International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 7/July 2020

Accelerating Towards Sustainable Education:

Investigating New Media Technology use among
University Students
Doris Ngozi Morah, PhD 1 & Rajiv Singh, PhD2
1
Mass Communication Department, Madonna University, Okija, Anambra Nigeria.
2
Sanchi University of Buddhist- Indic Studies, India.
Email Id: morahng@yahoo.com1; rajiv.singh164@gmail.com2

DOI:10.5281/zenodo.3973355

Abstract

New media technology has permeated almost every facet of the globe. The use of new media technology is prevalent, especially
in Africa and Nigeria. New media technology might provide access to an abundant knowledge base, research collaborations, and
publications. This study sought to investigate the extent and challenges of the use of new media technology among students in
Nigerian campuses. Anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, 600 selected students
of two Nigerian universities in South East- Madonna University, Okija and Enugu State University of Science and Technology,
Enugu - were studied to provide answers to the research questions. Findings show, among others that access, gender, availability
and media literacy have significant relationships with new media technology use for sustainability in university education in
Nigeria. The study recommends the introduction of social media literacy courses and the intervention of government in the
provision of new media technology, especially in universities for sustainable educational development in Nigeria.

Keywords: New Media Technology, Education, Sustainable Development, Tertiary Education, Digitalization

Introduction
The world is a global village as postulated by Marshal McLuhan (Morah, 2018) and the use of new media technology is
indispensable. The use of new media technology is swift and smooth as research demonstrates that ―new media revolution is
progressing at an accelerated speed and penetrating every facet of human development‖ (Morah, Udeze & Ekwenchi, 2019, p.1).
Castel (2007) believes that the media have changed and are still changing radically. There have been changes in the information and
communication era, and the entire world currently spellbound by new media technology. New media technology provides easy
access to varieties of information anytime and anywhere. The new trend influences educational institutions and society.
Previous research on new technology use in education (Papert, 1980; Turkle, 1984), considered that students constructed reality
from experience and prior knowledge. Students also interact with the environment and develop a conceptual framework to explain
the interaction to cope with the environment. The new media knowledge, skills and understanding are presently pervasively
emphasized and integrated into many areas, including the educational sector. It has far-reaching applications for research (Morah &
Ekwenchi, 2019; Morah & Omojola, 2018). Digital libraries and online database are essential research tools provided by the new
media technology that widens the student's horizons of learning. Today, students have access to technology which enhances
academic performance such as laptops, internets, social media, smartphone and video conferencing tools. Some students apparently
perceive new media as a useful tool for achieving educational objectives.

New media technology involves a convergence of digital information technology collaborated with telecommunication technology
(Castells cited in Morah, 2018). Its potentialities defined by a diverse set of technological tools and resource used to communicate,
create, disseminate, store and manage information. In this instance, the following technologies are new media technologies including
smartphones, laptops, iPad, the Internet, e-Library and social media. Worldwide, the Internet penetration rate as of June 2019
(Internetworldstats, 2019) was 4422,494,622 while that of Africa was 525, 148 631. Nevertheless, in Nigeria, with an estimated
population of 200, 962, 417, a massive transformation in internet use occurred as from June 2019. The penetration rate increased
stridently from 200,000 in the year 2000 to 123, 486 615 in 2019, according to the report. The widespread interest in internet use is

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 7/July 2020

an indication of the usefulness of the Internet and new media technology. It is therefore apt to explore the new media technology
usage patterns on educational activities of Nigeria students to establish its relevance in global educational sustainability endeavours.

The Problem
The use of new media technology has globally changed the way of teaching and learning. It has as well improved the
communication between students and their lecturers. Students use more tools to access reading materials for their academic works
generally. In the developed world, almost every kind of students makes maximum use of new media technology in their academic
pursuit. In contrast, their counterpart in the developing world might not compete on the same level as them. Acquiring digital
equipment should be accompanied with access to enable people to benefit sufficiently from new media technology as applicable in
other parts of the world. Students in the developing world face many challenges in using new media technology for learning, not
identified for proper handling. Without solving these challenges, new media technology cannot make much impact on student's
studies. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate the extent of use of new media technology to help re-emphasize the benefits
of digital technology in the academic performance of university students. The study establishes the relationship between the use of
new media technology and students academic performance in selected Nigerian universities.

Objective
The following objective serves as guideposts to this study:
1. To investigate the extent of new media technology use among university students.
2. To find out the usefulness of new media technology in the academic development of university students
3. To examine factors significantly hindering new media technology use among university students.

Research Questions
The following research questions were provided answers to objectives of this study:
1. What is the extent of new media technology use on among university students?
2. How useful is new media technology in the academic development of university students?
3. Which factor significantly hinder new media technology use among university students?

