THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS LEARNING ABILITY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL Â
 ABSTRACT
The study examined the influence of Social Media on Students’ Learning Ability among Secondary School Students in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. Five research questions and five corresponding hypotheses guided the study. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Employing the method of stratified and simple random sampling strategy, a total number of 250 students (125 boys and girls respectively)) were selected from ten secondary schools in the study population. A 25 item Likert type questionnaire tagged ‘Social Media and Students’ Learning Ability Questionnaire (ISMSLAQ) and Student Achievement Test in English Language’ were used to gather the data used for the study. Hypothesis one, two and three were tested using the Chi Square statistics while hypotheses four and five were tested using t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) respectively. Findings of the research shows significant influence of Social Media usage on students’ attitude towards learning in schools; and that there is a significant influence of Social Media usage on students’ writing skills. Other findings of the study reveal significant influence of Social Media usage on academic performances of students in secondary schools; there is no significant gender difference in social media usage among students in the area of study; and that social media usage showed no significant influence on the age of adolescents. On the basis of the research findings, recommendations were made which include among others the need to incorporate social media with academic lesson content in secondary schools, students should follow the formal way of writing in schools, students should not be allowed to waste their time for their reading and personal study on social media content generating sites. Counseling programmes should be put in place for both male and female students in the use of social media. There is also need to design appropriate behavioral change instructional materials to educate students of different age group about social media usage in academic learning.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Â Â Â BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
For many around the globe communications have turned the entire world into a global village through the internet, electronic media and portals. The social media sites have become one of the most popular ways for people to be better informed, enlightened, exchange messages and keep abreast with almost all of the electronic educated student or youth.
In the ancient days, teens spent hairs alone in their rooms or with close friends playing outside their houses, trying different outfits and modeling around the corner. Now, social media could be seen as a way of describing the display of everyday practices of social interaction that have played a crucial role in enabling people to communicate on a platform.
Furthermore, social media sites has becomes a global phenomenon in the past few years. What started out as a hobby for some computer literate people has become a social norms and way of life for people around the globe (Boyd 2007).
Social media is the social relation among people who share interest, activities and background connections for users to interact over the internet. Living stone and Brake (2010). In their opinion said ‘social media site like much else on the internet representing a moving target for researchers and policy makers’.
Presently around the world, the use of social media has enabled networking around the world very simple, students in particular have made browsing social media sites a daily practices and has reduced the way most student stay connected to their academic activities as many prefer to chat online while many think that social media has no influence on their academic achievement. These made the researchers to study the habits of students and carefully look into the effect of social media and how they affect student learning ability amongsenior secondary school student in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
1.2Â Â Â STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In Nigeria, people tend to do what are trending activities especially the student, they are the first who adopt was things particularly in social media sites.
Since the advent of social media sites in the 1990s. it is assumed in some quarters that student learning ability amongstudent is facing a lot of neglect and challenges. There is a deviations distraction and divided attention between social media activities and their academic work.
The sites have led to the biggest problems in our academic environment in which average student spend 9 (nine) house a week on social media sites (Willard 2009). Also, it is observed that student devote more attention to social media than they do their studies. Therefore, the question this study is out to answer is; what are the effect of social media and how do they affect student learning ability among senior secondary students in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
1.3Â Â Â PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study was determine the effect of social media on student learning ability among senior secondary school student specifically the study sought to find out.
i.      The most patronized social media by Senior secondary school students
ii.     The positive influence of social media on student learning ability
amongsenior secondary school student
iii.    The negative influence of social media on student learning ability amongsenior secondary school student.
iv.     If there is any significant relationship between student learning ability amongstudent and social media
1.4Â Â Â RESEARCH QUESTION
i.      Which social media sites is mostly patronized by senior secondary school students?
ii.     What are the positive influence of social media on student learning ability amongsenior secondary school student?
iii.    What are the networking influence of social media on student learning ability amongsenior secondary school student?
iv.     Is there any significant relationship between student’s academic achievement and social media?
1.5Â Â Â DELIMITATION OF STUDY
The essence of this research work is to primarily study the influence of social media on student learning ability amongsenior secondary school student in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The research highlighted the concept, history and forms of social media sites and their influence in academic achievement which intends to focus on senior secondary school students.
1.6Â Â Â SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
For senior secondary school student, the study will reveal to them with more information on the positive and negative influence of social media on their academic achievement.
In addition, senior secondary school teachers will fond the study useful as the research will help them with more information on the influence of social media on student learning ability amongstudent.
Moreover, parent and guardians will find the study useful as the findings will reveal to them some factors influence on the academic achievement and their activities on the social media sites and why they need to properly monitor their children.
Lastly, the study will provide relevance materials for the benefit of other researchers undertaking similar research.
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