CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Advances in information and communication technologies, particularly the emergence

of the Internet as a major source of global information have encouraged educators to develop

rich technology-based learning environments. Birch and Sankey (2008) asserted that

information and communication technology (ICT) provides academics with an opportunity to

create rich learning environments for their students which is enhanced by the wealth of

information and resources on the internet as well as the inclusion of range of web-based

learning elements.

The world is today celebrating the improvements in communication technology which

has broadened the scope of communication through Information and Communication

Technologies (ICTs). Modern Technology in communication no doubt has turned the entire

world into a “Global village”. But as it is, technology like two sides of a coin, bring with it

both negative and positive sides. It helps people to be better informed, enlightened, and

keeping abreast with world developments. Technology exposes mankind to a better way of

doing things. Social networking sites include: Twitter, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook

Messenger, Blackberry Messenger (BBM), Whats app messenger, 2go messenger, Skype,

Google talk, Google Messenger, iPhone and Androids. These networking sites are used by

most people to interact with old and new friends, physical or internet friends (Asemah and

Edegoh, 2012). The world has been changed rapidly by the evolution of technology; this has

resulted into the use of technology as the best medium to explore the wide area of knowledge.

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 The evolution of internet technology has led to its use as the best medium for

communication. Whereby, two-third of the world’s internet population visits social networking

or blogging sites, thus serving as a communication and connection tool. Social networking

sites (SNSs) are online Communities of Internet users who want to communicate with other

users about areas of mutual interest, whether from a personal, business or academic

perspective‖ (William ,Boyd, Densten, Chin, Diamond & Morgenthaler 2009). The millions of

social networking sites have transformed the thought of global village into a reality whereby

billions of people communicate through social networking sites. Numerous benefits have been

obtained through distant communication through the use of social networking sites.

The quest for interactivity has become a necessary goal in the design and provision of

qualitative education. Interaction is central to the expectations of teachers and learners in

education, and to that extent, it is the primary objective of the educational process (Omoniyi,

2005). This interactivity has paved way for the integration of information and communication

technology into the teaching and learning process. Now the rate of imparting knowledge is

very fast and education has become easier. With ICT, studies have been made easy in a way

that it can be carried out in groups or in clusters (Orunmoluyi, 2012). Among the technologies

used for this interactivity are social media.

Social media usage in respect of communication cannot be denied. Almost everyone is

using social networking sites such as; Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube, and Twitter. Social

media usage is beneficial in business, marketing, social awareness, entertainment, news

updates, banking, and especially in educational purposes. Since the last decades, social media

2
sites have increased unbelievable attractiveness among teachers. Social media applications are

also using for communication, sharing of information, collaborative learning, and teaching too.

Social media has provided a large platform for discussion, sharing information and

knowledge. Higher education faculties are utilizing social media sites in order to interact with

colleagues, students along with professional purposes. Professors are frequently using

Whatsapp and Facebook in assigning to students for academic tasks and sharing content in

developed and developing countries. Regarding online teaching in developing countries,

Jogezai et al (2021) found that social media has significantly affected the teacher’s attitude

toward online education while pandemic. Moreover, they said that social media had a

measurable effect on their knowledge (Jogezai et al., 2021).

The most commonly used method for communication is social media networking. It is

being used by individuals belonging to every walk of life. Social media was widely accepted

by public. There are numerous online networking platforms that include but are not limited to

Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Flickr, snapchat, vine,

Tumblr. The capacity of Social Media networking to spread valuable data quickly has made it

the quickest developing method of association. Social media has changed numerous

businesses, however the most impact of it is in the classroom teaching and the overall

education system. The use of digital technology in education has attracted much interest in the

recent years. It is a common expectation for academic staff and administrators to investigate

options to ensure the learning environment is modern, relevant and capable of producing

graduates with attributes aligned with the work environment and their career expectations.

3
Students engage with campus life carrying highly sophisticated computing devices in their

pockets.

Frequently these students have used these devices for a variety of purposes, which are

unrelated to learning, thus highlighting a crucial disconnect exists. Institutes of higher

education are concerned that both their staff and students are digitally literate, in the manner of

learning delivery or method of instruction. Social media networking usage refers to online

space that is used by students to connect, share, communicate, establish or maintain connection

with others for academic and socialization purposes. Social media networking as a

communication medium is rising quickly, mostly in the prosperous development of

applications for mobile devices.

Academic performance or achievement plays an important role in an individual

placement, be it in the academic institutions or job placement. Due to this, many people are

concerned with the ways they can enhance their academic performance. The emphasis on

academic excellence which is also prevalent worldwide has encouraged many studies about the

conditions promoting it. The role of academic achievement as one of the predictors of one’s

life success and also in the aspect of academic placement in schools to higher institutions as

well as the level of employability in one’s career is inevitable (Kyoshaba, 2009).

