Social Media Addiction and Academic Performance of Social Studies Students in Upper Basic Schools in Delta State

ESІEMURE, Patience Oghenechavwuko¹, Ogheneakoke, Edore Clifford (PhD.) ²

^1,2 Department of Social Science Education, Delta State University, Abraka; Nigeria.

ABSTRACT: This study examined social media addiction on the academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. The study adopted a correlational research design. The sample size comprised 381 Basic 9 students in Delta State, selected through a multistage sampling method. The instruments used to generate data for the study were questionnaire and student’s past results. The research questions were analysed using Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, while the hypotheses were tested using regression and Fisher-Z statistics at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between social media addiction and academic performance; there is no significant influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students; and that there is no significant influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students. The study recommended amongst many others, that the students should be advised to always use social media platforms to support their studies and for academic discussions.

KEYWORDS: Social Media; Addiction; Social Media Addiction; Academic Performance; Social Studies; Social Studies Students; Upper Basic Schools

INTRODUCTION

Education is an important instrument for national development. Without education, at is hard to іmagіne where the world, and of course, Nigeria would have been. This is because, education is the vehicle which drives technological, social, political and economic development of many nations (Misan-Ruppee, Obro & Akpochafo, 2023). At is a means by which society ensures its stability. At is through the education system that young members of the society are taught the expected behaviour of the society. Schools are opened by communities not only to preserve the culture and to maintain continuity but also to bring about progressive change. Education among other social institutions, is a vehicle for changing society. It has and is being used for transformation of the economic, political and social systems.

Owing to the high premium placed on education in Delta State, the government of the state made education free up to secondary school. This is with the view of achieving the goal of Education for All, as enshrined in the Universal Basic Education Curriculum. Despite the efforts being made towards ensuring that citizens have equal educational opportunities as well as making other training faculties readily accessible to the users so as to improve students’ academic performance in both internal and external examinations, at has been observed that all is not well with the system as a result of the poor performance of students recorded in public examinations in the recent years.

The persistent poor performance of secondary school students in these examinations has made the development of secondary education in the state a difficult task. Parents,  guardians and other stakeholders in education industry have variously commented on the performances of secondary school students particularly in Social Studies. Statistics reported by the Examination bodes such as the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education have shown that students’ academic performance is on the decline. For instance, Suleman (2014) observed poor performance in Social Studies. Several factors according to Iheakanwa, Obro and Akpochafo (2021), have been suggested to be responsible for the poor performance of students in Social Studies. Researchers and stakeholders in education industry have in the recent past identified several factors as the likely causes of poor performance of students in public examinations. Among such factors identified are poor location of the school, incessant changes in government policies, closure of schools, which is contingent upon teachers’ strike action, home-school distance, large class size, lack of supervision, monitoring and evaluation machinery, lack of good textbooks, poor content and context of instruction, poor and nonconductive environment among others (Adepoju, 2015; Adeoye, Olanіyі and Adepoju, 2013, Obro, 2022). At seems however, that variables such as social media addition have been grossly neglected as factors that may likely influence academic performance of secondary school students in Social Studies.

Social media as the name іmplіes, are technology-based platforms (applications and web-based technologies) that give users opportunity to exchange ideas and share feelings in forms of audios, visuals and audio-visuals. The commonly used social media sites among students include Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Instagram and Blogs. The emergence of internet cum social media sites has significantly affected face-to-face social interaction among teachers as well as students (Ogheneakoke, Benike & Obro, 2018). Social media involve web-based technology that permits the use of social sites and platforms for communication, collaboration, sharing pictures, videos, news and personal experiences (Lusk, 2010). This gives its users opportunity to send, receive, post and share information. Social media are many relatively economical and broadly accessible electronic tools that allow anyone to publish and access information, collaborate on a common platform, or build affiliations.

Students in upper basic schools who regularly incorporate themselves to using social media platforms during school hours tend to perform poorly in examinations (Choney, 2010). Such students consider the use of handheld devices as fashion, thus fall to take into cognizance where and when these devices are to be used and for what purpose. Many cases were observed where students were caught chatting and listening to music, while teachers are in their classes. Some cases of examination malpractice among students also involve use of handheld devices to access social media. This gradually indicates how addicted the students become to the social media.

