pinterest facilitated the development of a virtual community of practice.
Recommendations for future classroom use is given.
Keywords: Case studies; career development; communities of practice; Pinterest; social
media; usability; visual technologies; visual literacy; Web 2.0; visual network
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Creating Virtual Communities of Practice
with the Visual Social Media Platform Pinterest
The use of social networking in online education has been debated regarding its appropriateness
in teaching and learning (Selwyn, 2011). Additionally, research in human resource development
(HRD) literature on using social network platforms for learning is limited (Davis, 2010). Heskett
(2005) noted that “The capacity of new technology to enhance mutual understanding between
those who create images and those who receive them offers considerable potential for the future”
(p. 67). While new visual social media platforms such as Pinterest offer fresh and innovative
ways to market a brand (Wolfinger, 2013), they have yet to achieve widespread use in the
classroom. Although Pinterest shows promise for preparing students for the workplace, there is a
dearth of empirical studies documenting best practices and its effectiveness in higher education
classrooms (McWhorter & Delello, 2013). The purpose of this research is to explore the attitudes
of students about their use of the social network site Pinterest to gain insight and understanding
of how image-based social networking sites can be incorporated into teaching and learning.
Related Literature
Throughout time, the relationship between visual representations and text has been well
documented. Dating back to 500 B.C., the poet Simonides stated, “Words are the images of
things” (as cited in Benson, 1997, p. 141) while Aristotle said that, “the soul never thinks without
an image.” (Stevenson, 2000, p. 44). Historically, images captured from photography and later
the motion picture screen captivated audiences worldwide. Current brain research indicates that
of the total nerve cells in the brain, 30 percent are dedicated to sight, 8 percent for touch and 3
percent for hearing (The 21st Century Fluency Project, 2012). Further, research at 3M
Corporation concluded the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text (Burmark, 2004).
According to scientists, a visual image composed of colour will create an increase in memory
and attention as compared to black and white images (Wichmann, Sharpe, & Gegenfurtner,
2002; Gegenfurtner & Rieger, 2000). Perhaps this embodies why today’s students have “an
innate attraction to visuals” (Vaughan, 2012, para. 1) embracing graphics as an effective way to
learn.
Visual representations have permeated the classroom through a multitude of sources including
textbooks, graphs, drawings, teacher hand-outs, models, and demonstrations. Burmark (2004)
remarked, “Images are more than illustration; they are the heart of comprehension and the fastest
route to academic success” (p. 4). As sundry new media tools gain traction, the need for visual
literacy in education is more important than ever. In his article Digital Natives, Digital
Immigrants, Prensky (2001) calculated that by age 21, the digital generation will have spent less
than 5,000 hours reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games and 20,000 hours watching
television. These “Millennial” students “think and process information fundamentally differently
than their predecessors” (p. 1). However, the real power of new technologies, “is unleashed when
students can use it in their own hands as authors of their own work and use it for critical inquiry,
self-reflection and creative expression” (Goodman, 1996, p. 2). Prensky (2013) recommended
that teachers “search for and use powerful uses of technology—things young people couldn’t
ever do before, like communicating around the world, or analysing public databases with trillions
of data points, rather than using technology just to do old things in new ways” (p. 1).
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Technology-savvy students, born into the media-rich world, request that teachers support
learning through digital tools integral for a 21st century education (Dalhstrom, 2012). Social
media is transforming teaching and learning. According to Junco, Heiberger, and Loken (2010),
the emergence of social media technologies are essential to U.S. college students’ lives. To
remain relevant, it is imperative that educators understand how students use these social
networking technologies for informal learning (University of Minnesota, 2008). To promote this
connectedness requires a revolutionary redesign in classroom practices, inventing new processes
“new things in new ways” (Prensky, 2005, para. 29).
New social media platforms integrate visual tools with digital technologies such as Facebook,
Pinterest, and Instagram to create visual networks (Delello & McWhorter, 2013). These Web 2.0
visual platforms facilitate a new trend in social networking moving away from text to realize the
influence of images. These new visual social media networks are changing how people connect
and collaborate globally.
