THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN GHANA; A CASE STUDY OF TAMALE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The purpose of this research study is to examine the influence of Social Media and Academic Performance Of students in Tamale Technical University. Three Research questions and three Research hypotheses guided the study. To achieve this, the descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study focused on Tamale Technical hence, population consists of all the 24,661 full-time undergraduate students. The simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 378 students. A four point Likert Type Rating Scale Questionnaire type, titled: Influence of social media on student academic performance Questionnaire (ISMSAPQ) was used to collect data from the participants. The descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentage, were used to analyze the demographic data while inferential statistics of Chi-square(x2) was used in testing the research hypotheses. Research findings showed that a great number of students in Tamale Technical University, are addicted to social media. To this end, the researcher recommended that social media should be used for educational purposes as well; Social Networking Sites should be expanded and new pages should be created to enhance academic activities and avoid setbacks in the students’ academic performance; and Students should be monitored by teachers and parents on how they use these sites This is to create a balance between social media and academic activities of students to avoid setbacks in the academic performance of the students

Chapter one

Introduction

1.1Background of the study

Communication  is  very  essential  for  transferring  and accessing  information.  Communication  touches  all  spheres  of  human  activities  at  all  levels.  The  world  of  today  is  a  global  village  as  a  result  of  information  and  communication technology (ICT),  and  social media  often  function as the  connecting  factor (Rahman, 2014).  ICT is  helping people to   be   better   informed   by   accessing Communication is very essential for transferring and accessing information. Communication touches all spheres of human activities at all levels. The world of today is a global village as a result of information and communication technology (ICT), and social media often function as the connecting factor (Rahman, 2014). ICT is helping people to be better informed by accessing information about almost anything at anytime and anywhere. Social media exist so as to provide communication among people regardless of the distance and other physical barriers (Stenger, 2013). Use of media makes it easy for individuals to share information, files, pictures, videos, create blogs, send messages and conduct real time conversations (Boyd, 2007).

Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) defined social media as a group of internet based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of user generated content. In line with this, Salter (2012) stated that social media introduced significant and pervasive challenges to communication between organizations, communities and individuals. The availability of highspeed Internet broadband connection with massive use of desktop, computer, laptops, e-readers, text messaging, Facebook, YouTube and smart phones enables millions of people to actively engage in media, text messaging, content sharing, on-line learning and much more Ezenwafor (2012) observed that since technology is ruling the world in all disciplines and activities, it ranks high in innovation, development and in use of the technologies which require adequate integration of ICT in students’ communication. Social media are platforms where everyone can add or edit information. It is a web where digital tools allow users to create, change and publish dynamic contents. Social media are an aspect of the Internet that provides a lot of sites for socialization. Today, there are more than 20 popular social media websites. These include but not limited to : Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Digg, Delicious, Stumble upon, Bizsugar, Vine, Periscope, Quora, Snap chart, Redid it, Flikr, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google, Linkedin, Twitter, Viber (Anthony, 2016). There is much interest from schools and Universities in the potentials of public social networking services and social media such as blogs to influence or supplement formal educational activities and enhance learning objectives (Fogg, 2010; Bell, 2013). Social media service users between lecturers and students can improve interaction, incentive and engagement with education (McBride, 2009). This is evident by the participation and sharing of messages in their WhatsApp platform. It also allows lecturers to share with their peers operating all around the globe in order to plan approaches for support and motivation. Social media help lecturers to link with their students about assignments, upcoming events, useful connections and samples of work outside the classroom. Students can also use them to connect classmates about questions regarding class assignments, examinations and projects. In Nigeria, one of the most popular and commonly used social media sites is Facebook (Nigeria social media statistics for March 2020). Facebook is a social networking website that was initially designed for college students but is now open to anyone from 13 years of age. Facebook users can build and customize their own profiles with photos, video, and information about themselves. Friends can browse the profiles of other friends and write messages on their pages (Techterm.com, 2008). Paxson (2010) opined that Facebook is used to keep users connected with those around them and to be up-to-date in the global news. It is one of the new media networks which use mix of interpersonal and mass communication capabilities that has not existed before now. Facebook also places emphasis on interactivity, mobility and it is used by students in Universities. Next to Facebook is WhatsApp which came second in the list of most popular used social media platforms in Nigeria. WhatsApp Messenger, like some other social media has been around for a while but recent updates and upgrades have improved the functionality of the platform since its joined the families of social networking. The main purpose behind this application is to replace SMS with a cross platform mobile messenger that works on an Internet data plan. If one has unlimited text, it is still beneficial as it is a convenient way to skip international fees that carriers may charge. It is currently available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia Symbian 60 and S40 and Blackberry. It is common because there is no cost to message friends and family other than the Internet data plan that users already have on their phones.