Academic performance or achievement is the outcome of education, the extent to which

a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals. Academic performance is

commonly measured by examinations or continuous assessment but there is no general

agreement on how it is best tested or which aspects are most important, procedural knowledge

such as skills or declarative knowledge such as facts (Annie, Howard & Mildred, 1996).

4
 A direct relationship exists between Social media usage and the academic performance

of students in universities. However the darker side within technological evolution has resulted

in dilemmas such as the setback of real values of life especially among students who form the

majority of users interacting through the use of social networking sites. Online social

networking sites focus on building and reflecting social associations among people who share

interests and or activities. With so many social networking sites displayed on the internet,

students are tempted to abandon their homework and reading times in preference for chatting

online with friends. Many students are now addicted to the online rave of the moment, with

Facebook, Twitter etc.

Social networking sites although has been recognized as an important resource for

education today, studies however shows that students use social networking sites such as

Facebook for fun, to kill time, to meet existing friends or to make new ones (Ellison,

Steinfield, and Lampe 2007). Although it has been put forward that students spends much time

on participating in social networking activities, with many students blaming the various social

networking sites for their steady decrease in grade point averages (Kimberly, Jeong and Lee,

2009), it also shows that only few students are aware of the academic and professional

networking opportunities the sites offered.

This social networking sites are now being used in various ways, ranging from forming

communities, chatting, blogging, reaching out to close friends or relatives, to collecting

information for research and so on. In addition, numerous institutions are formally forming

number of groups or communities on various social networking sites (Asif-Ur-Rahman,

Mohammed & Muhammad, 2015). This research therefore sought to determine the teachers’

5
perceived influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance in primary schools in

Ilorin South Local Government Area, State.

Statement of the Problem

As a result of the utilization of social media such as Facebook, 2go, twitter, Friendster,

Yahoo messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, many others have raised concerns on its misuse

and negative effects on students’ academic performance. There are two sides of the coin, some

of studies advocated for full implementation of social media for enhancing instructional

delivery while other studies cautioned the stakeholders in education against its integration into

the teaching-learning process (Ogunjinmi, 2017). Among the problems identified include:

learners’ loss of interest in their studies as they spent most of their time on social media

compared to the time they spend reading their books, loss of concentration during the teaching-

learning process because they were busy doing other things on the social media, enhanced

examination malpractice, and many others. In a nut shell, social media has had a great impact

on learners’ academic performance. However,

Many studies have been conducted on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic

performance, teachers’ and students’ perception of social media utilization on students’

academic performance in Kwara State but this study is either scanty or not in existence in

Ilorin South Local Government Area. Therefore, this study set out to assess teachers’

perception on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South

Local Government Area, Kwara State.

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Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study if to examine teachers’ perception on the influence of

social media on pupils’ academic performance in primary schools in Ilorin South Local

Government Area, Kwara State. The study therefore seeks to:

1. Examine teachers’ perception on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic

performance in Ilorin South LGA.

2. Assess gender difference in teachers’ perception on the influence of social media on

pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South LGA.

3. Examine the difference in teachers’ perception on the influence of social media on

pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South LGA based on school type.

4. Find out the difference in teachers’ perception on the influence of social media on

pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South LGA based on experience.

Research Questions

The research question below is raised to guide the study

1. What is the teachers’ perception on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic

performance in Ilorin South LGA?

Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated so as to guide the study

HO1: There is no significant difference in the perception of teachers’ on the influence of

social media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South LGA based on gender.

HO2: There is no significant difference in the perception of teachers’ on the influence of

social media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South LGA based on school type.

7
HO3: There is no significant difference in the perception of teachers’ on the influence of

social media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South LGA based on experience.

Significance of the Study

This study is significant to the teachers, parents and learners. This study will help the

teachers of the school to know the influence that social media has on their pupils, so as to assist

them to enlighten and create awareness to the pupils 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 pupils in creating awareness on the influence of social media

usage, apart from the social benefits of this social networking site, using the sites more than

necessary will pose possible dangers to their health. It will be relevant in assisting pupils in

understanding the diversity of social media. It will provide relevance material for learners and

other researchers undertaking similar research. The study will help researchers with more

information on the Influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance.

Scope of the Study

The study will focus on assessing the perception of teachers’ on the influence of social

media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State.

It will employ a descriptive survey research design where the opinions of the participants will

be sought for the research. This research design will be selected because the study intends to

8
assess teachers’ perception on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance

in basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara state. Based on Kwara State

Education Reform 2022, there exist 89 basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area,

Kwara State both private and public, with a total of 1068 teachers. The study focused on the

teachers across all the middle basic schools as the study population. A sample of 100 teachers

will be randomly selected across ten (10) basic schools; that is 10 teachers from each sampled

school. This is equivalent to 20% of the total population. This is equivalent to 20% of the total

population (middle basic teachers only). Thus, a total sample of 100 teachers from both

government-owned and private schools will be selected as the participants for the study.