Based upon Vygotsky’s social constructivism (1962), virtual communities of practice (VCoPs)
allow students to share knowledge and resources on topics of common interest across Web 2.0
platforms. Whereas a community of practice (CoP) is a model of situational learning where
“groups of people share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it
better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2006, para. 4), it is different than a network. A CoP is
“exists because it produces a shared practice as members engage in a collective process of
learning” (Wenger, 1998, para. 19). Also, “within communities of practice, knowledge unfolds
through a process of mutual engagement and collaboration, allowing for both informal and
formal education to occur” (Lewis, Koston, Quartley, & Adsit, 2010, p. 157). Web 2.0 social
media platforms have the capability of bringing students together in a virtual community of
practice creating new paradigms for learning.
Methodology
Context
Pinterest, created in 2009 and launched March of 2010, is a new class of social networking tools
allowing users to visually share, curate, and discover new interests by pinning images to an
online pin board. Pinterest’s adage is that a picture is worth a thousand words (Hess, 2013).
Images can be re-pinned, liked, commented on, shared via email, Facebook or Twitter, and
embedded into websites. The goal of the social media platform is “to connect everyone in the
world through the things they find interesting” (Pinterest, 2012). According to Constine (2012),
Pinterest has surpassed 11.7 million monthly U.S. visitors and is currently ranked by Experian
(2012) as one of the top three network sites in the United States. Delello, McWhorter, and Camp
(2013) posited that Pinterest should be considered a bleeding-edge technology—a new type of
social media which allows students to create personal meaning, show a greater sense of
classroom engagement with informal learning processes, and generate global connections with
others.
To explore the rich dynamics of using Pinterest as a tool for learning within higher education
classrooms, researchers in education and human resource development (HRD) sought to answer
the following research questions:
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1. What were student’s attitudes regarding the usability of the Pinterest platform for
learning?
2. How did Pinterest facilitate student learning and development?
3. How did students develop a virtual community of practice (VCoP)?
Research Design and Data Collection
This article describes an interdisciplinary study with case studies from two disciplines (education
and business), examining the visual social media site Pinterest as a platform for learning. As
Merriam (1998) articulated, a case study design is utilized “to gain an in-depth understanding of
the situation and meaning for those involved. The interest is in process rather than outcomes, in
context rather than a specific variable, in discovery rather than confirmation” (p. 19). Merriam
(1998) expounded that case studies often involve innovative programs and practices, developing
a database for future comparison and theory building.
We used a mixed-methods approach to provide richness and depth to each case description
(Creswell, 1998). The primary source of data collection involved pre-experience and post-
experience surveys containing multiple choice and open-ended questions.
The pre-experience survey contained multiple choice questions providing the background and
preparation of students in the courses prior to the initiation of Pinterest in the classroom. Key
sections of the survey examined: student demographics (age, race, level of education), student
access to technology (Internet, computers), and current technology use (social media, video
streaming).
The post-experience survey contained five open-ended questions designed to discover student
attitudes after the use of the Pinterest platform for learning. The qualitative feedback provided
exploratory insight into the use of Pinterest as a pedagogical tool in the higher education
classroom. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained prior to the study.
Case One: Using Pinterest with Pre-Service Teachers
Research findings have indicated that many new teachers do not feel adequately prepared to
manage a classroom (Smart & Igo, 2010; Moore, 2003). Landau (2001) discussed that classroom
management strategies are the most valuable set of skills a teacher can acquire. However,
difficulties in this area cause new teachers to leave the classroom within the first few years
(Johns, MacNaughton, & Karabinus, 1989). Although coursework designed to specifically target
practical applications of classroom management during pre-service teacher preparation could
make a difference on how prepared or confident new graduates feel, according to O’Neil and
Stephenson (2012), there is little empirical research to support such an assumption.