The term ‘addiction’ dwells in an idea or an action that is previously tried, which leads to a certain satisfaction and has been anticipated to provide new fulfilment (Kіrіk, Arslan, Cetіnkay, & Gul, 2015, Obro, Ogheneakoke & Benike, 2019). Social media addiction was viewed in psychological perspective to include cognitive, emotional and behavioural addictions (Hazar, 2011). Social media addiction is a quote new area of concern to academics and other researchers. At has an effect on many aspects of human life, including academic performance, social relations, as well as physical and mental health. Social media addiction is therefore a psychological factor that stimulates one to excessively use or vest a particular site for pleasure which may in turn leads to distraction toward academic and other engagements. Social media addiction was found to have negatively affected students’ academic performance in school subjects (Owusu-Acheaw & Larson, 2015). Social media has increased tolerability and usability and is becoming the most important communication tools among students especially at the higher level of educational pursuit.

Some social media users spend progressively longer periods online and experience withdrawal symptoms when offline. Those preoccupied with Internet related activities may neglect academic, family and other social activities. Social media enhance social interaction, motivates student to learn, allows individualized learning and give room to learn in a collaborative environment. Thus, social media has the potentials to facilitate learning which in turn might lead to fruitful learning outcome. At permits for active learner participation in the process of learning when used appropriately. This simply means misuse of social media platforms might have a negative effect on students’ academic performance. Hou, Xiong, Jіang, Song and Wang (2019) found that social media addiction was negatively associated with the students’ mental health and academic performance and that the relation between social media addiction and mental health was mediated by self-esteem. There are varied views and biases engulfing social media use in schools. Some scholars are of the opinion that social media use enhances relationship, improves learning motivation and developed collaborative ablates (Ndukwu, Іgbo & Ndukwu, 2020). Others on the other hand hold that social media use is a distraction to students (Osharіe, 2015). Social media platforms also have negative consequences on adolescents’ academic performance due to unguided communication and discussions which revolve around fun, sex and violence.

Gender may likely be a significant contributing factor when it comes to academic performance. This is so because in any human endeavour, boys do not respond the same way that girls do, this could be due to the genetic makeup of both genders. For instance, studies by Olasehіnde and Olatoye (2014) found that the biological explanation of gaps in performance between male and female learners suggested that differences in bran structure, hormone production, and/or maturation rates may account for performance differential in school-related tasks. Kimura (2005) also stated that the parts of the bran responsible for processing verbal information and permitting the exchange of information between hemispheres were more highly developed in girls. Girls also demonstrated earlier development in the brain regions responsible for impulse control, and, in general, matured earlier than boys (Vіadero, 2006). In relation to the role of gender in the academic performance of secondary school students, Anodon, Onі and Aladejana (2014) states that one of the variables that influence academic performance is gender. They recommended an investigation of interrelationship between gender and science learning.

Despite the conjecture above, how and whether social media actually influence students’ academic performance in Social Studies, especially at the upper basic education level in Delta State, remain unknown, to the best knowledge of the researcher. Hence, the need to carry out an empirical study to confirm such assumption. The aim of this therefore, is to examine the influence of social media addiction on the academic performance of Upper Basic Education students in Social Studies in Delta State.

RQs

1. What is the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State?
2. What is the influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State?
3. What is the influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State?

Hypotheses

1. There is no significant relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State.
2. There is no significant influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State.
3. There is no significant influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

II METHODOLOGY

This study adopted a correlational research design. A correlational research design helps to explain the relationship among variables. The study population comprised of all Basic 9 students in Delta State. It comprised of 72,854 students in 452 Upper Basic Schools in Delta State. The study sample comprised 381 students This was achieved through simple random sampling technique of the balloting method.

The study instruments were the questionnaire and students’ past academic records/results. The questionnaire contained 20 items structured on a 4-poіnt scale, ranging from 1 for strongly disagreed to 4 for strongly agreed. The past academic records/results of the students were collected from the various schools. The results were used to measure the academic performance of the students in Social Studies. The data obtained were analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient of determination for the research questions, while the multiple regression, Pearson’s correlation and Fisher’s Z statistics were used to test the null hypotheses.

III.  RESULTS

RQ1: What is the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State?

Table 1: Pearson’s correlation coefficient of the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State.

Table 1 shows a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of determination, which was used to determine the relationship that exists between social media addiction and academic performance of social studies students in Upper basic education in Delta State. The result shows a r-value of -0.156. The coefficient of determination (r²) was 0.024 and the amount of contribution of social media addiction to academic performance was 2.4%. This revealed a negative relationship between the two variables, which іmplіes an increase in social media addiction will likely lead to a reduction in academic performance and vice-versa.

RQ2: What is the influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State?

Table 2: Pearson’s correlation coefficient of determination on the influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 2 shows a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of determination, which was used to determine the influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. The result shows a r-value of -0.188 for male students and -0.127 for female students. The coefficient of determination (r²) was 0.035 for male students and 0.016 for female students; and the amount of contribution of social media addiction to academic performance was 3.5% for male students and 1.6% for female students. This revealed a negative relationship between the two variables, which іmplіes an increase in social media addiction will likely lead to a reduction in academic performance and vice-versa.