Operational Definition of Terms

Teacher: Someone whose job is to teach or instructs in an educational setting as profession.

Perception: The act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the senses or of the

mind; cognition; understanding.

Influence: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of

someone or something, or the effect itself.

Social Media: Computer-mediated tools that allow student to create, share and exchange the

information, ideas, pictures, videos for virtual communities and learners.

Pupils: A person who is taught by another, especially a schoolchild or student in relation to a

teacher.

Academic Performance The outcome of education, the extent to which a student, teacher or

institution has achieved their educational goals. This is commonly measured by examinations

or continuous assessment but there is no general agreement on how it is best tested or which

9
aspects are most important, procedural knowledge such as skills or declarative knowledge such

as facts.

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter reviews related literature on the assessment of teachers’ perception on the

influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South Local Government

Area, Kwara State. The focus will be on the following sub-headings:

a. Concept and Objectives of Basic Education

b. Concept of Social Media

c. Social Media in Education

d. Learners’ Exposure to Social Media

e. Concept of Academic Performance

f. Influence of Social Media on Pupils’ Academic Performance

g. Empirical Studies on Social Media and Pupils’ Academic Performance

h. Appraisal of the Literature Reviewed

Concept and Objectives of Basic Education

The concept of the universal basic education may not be a new idea totally. From all

indications, the Universal Education can be regarded as an offshoot of the Universal Primary

Education (UPE) scheme, which was launched in the country in 1976. As usual with Nigeria,

10
this scheme was abandoned mid-way (Aluede, 2006). The fact that the scheme i.e., UPE had

something to offer perhaps led to the re-introduction of the programme in another name and

concept known as Universal Basic Education in 1999. The Universal Basic Education (UBE) is

a policy reform measure of the Federal Government of Nigeria, aimed at rectifying distortions

in the basic education. UBE is conceived to embrace formal education up to age 15, as well as

adult and non-formal education including education of the marginalized groups within the

Nigerian society.

The National Policy on Education, 2004 section 3 defines Basic Education as a type of

education comprising 6 years of primary education and 3 years of junior secondary school. The

policy stipulates that the education shall be free and compulsory. This scheme shall include

adult and non-formal educational programmes at primary and junior secondary school levels

for both adults and out-of school youths. The UBE has three main components universal, basic

and education. Universal here means the programme is for every one irrespective of tribe,

culture or race and class (Aluede, 2006; Eddy and Akpan, 2009).

The term basic depicts that which is a fundamental or essential thing that must be given

or had. It is on this factor that every other thing rests on. Without it, nothing may be achieved.

It is the root for acquisition of any knowledge (Eddy and Akpan, 2009). Hence, UBE can be

seen as that type of education that every individual must have. It should not be a privilege but a

right and it should be the sum total of an individual’s experience. The Universal Basic

Education’s mission is to serve as a prime energizer of national movement for actualization of

the nation’s UBE’s vision, working in concert with all stakeholders. This will mobilize the

11
nation’s creative energies to ensure that Education for all becomes the responsibilities of all

(UBEC, 2005 Annual Report).

The Universal Basic Education Commission in its annual report in 2005 listed the

objectives of the Universal Basic Education to include ensuring unfettered access to 9 years of

formal basic education; the provision of free, universal basic education for every Nigerian

child of school-going age; reducing drastically the incidence of drop-out from the formal

school system, through improved relevance, quality and efficiency and ensuring the acquisition

of appropriate levels of literacy, numeracy, manipulative, communicative and life skills, as

well as the ethical, moral and civic values needed for laying a solid foundation for life-long

learning.

In order to achieve the above mentioned objectives and indeed the UBE’s vision and

mission of the Scheme, an Act tagged UBE Act was enacted on the 26 May, 2004. It was titled

“Act to provide for compulsory, free, universal Basic Education and other related matters”.

Following the enactment of the Act, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) was

established. The Act provides three sources of funding for the implementation of the UBE,

which are Federal Government Grant of not less 2% of its consolidated revenue fund; funds or

contributions in the form of Federal Guaranteed Credits and local or international donor grants

(UBE Acts, 2004).

Although, this Act covers both the State and the Local Governments, the State

government can only benefit from the Federal Government block grant meant for the

implementation of the UBE if it can contribute at least 50% of the total cost of the project. This

is to ensure the state’s commitment towards the project. To ensure that the UBE project enjoys

12
a wide coverage, the Act provides sanctions for parents who fail to send their children and

wards to school. Also, in order to ensure that poverty is not a hindrance to schooling, the

project provides free textbooks in core subjects as well as abolishes tuition at the primary

school and at the junior secondary school levels (Aluede, 2006).

