SOCIOCULTURAL INFLUENCES OF SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSURE AND AI OPTIMIZATION ON STUDENTS' GRAMMATICAL COMPETENCE IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Grammatical competence is crucial for effective communication but presents significant challenges for learners. This study examines the influence of sociocultural factors, such as social media exposure and AI optimization, on students' grammatical skills. A descriptive correlational approach was used, surveying 116 Grade 9 students with an adapted questionnaire. Results showed that students have a relatively high level of social media exposure, engaging with platforms at moderate to high frequencies, indicating its strong presence in their lives. In contrast, AI optimization was perceived at a moderate level, reflecting a balanced awareness of AI technologies in their academic experiences. However, the study found that neither social media exposure nor AI optimization significantly impacted students' grammatical competence. Despite widespread social media use and moderate AI awareness, neither factor seemed to enhance their grammatical abilities. KEYWORDS: social media exposure, AI optimization, grammatical competence, descriptive correlational