RQ3: What is the influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State?

Table 3: Pearson’s correlation coefficient of determination on the influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 3 shows a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of determination, which was used to determine the influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. The result shows a r-value of -0.193 for urban students and -0.132 for rural students. The coefficient of determination (r²) was 0.037 for urban students and 0.017 for rural students; and the amount of contribution of social media addiction to academic performance was 3.7% for urban students and 1.7% for rural students. This revealed a negative relationship between the two variables, which іmplіes an increase in social media addiction will likely lead to a reduction in academic performance and vice-versa.

Hypothesis 1: There is no significant relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 4: Regression analysis of the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 4 shows a Regression analysis of the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. The result shows that F (1, 380) = 9.439 p<0.05 level of significance. Because the p-value of 0.002 is less than 0.05 level of significance, the null hypothesis is therefore rejected. This іmplіes that there is a significant relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. The beta value of 0.156 showed that social media addiction accounted for 2.4% of the variance in academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State.

Hypothesis 2: There is no significant influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 5: Pearson’s correlation and Fisher’s Z statistics of the influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 5 shows a Pearson’s correlation analysis, which was used to examine the influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. The result shows that for male students, r = -0.188, while for female students, r = -0.127.

Іn order to determine the influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State, the statistical significance of the difference between the correlation coefficients of male and female students were conducted and a value of 0.61 was obtained, which is less than 1.96, the correlation coefficients are therefore not statistically significantly different. Hence, the null hypothesis is accepted, which means that there is no significant influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State.

Hypothesis 3: There is no significant influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 6: Pearson’s correlation and Fisher’s Z statistics of the influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State

Table 6 shows a Pearson’s correlation analysis, which was used to examine the influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. The result shows that for urban students, r = -0.193, while for rural students, r = -0.132.

Іn order to determine the influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State, the statistical significance of the difference between the correlation coefficients of urban and rural students were conducted and a value of 0.638 was obtained, which is less than 1.96, the correlation coefficients are therefore not statistically significantly different. Hence, the null hypothesis is accepted, which means that there is no significant influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State.

DISCUSSION

The result of hypothesis one revealed relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. This suggests that social media addiction can affect the performance of students in upper basic education. Social media usage reduces the amount of time that students spend on academic activities. Social media use negatively affected the academic progress, and studies have shown a strong positive relationship between social media use and academic performance. Most participants used social media platforms to chat rather than for academic purposes. This finding agrees with Hou, et al. (2019), Obro, Ogheneakoke and Benike (2019), who stated that students who spend more time on social media sites are likely to demonstrate poor academic performance. The finding also agrees Owusu-Acheaw and Larson (2015), who found in their study that students spend time chatting online and making friends on social media sites instead of reading books, which has a negative effect on their academic performance.

Result of hypothesis two indicates no significant influence of gender on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. This finding suggests that the influence of social media addiction on academic performance has nothing to do with being male or female. This finding is at variance with Udousoro (2011), whose study found that females’ academic performance was more highly influenced by the usage of social media than that of males, although males were more addicted to social media networks.

Result of hypothesis three demonstrated that there is no significant influence of location on the relationship between social media addiction and academic performance of Social Studies students in upper basic education in Delta State. This finding agrees with the finding of Ezeudu (2003) and Bosede (2010) that location has no effect on students’ academic achievement. The finding however is at variance with the finding of Amuda, Alі and Durkwa (2016), who found in his study that there was a significant difference in mean achievement between students in schools located in urban areas and those in rural areas. The study also contradicts the finding of Owoeye and Yara (2011), which revealed a significant relationship between school location and academic performance of students.

 CONCLUSION

Based on the findings of the study, at can be concluded that academic performance of students can be influenced by social media addiction. That is, the higher the level of social media addiction, the less likely the students will perform in their academics. The relationship between social media addiction and academic performance is not moderated by gender and location of the students.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The students should be advised to always use social media platforms to support their studies and for academic discussions;
• The students should not misconceive social media addiction as higher academic engagement;
• Chart rooms, email boxes and other online discussion tools can be used to design and develop instruction for the students to ensure that as social media addiction level increases, the students’ academic performance also increase.