The enactment of the UBE Act has a legal implication, which makes it compulsory for

provision of universal, free and compulsory 6 years of primary education and the first 3 years

of secondary education. From the various objectives of the UBE stated above, the child should

have a continuous, uninterrupted stretch of education for 9 years from primary school to the

3rd year of the junior secondary school. Apart from this, the UBE scheme plans catering for

the adults who have been out of school before they acquired the basic skills needed for life-

long learning in form of non-formal programmes. So, the UBE programme is planned in such a

way that it shall provide non-formal skills and training for youths who have not had the benefit

of formal education (Dare et al., 2008).

The new scheme has therefore changed the education system from 6, 3, 3, 4-9, 3, 4. It is

expected that there shall be a smooth transition from the primary school (6 years) to the junior

secondary school (3 years). This also translates to no entrance examination into the junior

secondary school. It is also expected that junior secondary schools shall be an autonomous

body, not having much to do with the senior secondary school. In order to achieve this, all

states of the federation have given the junior schools their autonomy. Thus, the junior

secondary schools operate as separate bodies, having their own principals, vice-principals and

members of teaching and nonteaching staff.

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 From the foregoing, it can be seen that the UBE programme in Nigeria has its own

unique features. First and foremost, the Scheme makes it compulsory for every government in

Nigeria to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary

and junior secondary school age. Secondly, it enforces all parents to ensure that their children

or wards attend and complete their primary education and junior secondary school as stated in

Section 2 of the Act, which provides some fines for any breach of the Act.

Concept of Social Media

Social media has been defined as technologies that facilitate social interaction (Bryer &

Zavatarro, 2011). It has made possible collaboration and enables deliberation across stake

holders. These technologies include blogs, wikis, media (audio, photo, video, text) sharing

tools, networking platforms (including Facebook) and virtual worlds. Kaplan and Haenlein

(2010) defined social media as a group of internet-based applications that build on ideological

and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user

generated content. That is, social media are social software which mediate human

communication (Olasedidun, 2013). He further included social media as web and mobile-based

technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue among

organizations, communities and individuals. In recent years, social media became one of the

most powerful sources for news updates through platforms like Twitter and Facebook (Kaplan

& Haelein, 2012).

Social media is computer-mediated tools that allow student to create, share and

exchange the information, ideas, pictures, videos for virtual communities and learners. The

issue of using the social media in the classroom has been a controversial topic for several

14
years. Many parents and educators have been fearful of the repercussions of having the social

media in the classroom. Social media is growing rapidly throughout the world. More adults and

teenagers are joining sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Skype, WhatsApp and Twitter to

interact with friends, family, and strangers. Social networking sites also enable community

involvement in locating expertise, sharing content and collaborating to build content, and allow

knowledge workers to extend the range and scope of their professional relationships.

Social media networking allows researchers to draw from a social network of

information and people outside of their traditional circle of friends. Research Gate is an

example of social networking platform for researchers. Social networking helps teachers

promote reflective analysis and the emergence of a learning community that goes beyond the

institutional walls. Facebook website of a teacher disclosed large amounts of information,

anticipated higher levels of motivation and affective learning, indicating positive attitudes

toward the course and the teacher. Social networking also offers educators an excellent

platform to forge their own professional identity by sharing with other colleagues and debating

ideas, allowing them to extend their professional relationships. Social networking sites may

provide helpful information to educators and help them deal with certain situations better.

Students may also feel more comfortable approaching teacher educators who are present and

friendly or who interact casually with them on Facebook, WhatsApp and ResearchGate; it

gives students the encouragement they need.

Grover and Stewart (2010) explained that social media are the arena where users can

engage in the creation and development of content and gather online to share knowledge,

information and opinions using web based applications and tools. Social media content is

15
generated through social media interactions done by the users through the site. Social

networking refers to software that allows people to come together around an idea or topic of

interest. Social media technologies take on many different forms including magazines, internet

forums, weblogs, social blogs, micro-blogging, wikis, podcasts, photographs or pictures, video,

rating and social bookmarking.

By applying a set of theories in the field of media research (social presence, media

richness) and social processes (self-presentation, self-disclosure), Kaplan and Haenlein (2010)

created a classification scheme for different social media types. According to them, the six

different types of social media are collaborative projects (Wikipedia), blogs and microblogs

(e.g. twitter), content communities (YouTube), social networking sites (Facebook), virtual

game worlds (World of Warcraft) and virtual social worlds (second life).

Social Media in Education

Social media networking is sharing and generating knowledge, and all of these features

are of great value in the context of higher education. Social media plays an important role in

the field of education and student’s life. It is easier and convenient to access the information,

provide information and communicate via social media. Teachers and students are connected

to each other and can make use of these social media platforms for the working of their

education. Professors are expanding their Social Media usage to host live lectures, offer off-

hours support for students, or even host student debates. Social media helps Teacher Educators

to be connected to their students off campus as well as with their ex-students.

