• Haytham Elaoufy

Social media is one of the well-known instruments that have arisen as a result of technology's profound impact on education and learning. The former has provided new opportunities for learning while also posing difficulties that have greatly affected the scientific area. In order to ascertain perceptions of this new method of conducting research and weigh the benefits and drawbacks, the current study was carried out among EFL scholars at three Moroccan universities—Dhar Mehraz University, Sais University, and Moulay Ismail University. 204 EFL researchers who successfully completed an online questionnaire were included in the study. The majority of EFL researchers responded warmly to the query regarding social media integration in the research field, as they view it in an upbeat manner due to its flexibility. According to the quantitative and qualitative data that were obtained, the findings revealed that EFL researchers still spend more time on social media engaging in amusement than learning. The results also showed that Email, Whatsapp, and Facebook are among the top platforms for EFL researchers to conduct research on. The upsides of employing social media as a research instrument include savings on expenses, flexible supervision, and simplicity in getting to know research participants. On the other hand, there were a number of difficulties with social media, such as technological challenges, procrastination, and distraction.

Challenges, EFL researchers, Moroccan Universities, Perceptions, Social Media, Technology

" SOCIAL MEDIA UTILIZATION AS A RESEARCH TOOL AMONG EFL RESEARCHERS AT MOROCCAN UNIVERSITIES: A SCIENTIFIC JOURNEY FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 6, page no.i473-i485, June-2023, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2306850.pdf

" SOCIAL MEDIA UTILIZATION AS A RESEARCH TOOL AMONG EFL RESEARCHERS AT MOROCCAN UNIVERSITIES: A SCIENTIFIC JOURNEY FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 6, page no. ppi473-i485, June-2023, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2306850.pdf