AN EVALUATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UYO CITY POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

1.1     Introduction    

The social media has become one of the most communication means in recent time. However, social networking exist so as to provide communication among students and people regardless of the distance, making it open to people to easily share information, files, pictures, create blogs and send messages and conduct conversions and researches.

These systems are referred to as social, simply because they allow communication in terms of research across the globe. The driving factors for adoption of social media are the progressively ubiquitous access, convenience, functionality, and flexibility of social technologies.

It has been contended that poor greater education and social technologies supports social constructivist techniques to learning, they potentially have to improve students construction of understanding and promote students interaction. An additional benefit of social technologies provided on the internet is that they are frequently free or require marginal investment, eliminating a potential barrier to adoption.

There has been various overview and opinion which recognized for major advantages of social media used in higher education, these include, enhancing relationship, improving learning motivation, offering personalized course, material and developing collaboration abilities.

These means that social networking activities have the possibility of enhancing student contact and is used to improve their participation in class, particularly where introverted students are involved, students can function in online group learning, with less or no anxiety of needing to raise questions before peers at school.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

          Generally, students have been addicted to social media, but the way they have been used to it is only based on non-researchable areas of studies which do not benefit them at all. The social media could also be said to be of education importance to them if it is properly used.

Unfortunately, students do not explore it to that level. This study therefore seeks to evaluate the influence of social media on academic performance of Nigerian students. It is therefore seeks for proffer the students on how they could benefit from it. This is because it is speculated that an average number of Nigeria youth spend about 6-7 hours on the internet daily.

1.3     Objectives of the study

          The objectives of the study seek to:

1. determine whether Nigerian students are exposed to social media;
2. determine their level of exposure to the social media;
3. determine the social media that Nigerian students are exposed to and
4. ascertain the influence of social media on academic performance of Nigerian students.

1.4     Research Questions

          The research questions formulated are:

1. Are Nigeria students exposed to social media?
2. What is their level of exposure to the social media?
3. Which of the social media are Nigeria students exposed to?
4. How do the social media influence the academic performance of Nigerian students?

1.5     Significance of the Study

          The study is significant because it intends to highlights on the influence of social media on academic performance of Nigerian students. The study intends to contribute to academic growth because it will be beneficial to future researchers.

It is therefore agreed that at the end of this research, students in the department of Mass Communication, Uyo City Polytechnic, students of other Nigerian tertiary institutions, and the general public will benefit from the study.

1.6     Delimitation of the study

The study’s scope is Uyo City Polytechnic, therefore students there are to be interviewed on the influence of social media on their academic performance, and if the social media is effectively used for academic  purpose.

1.7     Limitation of the study

          The researcher was constraint in the course of research by finance in which high rate of transportations sometimes disrupted the research. Secondly, time constraint was associated with tests, assignment and class lectures.

1.8     Definition of terms

          Some key terms have been defined and they are:

Evaluation: This referred to the process of examining the impact of social media on Nigerian students with a view of analyzing their views.

Influence: This is the effect of social media on the academic performance of Nigerian students,

Social media: This is a websites and application that enable users to create and share contents or to participate in social networking.

Academic Performance: This refers to performance based on scholarly disciplines in tertiary institution like Uyo City Polytechnic.

Nigerian Students: Referred to students schooling in tertiary institution like Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and other related institutions.

Study: This refer to as a close examination of a subject with a view of finding a lasting solution.