The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of elementary education majors towards
using Pinterest as a viable educational platform for learning important classroom management
strategies. Noted educator Harry K. Wong (Wong & Wong, 1998), wrote in his book The First
Days of School that the teachers who beg, borrow, and steal – and work collaboratively are the
teachers whose students will achieve. By forming COPs through collaboration with peers and the
use of artefacts to create new meaning (Wenger, 2000), the hopes were that the students would
feel more confident in their ability to effectively manage a classroom.
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Case One Method
Context
The exploratory study was conducted in an undergraduate classroom management and behaviour
course in the College of Education, at one regional four-year university. The purpose of the
course was to provide pre-service elementary teachers with the opportunity to acquire skills to
structure and support learning environments through the application of effective classroom
management strategies. The course was a requirement for pre-service teachers to obtain an
elementary (EC-6) teaching certification. The course was aligned with The Interstate Teacher
Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) model core teaching standards, specifically
targeting the essential knowledge standard 3(k): “The establishment and monitoring [of] a safe
and productive learning environment including norms, expectations, routines, and organizational
structures” (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2011, p. 12).
To expose the pre-service students to best practices and practical applications of classroom
management, the instructor created a Pinterest account for the management course, which
included a display name, profile picture, and short description of the group pin board. Each
student was given a login and password, specific to the course. Each student was required to find
twenty items on the Web to contribute to the visual class bulletin board (pin board) (see Figure
1). Students were allowed the freedom to edit, create, and arrange the course pin boards
(categories) but were not allowed to duplicate or delete a pin created by a classmate. The
students were expected to post a reflective comment underneath each image as to why they
believed the pin made a valuable contribution to classroom management. Furthermore, each
student was required to view and comment on 20 of their peers’ images.
[Insert Figure 1 about Here] [See p. 19]
Data collected
Data was gathered in the form of pre and post-experience surveys from two semesters (Fall
2012-Spring 2013) in order to examine the attitudes of students using the social media platform
Pinterest as a tool for learning. Participants for this research included 79 pre-service teachers
who were enrolled in one of three sections (hybrid, online, or instructional television) of an
undergraduate classroom management and behaviour course.
The surveys were administered using the online survey software Qualtrics (www.qualtrics.com).
Students were invited to participate in the research study through a link posted within a module
on the course management system Blackboard. The module included a link to the informed
consent document and the survey.
The pre-experience survey revealed that the participants were predominantly female (99%). The
overall demographic makeup of the classes was 78% Caucasian, 9% Hispanic, 6% African
American, and 7% other. Additionally, the majority of these students were born in the Millennial
Generation (see Figure 2).
[Insert Figure 2 about Here]
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In regards to access, most of the students (97%) noted that they had high-speed Internet access at
home and 87% of the students had created a Pinterest account prior to the course.
Case Two: Pinterest Boards for Business Students
Numerous studies have found that business students are often ill-prepared for the workplace
because they lack essential employability skills such as a good work ethic, timeliness,
attendance, business attire, and professional written communication skills (Daniel, 2013;
Dennison & Waring, 2010; Epstein & Johnson, 2011; Fisman & Glainsky, 2012). The lack of
professionalism by current or recent college graduates was identified by Bauerlein (2013) in
recent surveys of both college professors and employers and is of great concern as more pressure
is now on higher education to adequately prepare students for the contemporary workplace.
The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of business students towards the use of
Pinterest as a facilitator for identifying and discussing professional practices for the work
environment. Since business education majors are typically the most common undergraduate
university major, comprising approximately 20% of undergraduate students at four-year
institutions (Snyder, Dillow, & Hoffman, 2009), it is imperative that these students spend
sufficient time processing and rehearsing topics relative to professionalism in the workplace.
Case Two Method
Context
This study was conducted at one regional four-year university across five undergraduate business
courses with topic areas of workforce and organizational development (W&OD) taught online,
information technology and communications (ITC) taught as a blended course, and two sections
of a capstone experience (CE) also taught as a blended course. Also, one online graduate course,
leadership and ethics (L&E), was included in the study. Each course was offered within a college
of business accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
International (AACSB), a global accrediting body for business schools and institutions (2013).