Teachers use social media as a way of teaching by creating groups and accounts for

students where the information can be accessed. Teachers can share ideas with each other and

16
point students to Skype, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Facebook. Teachers create hash tags that

allow students to tag their academic posts, and view submissions to see what the collective has

creatively produced. One of the main reasons behind teachers adapting to social media in

classrooms is that they can teach the students via social media. Not only they are able to make

the work easy but also are developing themselves professionally, creating a name for them in

the community. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and YouTube are the examples where you can see

professors doing excel in their work.

These social media platforms are highly accessed and hence can help professors in

getting the high reputation in their profession. WhatsApp, Blogs and wikis are preferred for

teaching and learning process, while Facebook or LinkedIn are used more for social and

professional connections. Social Media for Community Building is the missing piece of the

puzzle for Admissions departments, Enrolment Management departments, Public Relations

and Student Services departments that are seeking to engage their audiences using social

media. In every college and university, social media is being integrated in classroom teaching

as maximum as possible, including admissions, campus life, alumni relations. Student and

Teachers are intimately involved with social media at every stage. If academician are missing

onto the usage of social media they will push away a lot of potential audience. Using it in

Higher Education Institutions can prove to be a very effective measure.

Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Flickr, as well as open social

practices such as blogging, are being used in learning for the purpose of convenient

communication with peer group students and potentially with others outside the class such as

students of the same topic and subject experts. The fact that these social media are generally

17
open to the world implies a need to carefully consider the risks of openness as well as need for

ongoing communication with students in order to address their academic and deal with issues

in the use of social media as they arise. These risks are counter-balanced by the academic

benefits of open discussion and academic debate in authentic online environments. A new area

of social media is increasing in popularity that is focused on building relationships with

students outside of the classroom.

The advantages of using social media for educational purpose are far ranging. A study

stated that the use of social media tools improved the student’s learning opportunities, allowed

for real-time communication outside the classroom, fostered collaborative opportunities, and

enhanced creativity. Students can watch educationally relevant videos or exchange information

about what they have watched and learned, and then join online to further discuss with

teachers. Even the teachers also can learn from the students during social networking

interactions. Similarly, a teacher can supervise students while they are learning, reflecting,

sharing, interacting and summarizing discussions. Social media provides a forum to contact

peers and teachers from wherever they are, offering the flexibility of extended duty hours.

Some social media, especially Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Kaizala App, features may

boost students to involve in social and creative learning progressions that extend beyond

traditional educational settings and institutions.

Leaners’ Exposure to Social Media

It has been observed in recent times that students have unlimited access to the internet

as well as the social media. Students connect with computer to send and receive information’s

anywhere on the globe. The manufacturing and distribution of equally sophisticated cellular

18
phones has complicated the situation, as students no longer need to visit a cybercafé before

they send and receive messages. Some school are so equipped that there is internet connection

made available within the school premises as well as in the library. Online Wikipedia and

blogs are the main resource centers for students as attention have been shifted from making

research in the library to overall dependence on theses social platforms. It is a common thing to

see a student reading in the library and putting the books aside on hearing the sound of a ping

on the phone.

Concept of Academic Performance

Academic performance can be refers to as the extent to which a student, teacher or

institution has achieved their short or long term educational goals. Cumulative GPA and

completion of educational degrees such as secondary schools and bachelor’s degrees represents

academic achievement. Academic performance is commonly measured through examination,

continuous assessments or assignment but there is no general agreement on how it is best

evaluated or which aspects are most important. Although there are inconclusive results over

which individual factors successfully predicts academic performance element such as test

anxiety, environment, emotions and motivations are to be considered when planning the

models of school achievement.

Academic excellence or performance plays an important role in an individual

placement, be it in the academic institutions or job placement. Due to this, many people are

concerned with the ways they can enhance their academic achievement. The emphasis on

academic excellence which is also prevalent worldwide has encouraged many studies about the

conditions promoting it. The role of academic achievement as one of the predictors of one’s

19
life success and also in the aspect of academic placement in schools to higher institutions as

well as the level of employability in one’s career is inevitable (Kyoshaba, 2009).

Influence of Social Media on Pupils’ Academic Performance

Social media usage in respect of communication cannot be denied. Almost everyone is

using social networking sites such as; Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube, and Twitter. Social

media usage is beneficial in business, marketing, social awareness, entertainment, news

updates, banking, and especially in educational purposes. Since the last decades, social media

sites have increased unbelievable attractiveness among teachers. Social media applications are

also using for communication, sharing of information, collaborative learning, and teaching too.