REFERENCES

1. Adeboyeje, R. A., Olanіyі, G. B., & Adepoju, T. L. (2013). Correlates of some predictor variables on students learning retention and academic performance at the senior school certificate examinations is selected Nіgerіan States. A paper presented at the WAEC Monthly Seminar, Lagos (27th June).
2. Adepoju, T. L (2015). Planning of secondary education in Nigeria; A case study of Oyo State. Unpublished M.Ed. Dissertation, University of Ibadan.
3. Amuda, B. G., Alі, D. G., & Durkwa, H. (2016). Gender difference in academic performance in SSCE economics subject among senor secondary school students from 2006 to 2010 sessions in Maiduguri Metropolis, Bornu State, Nigeria. American Journal of Educational Research, 4(3), 288-293.
4. Awodun, A. O., Onі, S. A., & Aladejana, A. L. (2014). Students’ variables as predictor of secondary school students’ performance in physics. Іnt. J. Scі. Res. 4, 541–545.
5. Bosede, A. F. (2010). Influence of sex and location on relationship between students problems and academic performance. The Social Science, 5(4), 340-345.
6. Choney, S. (2010). Facebook and other online social networking sites can lower grades study says. http://seerpress. com/facebook-and-other-onlіne-socіal-networkіng-sіtes-can-lower-grades-study-says/6935/.14/08/2017
7. Ezeudu, S. A. (2003). Classroom environment as correlate of students’ cognitive achievement in senior secondary school Geography. The Journal of WCCІ Nigeria Chapter, 4(2), 65-73.
8. Hazar, M. (2011). Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığı-Bіr Alan Çalışması. Journal of Communication Theory and Research, 32, 22-29.
9. Hou, Y., Xіong, D., Jіang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2019). Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 13(1), article 4. http://dx.doі.org/ 10.5817/CP2019 -1-4
10. Iheakanwa, J. U., Obro, S., & Akpochafo, W. P. (2021). Reading ability, study habits and students’ academic performance in social studies. Library Philosophy and Practice (ejournal). 5675. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/lib philprac/5 675
11. Kіmura, D. (2005). Sex Differences in the Bran. Scientific American, Battle of the Sexes. (Exclusive Online Issue 20).
12. Kіrіk, A. M., Arslan, A., Cetinkaya, A. & Gul, M. (2015). A quantitative research on the level of social media addiction among young people in Turkey. International Journal of Science Culture and Sport, 3(3), 108-122.
13. Lusk, B. (2010). Digital natives and social media behaviours: An overview. The Prevention Research, 17(1), 3-6.
14. Misan-Ruppee, R. , Obro, S.& Akpochafo, W.P.(2023), “Innovative instructional approach: the effect of information and communication technology-assisted instruction on civic education students’ performance”, Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/AGJSR-02-2023-0047
15. Ndukwu, E. C., Іgbo, J. N., & Ndukwu, E. N. (2020). Effect of social media addiction on in-school adolescents’ academic performance and sexual behaviours. International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education, 2(2), 183-195
16. Obro, S.(2022), “A novel instructional approach: the effect of computer-assisted simulation learning games (CASLGs) on social studies students’ scholarly learning outcomes”, Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp. 235-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/AGJSR-04-2022-0038
17. Obro, S., Ogheneakoke, E.C. & Benike, J. (2019) The Relationship between Internet Addiction and Academic Performance among Social Studies Students Delta State Colleges of Education. African Journal of Studies in Education, 14(3), 90-112.
18. Ogheneakoke, C. E., Benike, J., & Obro, S. (2018). Internet access and usage: impact on students’ academic performance in social studies. European Journal of Education Studies, 5 (1), 56–75. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1402247.
19. Okorіe, E.U. & Ezeh, D.N. (2016). Influence of gender and location on students’ achievement in chemical bonding. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 7(3), 309-318.
20. Olasehіnde, K. J., & Olatoye, R. A. (2014). Comparison of Male and Female Senior Secondary School Students’ Learning Outcomes in Science in Katsina State, Nigeria. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(2), 517-523.
21. Osharіe, P. (2015). Social media and academic performance of students, conference paper of a project work. https://www. net/publіcatіon/273765340.
22. Owoeye, J. S., & Yara, P. O. (2011). School location and academic performance of secondary school in Ekіtі State, Nigeria. Asian Social Science, 7(5), 170-173.
23. Owusu-Acheaw, M., & Larson, A. G. (2015). Use of social media and its impact on academic performance of tertiary institution students: a study of students of Koforіdua Polytechnic, Ghana. Educ. Practice 6(6), 94–101.
24. Udousoro, U. J. (2011). The effect of gender and mathematics ability on academic performance of students in Chemistry. African Research Journal, 5(4), 201-213.
25. Vіadero, D. (2006). Concern Over Gender Gaps Shafting to Boys. Education Week, 25(27), 16-17.