The purpose of the undergraduate W&OD course is to develop skills necessary to identify, assess
and evaluate the needs of industry and education for a quality work force. The ITC course
explored emerging developments in technology including the ethical use of modern
telecommunications systems. The CE course is an end-of-program review of managerial
concepts. And, the purpose of the L&E graduate course is to gain an understanding of various
conceptualizations of leadership within group and organizational contexts and build on the
discussion of ethical leadership.
The instructor created a Pinterest account for each course to introduce various business topics to
students and build a VCoP “organized around community members’ common interests”
(McWhorter, 2010, p. 626) as the courses were primarily or exclusively taught online. The
pinboard contained several beginning topics to be explored by the class. Each board (category)
consisted of a number of “pins” (visual postings) linked to a website the instructor wanted
students to visit. Once the course Pinterest boards were explored by students, the instructor gave
directions in the learning management system (LMS) on how to “pin” additional resources and
revealed the group email account and password required for login. Over the semester, each
student was required to “pin” at least 10 relevant resources to the group account and make a
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reflective comment on each and then make relevant comments on at least 5 resources (pins) of
their classmates. For credit, students were required to add to their postings a unique code
assigned. See Figure 3 for an example of one of the Pinterest accounts utilized by a business
course in the study.
[Insert Figure 3 about Here]
Data collected
Data was gathered in the form of pre-experience and post-experience surveys from two
semesters (Fall 2012 and Spring 2013) A total of 148 participants for this case study included
110 undergraduate students who were enrolled in one of three undergraduate business courses
(the CE course had 2 sections) . Additionally, 38 graduate students also participated. The
participants were primarily from Generation Y, the Millennial Generation (75%) according to the
pre-experience survey responses. See Figure 4 for the details of the self-reported generation of
the participants in the study.
[Insert Figure 4 about Here]
According to the pre-experience survey, the demographic makeup of the participants across four
courses was 67% Caucasian, 14% Hispanic, 14% African American and 5% other. Prior to the
assignment, the majority of the students noted that they had high-speed Internet access at home
(93%). Further, the gender of the 148 participants reflected a majority (63%) female and (37%)
male participants depicted in Figure 5.
[Insert Figure 5 about Here]
The surveys were administered using the online survey software Qualtrics. Students were invited
to participate in the research study through a link posted within a module of the CMS for their
respective course. The module included a link to the IRB-approved informed consent document
and the survey.
Analysis of the Data
In each case, student excerpts in response to the following five open-ended questions on the post-
experience survey were examined:
What were your first impressions of the social site Pinterest after logging in?
Did you find any difficulties with the Pinterest project? If yes, please explain below.
How have you used Pinterest to collaborate with other [university] students?
Have you given or received any comments/feedback on content in your Pinterest site?
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How have you shared your Pinterest site with anyone or posted your page to another social
network site?
Each of the excerpts collected from the students were arranged, numbered, and placed on a
typewritten page (transcript) and coded separately for content. Miles and Huberman (1994)
described data reduction as the process of “selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting, and
transforming the data into something meaningful and manageable” (pp. 10-12). Furthermore,
each case was analysed separately and then a cross-case analysis was conducted (Stake, 1995) to
identify common and divergent themes. Comprehensive survey statistics were analysed on the
student demographic information using Qualtrics. The open-ended responses were transcribed
and analysed using the qualitative software NVivo 10 (QSR.org).
The research team sought triangulation by utilizing multiple sources of data (two separate
disciplines) to provide a variety of perspectives (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The researchers
established an audit trail of clear documentation of all research decisions and activities
(Creswell, 1998). Furthermore, the team compared their interpretations across disciplines
allowing for peer debriefing among members. Additionally, by looking at a range of similar and
contrasting cases, the validity and the stability of the findings were established (Miles &
Huberman, 1994). Student participants were given the opportunity to refuse to participate in the
study, as suggested by Shenton (2004), so as to ensure that the data collection involved only
those willing to take part in the research. Finally, the rich, thick data was presented from the
view of the participant reducing the possibility of researcher bias (Merriam, 1998).