Social media has provided a large platform for discussion, sharing information and

knowledge. Higher education faculties are utilizing social media sites in order to interact with

colleagues, students along with professional purposes. Teachers are frequently using Whatsapp

and Facebook in assigning to students for academic tasks and sharing content in developed and

developing countries. Regarding online teaching in developing countries, Jogezai et al (2021)

found that social media has significantly affected the teacher’s attitude toward online education

while pandemic. Moreover, they said that social media had a measurable effect on their

knowledge (Jogezai et al., 2021).

According to Junco al et (2010), social media are a gaggle of internet websites, services,

and practices that support collaboration, community building, participation, and sharing”. The

growing dimension of the utilization of social media among the youth of today can't be over

emphasized. Over the years, social networking among second cycle students has become more

and more popular. It is how to form connection not only on campus, but with friends outside of

20
faculty. Social networking may be a way that helps many of us feels as if they belong to a

community. Due to the increased popularity of it, economists and professors are questioning

whether grades of scholars aren't being suffering from what proportion time is spend on these

sites (Choney, 2010).

According to Lenhart et al., (2010), about 57% of social network users are 18-29 years

old and have a private profile on multiple social media websites. In a study by Pempek,

Yermolayeva, and Calvert (2009), the quantity of your time spent daily on social network sites

varied greatly. However, an analysis of the info indicated most participants spent

approximately thirty minutes a day socializing, mostly during the evening hours between 9p.m

to 12a.m students spent a mean of forty seven minutes a day on Facebook. More than 50% of

school students continue a social networking sites several times each day (Sheldon, 2008).

Quan-Haase and Young (2010) in their study found that 82% of school students

reported logging into Facebook several times each day. Younger students attended use

Facebook more frequently than older students to stay in-tuned with friends from high school or

from their hometown (Pempek et al., 2009). Many researchers like Choney (2010), San Miguel

(2009) and Enriquez (2010) studies on students’ use of the social media sites revealed a

negative effect of the use of social media sites on students’ academic performance. Nielsen

Media Research study conducted in June 2010 stated that nearly 25% of students’ time on the

web is spent on social networking sites (Jacobsen & Forste 2011).

The American Educational Research Association conducted a search and declared at its

annual conference in San Diego California (2009), that social media users study less and

generate lower grade (Abaleta et al, 2014). San Miguel (2009), focused on the connection

21
between time spent on Facebook and therefore the academic performance of scholars. The

overall findings indicated “more time on Facebook equals slightly lower grades”. In his study,

the typical facebook user had a GPA of three .0 to 3.5, while the non-facebook user had a GPA

of three .5 - 4.0. Also, the typical facebook user study for 1 – 5 hours per week, while the non-

facebook user would study 11 – 15 hours per week.

Enriquez (2010) in his research work revealed that students who multi-task between

social networking sites and residential work are likely to possess 20% lower grades than a

student who doesn't have a social networking site. He believes that even running a social

networking site on the background on a student’s PC while studying or doing homework could

lower a student’s grade. He believes that “the problem is that the majority people have

Facebook or other social networking sites, their e-mails and can be instant messaging

constantly running within the background while they are completing their tasks”.

Choney (2010), in watching the time spend on facebook and its effect on academic

performance said a user of Facebook has a mean “GPA of three .06, while non-users have a

mean GPA of three .82”. Furthermore, a study conducted by Karpinski and Duberstein (2009),

of Ohio Dominican university on college students who use social network have significantly

lower mark averages (GPAs) than people who don't . They also mentioned that among various

unique distractions of each single generation, Facebook remains a big distraction of current

generation.

According to Khan (2009), facebook users often time experience poor performance

academically. Similarly, Englander et al., (2010), posit that social media is negatively related

to academic performance of student and may be a lot more momentous than its advantages.

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According to Kubey et al., (2010), impairment of educational performance and internet

dependency are correlated by utilizing synchronous communication programme including

websites and forums.

Jocabsen and Forste (2011), found a negative relationship between the utilization of

varied media, including mobile phones, and self-reported GPA among first year university

students. Yen at el. (2009) also identified an association between mobile use and respondents

and report that respondents have allowed phone use to interfere with their academic activities.

Similarly, Hong et al. (2012), reported that daily use of mobile phones is correlated with self-

reported measure of educational difficulty among a sample of Taiwanese university students.

In a survey of Spanish high school students. Sanchez-Martinz and Otero (2009), found a

correlation between “intensive” mobile use and faculty failure.

However, other studies like Ahmed and Qazi (2011), Hanqittai and Hsich (2010), Pasek

and Hanqittai (2009), conducted on an equivalent topic revealed no correlation between social

media and students’ academic performance. A study conducted at Whittemore school of

Business and Economic on one thousand, 127 students revealed that there's no correlation

between what proportion time is spent on social networking sites and grades (Martin, 2009).

