A Study on WeSupport, a WeChat-based Learning Platform
Executive Summary
Tapping into WeChat’ s reach and potential, CCR CSR launched an eLearning platform, known as“ WeSupport eLearning Platform”, on WeChat in 2015 that seeks to support, motivate and inspire migrant parent workers, young workers and line managers working in factories through knowledge sharing. Over the course of a year, followers of the platform have been receiving tailored lessons, tips, articles, quizzes, videos and campaigns via a WeChat public account push notification on a weekly basis.
Looking at both WeChat on the whole and the WeSupport platform specifically, this study surveyed 567 migrant workers through online surveys and in-depth interviews to evaluate the impact of WeChat-based eLearning on migrant workers’ life and work and the degree to which it has responded to their needs. It also analyzed users’ characteristics, online habits and interests, with a particular focus on WeChat’ s role in social integration.
The study found that WeChat and WeSupport helps migrant workers with such challenges as social integration, knowledge acquisition, communication and motivation.
The study also highlights links between the number of public accounts people follow, their education level and gender. In general, migrant workers with lower education and male workers follow the least number of public accounts, while the majority of WeSupport platform users have high education levels. However, we also found that the most active users on WeSupport were actually the people with the lowest education levels, indicating that once the first barrier is breached, this form of eLearning can be particularly attractive to workers.
Looking at the reception of the WeSupport content we could see that the support aimed at parent migrant workers received the strongest feedback, with parents reporting that the content is applicable in their daily lives and addresses common challenges. As such WeChat and platforms such as WeSupport have the potential to become an important tool for migrant workers in terms of social integration, increased awareness and support.
1