Combined analysis results are discussed below corresponding to the three research questions in
the study. Three major themes Usability, Learning, and Community and six subthemes Enablers,
Barriers, Motivation to Learn, Career Development, Visuals as Voice and Collaboration
emerged from the data. Graphical representations of the relationship between the conceptual
themes, subthemes, and student responses of using Pinterest in the classroom are presented in the
findings.
Findings
RQ I: What were student’s attitudes of the usability of the Pinterest platform for learning?
According to Sheard and Markham (2005), the evaluation of any web-based learning
environment must encompass not only the educational process but also functional usability of the
technology. Our study identified that students had both positive and negative responses in
regards to using Pinterest in the classroom. The students perceived the visual social media
platform in terms of its usability; specifically the enablers and the barriers (see Table 1).
[Insert Table 1 about Here]
Enablers
In open-ended responses, 78 education and 136 business students reflected upon their first
impressions of the social site Pinterest. Seventy-four (95%) of the education students had
positive impressions of the site while 81 (60%) of the business students had positive impressions.
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Student comments supported the findings as they remarked the site was both “easy to use and
navigate” and that they had “no problems” with the site. It was evident that the more experience
students had using Pinterest, the easier the assignment as documented in the following excerpt:
“The more I worked with Pinterest the more I enjoyed the project”.
Additionally, the social media mobile application combined with the Pin-it button enabled some
students to use a constructivist approach and go beyond just the “re-pinning” of an image. If a
student could not find a particular visual, they created one as documented in the following
statement by an education student: “I literally use it in my lesson plans every week; if I don't find
something I like, I create it, take a picture, and pin it from my iPhone app”.
Barriers
When students were asked whether they had difficulty with the Pinterest project, the most
frequently reported barriers shared by the education students were time constraints (8%),
distractibility (3%), a lack of knowledge of the specific site (6%), and a general feeling of being
overwhelmed (8%). In comparison, the business students reported the barriers as time constraints
(10%), distractibility (2%), a lack of knowledge of the specific site (7%), and being
overwhelmed (12%). In regards to time, one education student conveyed, “I think this site could
be a very useful site, but at this time, taking 18 hours, working, family, et cetera… I did not
enjoy surfing through the myriad of stuff”. Another education student commented, “I can see that
this can be a very useful site but it seems a little time consuming”. Distractibility was another
issue in terms of staying on task as noted in the following excerpt: “I found that it was very
difficult to stay on task every time I went to the Pinterest site to look for education ideas”. Other
students reported difficulties with using the new social tool. For example, one business student
remarked, “Since this is a social site I have not tried before, I was lost… I hope we get some
tutoring time”. Also, another student said,“It was overwhelming as I hardly use social media and
was not really ready to want to learn another social media site”. Also, a business student stated,
“There was just a lot of pictures to look at and a lot of information. It was all a little
overwhelming.” The literature supports the notion that when students do not grasp the meaning
of visual data, they can be overwhelmed by it (Eliam, 2011).
For several students, this sense of uncertainty was relieved once the student had additional
experience with the platform. For example, an educational student remarked, “At first, I was
overwhelmed in how to use Pinterest, but then with the help of a couple of colleagues and going
back to the notes I had written in my notebook given by [the professor], it made more sense”. In
business, the findings were similar as one student remarked, “I didn't know what was going on
but after I got instruction and figured it out the experience was good”. Another business student
stated, “At first it seemed a little cluttered until I became accustomed to the build” supporting
Eliam’s (2011) assertion that overwhelmed feelings occur when visual cues are not initially
understood.
Despite a mixed response regarding Pinterest, students in both disciplines were pleasantly
surprised after using it. An HRD student stated, “It shocked me with the amount of useful HR
information” and an education student said, “I didn't understand either at first but it is a great
resource for us now and will be even better when we get in our classroom and get to use some of
the activities, decorations, and management ideas”.
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RQ 2: How did Pinterest facilitate student learning and development?