Again, University of latest Hampshire (2010) study also revealed that students’ use of

social media sites don't affect grades. A recent survey showed that approximately ninety

percent of teens have Internet access, and about seventy-five percent of those teens use the web

quite once per day (Kist, 2008). This study also showed that approximately half all teens who

have Internet access also are members of social networking sites, and use the web to form

plans and socialize with friends (Kist, 2008).

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Empirical Studies on Social Media and Pupils’ Academic Performance

In a study conducted by Badmus (2020) which was carried on perceived influence of

social media on education: Implication on students’ academic performance. This study sought

the perception of secondary school teachers and students on the utilization of social media and

its implication on students' academic performance in Oyo State. The population comprised all

secondary school teachers and students in Oyo State, Nigeria. It was a descriptive survey

research where data was collected from 450 teachers and 1,125 students. The sample was

selected from the three senatorial districts in Oyo State and 45 secondary schools were used. In

each district, 15 secondary schools were randomly selected where 10 teachers and 25 students

in each of the selected schools participated in the study. The researcher used structured

questionnaire tagged "Questionnaire on Perceived Influenced of Social Media on Students'

Academic Performance (QPISMSAP) with reliability Cronbach alpha value of 0.87 used for

the data collection. Frequency counts, percentages and t-test were used for data analysis. The

findings revealed that teachers and students in Oyo State have positive and right perception of

the influence of the utilization of social media on students' academic performance with grand

mean scores 3.5405 (teachers) and 3.0985 (students). It was also found that there is significant

difference between the perception of male teachers and female teachers (t (448)=6.059>p0.05)

on social media influence on students' academic performance, while there is no significant

difference in that of male and female students (t(1123)= 6.898<p0.05).Based on the findings, it

was concluded that using social media at tertiary level could be advantageous and could

enhance students' academic performance. It was recommended among others that teachers and

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students should utilize social media in a positive way to bring about effective teaching-learning

process and better performance in students' academics.

Also, study on teacher’s perception towards usage of social media to enhance teaching

performance was carried out by Shaikh, (2021). The study directs to analyze the perception of

teachers towards the adaption of social media as a new technology for the enhancement of

teaching performance. The collected data contains a sample of n=130 faculty members of two

public universities of Sindh province of Pakistan. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has

been used in the framework of the study. The data were analyzed by the Smart Partial Least

Square (PLS) software version 3. The aggregate response from the teacher's rate is 94.7% for

the current study. More than an average social networking source, Whatsapp mostly used

58.46% by the teachers of public universities. The teachers of public universities use 92.31%

of Facebook and 67.69% of Whatsapp less than four hours per day. Acceptable scores of

Cronbach’s Alpha through reliability values appear greater than 0.70 up to 0.987. Moreover,

both AVE and CV are indicating acceptable scores. A value of SRMR below 0.08 is a

depiction of good fit. The study confirmed all the established hypotheses indicating the factors

including Perceived Usefulness and the Perceived Ease of Use and towards teachers’

performance and satisfaction are significantly affected by the use of social media. Therefore,

the study finds a stronger association of social media use to Perceived ease of usefulness. It is

also observed that the Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use appear crucial factors

to make a significant prediction about teachers’ performance after using social media.

More so, Oguguo et al (2020) examined the Influence of social media on students’

academic achievement. This study determined the influence of using social media on the

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academic achievement of senior secondary school students. A sample of 150 students

comprising 70 males and 80 females were drawn from five schools and used for the study, this

was arrived at through multi-stage sampling procedure. Social Media Questionnaire (SMQ)

and Students’ Accounting Achievement Proforma (SAAP) were used for data collection. The

result showed that students frequently engage in social media in order to make new friends,

research about their assignments and source for other educational materials, stay up to dates

with latest trends and news. The finding also showed that students spend an average, 2 to 4

hours daily on social media. There was no significant influence of frequency of social media

use by students on their mean academic achievements in Accounting; however, gender of

students was found to have a significant influence on students’ mean academic achievement in

Accounting. Students should be guided properly and informed on the vulnerabilities likely to

come their way if they fail to appropriately utilize the opportunities that come with having

social media platforms.

In addition, in a research work of Osharive (2015) which was based on social media and

academic performance of students in University of Lagos. The study examined the influence of

social media and academic performance of students in University of Lagos. Five Research

questions and five Research hypotheses guided the study. To achieve this, the descriptive

survey research design was adopted. The study focused on University of Lagos 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: Social Media and Academic Performance of Students

Questionnaire (SMAAPOS) was used to collect data from the participants. The descriptive

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statistics of frequency counts and percentage, were used to analyze the demographic data while

inferential statistics of Chi-square was used in testing the research hypotheses. Research

findings showed that a great number of students in University of Lagos, 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.