Academic performance gives us a view of how a student has performed in his or her course of studying and giving the period of engagement. It involves the assessment of students’ learning progress in task that is required of them (Andreas and Haenlein, 2010). In Universities, the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is used to give a sum total of a student’s academic performance. Academic performance is seen as the sum total of a student’s ability and performance (Morrell, 1987). The CGPA is used as an index in grading students giving 4.00 or 5.00 as the highest point of score while the lowest 0.00. With so many social networking sites and their attractive adverts on the Internet, students are tempted to abandon their assignments, homework and reading times in preference for chatting online with friends. However, one can identify social media adductors by pointing out at those who spent more time in their phones browsing or networking. The implication, is that these students attendance for chatting on social media become habitual and addictive (Apuke, 2016). This group of students neglects other important responsibilities, commitments in favour of Facebook. According to Kist (2012), these victims spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or planning how to use it. They feel an urge to use Facebook more and more. It is also observed that they use Facebook in order to forget about their personal problems. They always become restless or troubled if they are prohibited from using Facebook. They also use Facebook and WhatsApp platforms so much that the addiction has had a negative impact on their relationships. This observation has becomes a threat to students’ studies and performance and therefore call for investigation.

Statement of the problem

The educational system in Nigeria is faced with so many challenges which have certainly brought about a rapid decline in the quality of education. Students’ addiction towards social networks, their frequency of exposure to social network and its influence on their academic performance remain a centre stage of discussions in recent times. For instance, Habes et al. (2018) revealed that a large number of University students use social media with more focus on Facebook, which in turn negatively affected their academic results. Oye (2012) posited that most of the younger students use social networking sites mainly for socializing activities, rather than for academic purpose. It is a common sight to see a student chatting in sensitive and formal organized places like church, mosque and lecture venues even on the high way. This phenomenon has become very worrisome and the effect of this threat has not been given the attention it deserved. It is therefore of great importance to explore some of the trending issues facing students’ academic performance as a result of their use of social media. To what extent has this phenomenon affects students performance is a question that needs to be answered. Thus, the problem of this study is to find out the influence of the use of social media networks on academic performance of University students in Ghana

Objective of the study

The objectives of the study are to investigate the influence of social media on students’ academic performance among university students in Ghana. A case study of Tamale Technical University. The specific objectives are;

1. To examine the level of student addictiveness to social media and the influence on their academic performance in Tamale Technical University.
2. To determine the social media network that the students are more exposed to and the influence on their academic performance in Tamale Technical University.
3. To ascertain how the use of social media has influence the academic performance of the students Tamale Technical University.

Research question

The following research questions were formulated;

1. To what extent student is addicted to social media Tamale Technical University students’ academic performance?
2. Does the social media network that the students are more exposed to influence their academic performance?
3. How has the use of social media network influence the academic performance of Tamale Technical University?

Research hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated;

H1: Students’ addictiveness to social network has no significant influence on their academic performance in Tamale Technical University.

H2: Student’s exposure to social media network has no significant influence on students’ academic performance in Tamale Technical University.

H3: Use of social media do no significantly influence on the academic performance of the students in Tamale Technical University.

Significance of the study

This study is significant to the lecturers, parents and students. This study will help the lecturers of the  Tamale Technical University to know the influence that social media has on their students, so as to assist them to enlighten and create awareness to the students on the possible influence it has on them. The study is of significant to parents in the sense that they will know the possible effects these social media usage has on their children, so as to serve as watch-dog to their children on the usage of the social networking site. The study will enable the students of the University so that they will be aware that, apart from the social benefits of this social

Scope of the study

The scope of the study covers the influence of social media on students’ academic performance among university students in Ghana. The study will be limited to students Tamale Technical University.

Limitation of the study

Research of this type is limited by these problems:

1. Time: Time factor is one of the limiting factor that affect this project work. That is the time limit allocated to complete this work is very short and does not allow for detailed investigation of the factors wanted by the researcher.
2. Insufficient literature material: The greatest hindrance is the unavailability of sufficient literature material for this work to effectively carryout the research and this has been a major constraint to the researcher.
3. Finance: In a project work like this, finance is one of the constraints that limit this research work. As a result of this, the researcher has to limit to available finance.
4. Poor response of workers(respondents): The response of the people during the interview was very poor and they responded very poor to the questions asked to them, some are incompetent to speak on such issues on the question or they will wont the answer to such questions as they think it is confidential. With this information was not let out easily, these result created a lot of complexity in the are of gathering information and made it more difficult for the respondents in getting vital information for this project.

Definition of terms

Social media: Social media are interactive digital channels that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks

Academic performance: Academic performance is the measurement of student achievement across various academic subjects. Teachers and education officials typically measure achievement using classroom performance, graduation rates and results from standardized tests.

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