Motivation and Engagement
Although barriers were identified to using the social network site Pinterest as a tool for learning,
student excerpts revealed that the platform increased student engagement and motivation (see
Table 2). For example, education students commented, “I loved the idea of being able to pin my
interests onto my own boards”. Another remarked, “I love using this website. It opens up a
whole world of creativity to be explored!” In addition, students remarked that using the Platform
as part of an assignment was beneficial for learning: “This was an addicting assignment, and
very helpful”. Another student pointed out, “This was by far the best homework assignment I
ever got!”
Career Development
Students identified the platform as a means to further their career and find valuable resources.
One education student noted that “The website in itself is brilliant and so beneficial for first year
teachers, as well as veterans”. Another education student commented, “I believe Pinterest offers
great and very creative ideas teachers can use in the classroom”. Likewise, business students
stated, “After the first assignment, I could see how Pinterest could be utilized for educational and
professional matters” and “As the other students along with [me] began working on our own
individual parts, the project began to take form and became very useful... to our own careers”.
In the past decade, there has been a push for higher education institutions to help students brand
themselves as professionals. This initiative teaches students how to establish a professional
image in order to distinguish themselves from other students to stand out and improve their
chances of employment in the labour market (Zsuzsanna & Gabor, 2012). According to Epstein
and Johnson (2011), the professional brand is “the result of everything that influences the
definition/identity of the professional in the workplace. The professional is the brand and the
brand is the professional” (p. 12). The data collected in this Pinterest study appears to add to this
initiative of professional branding by building students’ career development skills including
teaching them the competencies necessary to create their own Pinterest board to continue their
career development and building their own image as a professional.
Visuals as Voice
The student excerpts revealed that Pinterest, as an image based platform, expanded their
understanding of the subject matter and demonstrated that the images themselves were powerful
learning tools. A business student conveyed the following sentiment: “My first impression of the
Pinterest site was the first time I had ever witnessed something of that nature. It was very
amazing to me to see users using visuals as a voice”. Additionally, an education student reported
“I felt like there were so many pictures to choose from that I would want to continue
commenting and posting pictures”. For these students, the visual images conveyed a message—
expanding their understanding of the subject matter. Taking into consideration 21st century
learning, it would seem that Pinterest, with minimal words, video integration, and high quality
images would, as Sundar (2012) suggested, “have all the elements for a right brain, visual
thinker” (p. 1).
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[Insert Table 2 about Here]
RQ 3: How did students develop a virtual community of practice (VCoP)?
In this study, students reflected that the Pinterest platform allowed them to share ideas and create
new knowledge through social interactions, which supported a virtual community of practice.
Data analysis reflected that 61% of education students and 35% of business students stated that
they had used the class site for collaboration with other university students. Moreover, 57% of
education students and 48% of business students documented that they had given and received
comments on their pins. However, only 22% of the education students and 17% of the business
students had actually shared their own Pinterest site with others.
An education student remarked, “I really loved using Pinterest. First of all, I think it helped to
bring some of us together by facilitating discussions about what we pinned”. Another student
stated, “A huge part of teaching is sharing amazing ideas with other teachers and this website is
amazing for this”. A business student offered: “The project facilitated a unique way to
collaborate with the entire class”.
Supporting the findings of Ardichvili, Page, and Wentling (2003) who suggested that the
members’ motivation to create and share knowledge is paramount to the community’s success, a
business student stated, “Throughout the assignment I learned so much about so many things I
would have never been exposed to if it wasn't for my classmates’ Pinterest contributions”. This
sense of connectedness was shared in the following excerpt, “The way you can interact with
others through Pinterest is incredible”. Regardless of the discipline, students expressed value of
group membership in learning.
[Insert Table 3 about Here]
Discussion The findings from this study indicated that the social platform Pinterest has the potential to meet
learners’ needs and interests. With Pinterest growing to the third most visited social network
outside of Facebook, it was not surprising that an increase in its use from the Fall 2012 to the
Spring 2013 was noted. Experian (2012) explains this growth due to users recommending the site
to their friends or other social media users. According to Drake University’s Aaron Jaco,
Pinterest is becoming one of the most popular accounts in the world of higher education (Lytle,
2012).