Appraisal of the Literature Reviewed

There are many issues concerning pupils as primary education level and social

networking site participation. On one hand, there may be benefits for pupils who use these sites

properly and appropriately. Other research suggested that there are clear risks involved when

learners become too consumed with the Internet and social networking websites. It was

discovered that social networking sites are the most common used social media networks

among students and also Wikipedia has the main resort point for students for research

purposes.

Learners and teachers engage themselves with one activity or the other on the various

social media on day to day activities. However, they spend more time on Facebook, Twitter

and other social media through smartphones that are now in abundance among the teenagers

and youths. Many of them cannot go for two-three hours without checking and updating their

profiles on these social networks even at the detriment of other activities such as educational

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and career pursuit. Smart phones, android phones as well as tablets were seen to be the major

ways through which students gain easy access to the internet to be on the various social media

network platforms.

Again, this chapter discussed the usage of social media websites. According to most

research done on the topic, the number of teenage girls and boys who communicate on these

social media networks are equally divided. Majority of students in Nigeria visit at least one

social networking site approximately twenty times each day. Cell phones have been banned

from classroom and schools have blocked many popular social media websites due to the

repercussion the social media might have on the academic performance of students.

Hence, for the purposes of this research project, the researcher will examine the

perception of teachers on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance.

Many studies have been conducted on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic

performance, teachers’ and students’ perception of social media utilization on students’

academic performance in Kwara State but this study is either scanty or not in existence in

Ilorin South Local Government Area. Therefore, this study set out to assess teachers’

perception on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South

Local Government Area, Kwara State.

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 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the researcher describes the method adopted for this study under the sub-

heading below:

a. Research Design

b. Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques

c. Instrumentation

d. Validation of the Instrument.

e. Reliability of the Instrument

f. Procedure of Data Collection

g. Data Analysis Techniques

Research Design

This study adopts a descriptive survey method. A survey method is a data collection

tool used to gather information about individuals, collected self- report data from study

participants. Survey is considered appropriate for this study because it involved direct contact

with the samples that are relevant to the investigation. Therefore, the descriptive survey

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method was adopted since the study would be carried out to assess the perception of teachers

on the influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance in Ilorin South Local

Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria.

Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques

The study covers all registered basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area,

Kwara State, where the focus of the study would be all middle basic schools in the LGA, both

private and government owned schools. There are This research design will be selected

because the study intends to assess teachers’ perception on the influence of social media on

pupils’ academic performance in basic schools in Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara

state. Based on Kwara State Education Reform 2022, there exist 89 basic schools in Ilorin

South Local Government Area, Kwara State both private and public, with a total of 1068

teachers. The study focused on the teachers across all the middle basic schools as the study

population. A sample of 100 teachers will be randomly selected across ten (10) basic schools;

that is 10 teachers from each sampled school. This is equivalent to 20% of the total population.

Thus, a total sample of 100 teachers from both government-owned and private schools will be

selected as the participants for the study. To elicit vital information from the respondents, a

researcher designed questionnaire titled Teachers’ Perception on the Influence of Social Media

on Pupils’ Academic Performance (TPISMPAP) would be used with clear information for the

respondents.

Instrumentation

A researcher designed questionnaire titled Teachers’ Perception on the Influence of

Social Media on Pupils’ Academic Performance (TPISMPAP) would be adopted to obtain

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valid information for thestudy. The questionnaire would be designed with clear instruction for

the respondents, and would comprises (2) sections; A and B. Section A comprises the

demographic data of the respondents, while section B comprises data on teachers’ perception

of the influence of social media on pupils’ academic performance in basic schools in Ilorin

South Local Government Area, Kwara State.

Validity of the Instrument

In order to ensure the validity of the instruments, face and content validity would be

used where the items on the questionnaire and would be checked against the research purposes.

An expert judgment would also be sought from the supervisors and two other lecturers from

the department who will assist in the validation of the instruments.

Reliability of the Instrument

To measure the reliability of the tool, the researcher would assign some copies of the

instrument to some respondents. In this case, twenty-two (22) copies of the instrument would

be administered on the representative and the scores would be tested against the instrument to

ensure its reliability using Cronbach Alpha with a constant value of 0.06.

Procedure for Data Collection

The researcher will collect letter of introduction from the Department of Adult and

Primary Education, Institute of Education, University of Ilorin. The letter will be tendered to

Head-teachers of selected basic schools. After the permission is granted and date fixed, the

researcher would meet the personnel from the appropriate quarters for data gathering.

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Data Analysis Techniques

The data collected from the respondents will be analysed using descriptive statistic.

Frequency count and percentage would be used for respondents’ demographic data, mean and

standard deviation would be used to answer the research question raised, while independent

sampling t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) will be used to test the hypothesis

formulated.

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