In order to integrate technology into the classroom, it is important to identify and find ways to
overcome the barriers reported in this study. Students in the study reported that training was the
key to overcome many of the challenges to using Pinterest. Time was another obstacle.
Assignments designed around social media should factor in the amount of time that will need to
be devoted specifically for using the platform. Instructors should consider giving students an
assignment far enough in advance to ensure students have the opportunity to be successful.
An important factor in this study was that the accountability was built into the research.
Although students were not required to participate in the study, they were required to complete
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the assignment as part of their grade. According to Hansen, Nolan, and Winter (2012) by sharing
content with those in and outside the class, students have the opportunity to “contribute more
than just a paper to fulfil the requirements of an assignment; rather, they are actually adding to
conversations and sharing information with anyone who might happen across their board” (p. 8).
In terms of future career, research shows that although students use social media for their
personal lives, few utilize it for professional purposes (Burnham, 2012) i.e. “soft” skills such as
job interviewing, negotiation skills, professional social networking, as well as deep reflection
around ethical dilemmas (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013; Fisman & Glainsky, 2012; SHRM,
2013). This deficiency of experience and skills makes it difficult for college graduates to gain
employment and even if they do, employers report they often spend large sums training (or
retraining) them for their new position (Fisher, 2013).
This study suggests that a student’s experience is shaped by visual images. According to
Burmark (2002), learning to interpret, understand and appreciate the meaning of visual messages
are important skills for today’s students both in the classroom and in the workforce. By using
Pinterest as a pedagogical tool, educators can transform their classrooms—especially for the
visual learners. According to Delello, “Although Pinterest is a picture board; it is more than just
visual images. It’s a seed that will become a plan and then a classroom experience for children
with all types of intelligences” (in Murphy, 2012, para. 25).
Finally, Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002) defined COPs as “groups of people who share a
concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and
expertise in this area by interacting on an on-going basis ” (p. 4). In this study, students were
motivated to learn when they were engaged with others in the learning process. Although the
courses in the above case studies have terminated, notifications of “re-pinning” are still taking
place from a larger community of practice outside of the walls of the school building. This
coincides with Wenger’s (2006) three dimensions of a community of practice. Students learned
through internal participation, connected externally with the broader community and planned to
continue using Pinterest as a means of life-long learning. For example, one pre-service teacher
remarked, “I think this will be a great way for us to stay connected and share ideas even into our
teaching career”.
Limitations
Students’ responses were self-reported, and the survey measures were not validated, although
results from this pilot study of the survey found high face validity and internal consistency.
Therefore, instructors should be cautious when generalizing the findings to other contexts.
Implications and Conclusion
From marketing and recruitment, to lessons in learning, Pinterest is drawing attention from those
in higher education. However, much of the literature is characterized by blogs, opinion pieces, or
news articles. Lee Neel (2012) asserted that although Pinterest is growing rapidly, schools are
still struggling to find a relevant platform in the middle of dozens of options. According to Brock
(2012), “There are very few people using it [Pinterest] for professional activities” (para. 8). This
lack of research is a major limiting factor in terms of discussing whether Pinterest meets the
needs of all learners.
14
In the future, we recommend that there be more research conducted regarding students’ use of
visual social media and personal learning styles. By using an inventory to identify students’
learning preferences, teachers can tailor technology tools to the needs of the students. According
to The New Media Consortium’s (2013) Horizon Report, the biggest barrier to personalized
learning is that “scientific, data-driven approaches to effectively facilitate personalization have
only recently begun to emerge" (p. 10).
Future iterations of this study should involve follow-up surveys exploring whether students
continue to show sustained interest levels in the platform. Because this study was conducted at
one regional four year university in two disciplines and did not represent all student populations
or particular fields of study, further research should be designed around additional disciplines
with a wider audience. Further, as higher educators are expected to prepare students for a global
and digital workplace complete with overwhelming amounts of computer-generated data, the
direct teaching of visual literacy will become increasingly vital (Eilam, 2012).
Also, by monitoring what others have shared and re-pinned, researchers will have a better
perspective on what students and outside communities are interested in. As new iterations of the
platform are added such as more personalized pin suggestions, new mobile apps, and home edit
buttons, the site will remain “Pinteresting” (Pinterest, 2013) and ripe for visual learning within a
virtual community of practice.
15
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19
Figures and Tables
Figure 1: Classroom
Management Course Pinboard
Generation Percentage
The Silent Generation (born 1925 to 1945) 0%
The Baby Boom Generation (born 1946 to 1964) 1%
Generation X (born 1965 to 1981) 17%
Generation Y, Millennial Generation (born 1982 to
1999) 82%
Figure 2: Generation of Participants from Pre-Experience Survey in Case Study 1
20
Figure 3: Pinterest Pinboard for Undergraduate Business Course
Generation Percentage
The Silent Generation (born 1925 to 1945) 0%
The Baby Boom Generation (born 1946 to 1964) 7%
Generation X (born 1965 to 1981) 18%
Generation Y, Millennial Generation (born 1982 to 1999) 75%
Figure 4: Generation of Participants from Pre-Experience Survey in Case Study 2
Figure 5: Gender of Participants in Case Study 2
Male, 37%
Female, 63%
21
Table 1. Examples of Student Reflections Based Upon Usability
Table 1: Emergent Enablers and Barriers to Usability
Theme Subthemes Education Business
Usability
Enablers
“I have been a user
of Pinterest for a
little over a year. It
has always been a
favourite website of
mine and is very
easy to use”
“I like the idea of
organizing pins or
links in folders for
later viewing. The
website is easy to
use and navigate”
“I thought it was very
easy to use. Everything is
laid out in a way that
makes navigation to the
site incredible easy. The
buttons are clearly
marked, there are rarely
any issues/malfunctions
with the site”
“I thought the site was
very user friendly”
Barriers “I was very
intimidated by
Pinterest, There
were so many
different boards and
it was confusing at
first”.
“I was lost in a sea
of pictures”
“[Pinterest] seems a bit
overwhelming at first
with all the pictures”
“When first logging in, it
was very clustered. Did
not [understand] what the
homepage was all about”
22
Table 2. Examples of Student Reflections Based Upon Learning
Table 2: Emergent Learning Themes and Subthemes
Theme Subthemes Education Business
Learning
Motivation
to Learn
“I have my own
Pinterest account
now, thanks to this
assignment. I will
continue to pin fun
activities and
classroom
management
techniques long
after this class is
over.”
“I found the project
very interesting and
exciting!
“I found it very
interesting. I read a
lot of news
[stories] so it was a
fun project for me”
“It was very
helpful and I still
use the site”
“It’s a very
informative and
interesting site. I
really enjoyed it”
Career
Development
“This website
allows for amazing
ideas for our future
classrooms”
“I love how
Pinterest has so
many teacher
resources and I
appreciated how this
assignment
expanded on them.”
“I thought there
was a wealth of
information”
“I could see how
Pinterest could be
utilized for
educational and
professional
matters”
“I appreciate all the
content available to
me through this
site”
Visuals as
Voice
I can spend hours on
Pinterest looking at
the awesome ideas
people come up
with”
“It was very
amazing to me to
see users using
visuals as a voice”
“I’m a huge fan of
visual learning”
23
Table 3. Examples of Student Reflections Based Upon Learning
Table 3: Emergent Themes from Pinterest Assignment
Theme Subthemes Education Business
Community
of Practice
Collaboration
“Looking at the
ideas of others can
inspire and lead you
to new ideas”
“Fellow students
commented about
some of my pins.
They were
encouraging and
appreciated what I
had posted.”
“During clinical
experiences, I
suggested several of
my classmates to
use Pinterest ideas”
“I learned so much
about so many things
I would have never
been exposed to if it
wasn’t for my
classmates’ Pinterest
contributions”
“The way you can
interact with others
through Pinterest is
incredible”
“We had some
interesting
discussions and
postings regarding
HRD”