Significance of Study
Presently, there is a gap in reliable empirical data that could demonstrate, for example, the advantages of new media technology use
in public universities over the privately-owned ones. Furthermore, from a theoretical perspective, it is somewhat unclear if the policy
postulate of Internet access for everybody will be the necessary factor for success in the future. Alternatively, whether access to new
media or Internet information will be relevant at all is another issue. The study is thus relevant as it identifies the importance of new
media technology in the educational sector, especially in Africa and Nigeria. It equally prepares government, students and lecturers
to meet the challenges in the use of new media technology in developing countries. The study will be of immense help to create a
positive impact on campuses and schools for sustainable educational development.

New Media Technology Use and Knowledge Gaps in Education

New media technologies are technologies of the new media of the Internet, which is web-based and digital (Morah, 2018). New
media technologies brought about a paradigm shift in global communication which started with the concept of the new media. The
new media concept came after the advent of ICT around the 2000s with the initiation of new media technologies like social media,
mobile media, and digital technologies. The condition was attributed to originate from various scholars which might be a reason for
not accepting a universal collaboration on the meaning of the expression 'new media'. Rheingold (1991) describes new media as the
culmination or present stage of development of all human media over time. Under this dispensation, new media positions at the end
of a chronological list that begins with oral communication, writing, printing, drawing, and painting. It then stretches and weaves its
way through the image and communication media of the nineteenth and twentieth century's, photography, film, TV, video and
semaphore, telegraphy, telephony and radio.

Castells (2007), on his part, argues the world has been in the process of structural transformation for over three decades and the
multidimensional process. He notes new media "is associated with the emergence of a new technological paradigm, based on
information and communication technologies, which took shape in the 1970s and diffused unevenly around the world" (p. 3).
Webster (2006, p. 100) believes Castells's core argument hinges on the 'information age' which announces 'a new society' brought
into being by the development of networks (enabled by ICTs) and gives priority to information flows. The information flow has
increased today following the proliferation of smartphones and social media platform. New media technology is basically used to
communicate or to convey messages, to students and for educational purposes considering its potentialities. The computer, laptops,

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 7/July 2020

smartphone, Internet, social media and the modem, along with many other digital hardware and software innovations and services,
have placed a high point of very significant stages of development in human communication history often called ―the information
society‖ (Castells, 2007).

During the last decade, however, some higher education institutions in Nigeria have invested heavily in new media technology while
some are yet to follow suit. Such technology has a significant impact on the university context, in the teaching and learning method.
One puzzling question is the effect of those technologies on student's achievement and the benefit of education; some academic
researchers have tried to answer this question of theoretical and empirical levels. Therefore the relationship between the use of new
media technology and students performance in higher education is not clear as there are contradictive results in extant literature
(Ekwenchi, Morah and Adum, 2015; Morah & Ekwenchi, 2019). The new media technologies can therefore, transform how students
study in schools and universities globally.

New Media Technology Use and Sustainable Development

The role of new media technology cannot be adequately examined without being set inside the context of national development in
Nigeria (Morah, 2019). Over the last fifteen years, Nigeria has experienced escalating technology adoption, especially in diverse
areas of development. New media technologies are critical to national developments supported by the growing number of Nigerians
on the Internet and social networks. The transforming world of the new media technologies, particularly in the context of media
convergence, access to information, free flow of information and citizen participation in information processing and distribution are
considered essential components that strengthen democratic culture (Morah, 2019; Jensen, 2005; Reiner, 2009).

The concept of development is a victim of definitional pluralism; however, attempts have been made by erudite scholars made to
conceptualize development. Gboyega (2003) described the development as an idea that comprises attempts to improve the
conditions of human existence in all ramifications. It implies the improvement in the material well being of all citizens, not the most
potent consumptions do not imperil the future; it also demands that poverty and inequality of access to the good things of life should
reduce. Development seeks to improve livelihoods and personal physical security and expansion of life chances. Development
involves not only economic growth, but also some notion of equitable distribution, provision of health care, education, housing and
other essential services aimed at improving the individual and collective quality of life (Naomi, 1995). Provision and use of new
media technology in the education sector are thus considered as development along with the other thoughts.

Effective use of new media technology will, therefore, improve education and ensure sustainability in the educational sector. It leads
to superabundance information from the Internet, which closes the knowledge gap and advances the new public sphere. Phillip
Tichenor, George Donohue and Clarice Olien in 1970 proposed the knowledge gap hypothesis. The tenets of the hypothesis believe
that with the diffusion of mass media messages into the economy increases, sections of the population with higher socioeconomic
status will get the information at a faster rate than the lower status segments. Under this dispensation, the gap in knowledge among
these segments tends to increase rather than decrease (Tichenor et al., 1970, pp 159–60). Based on the above premise, it is clear that
access to new media technology will help close the knowledge gaps in universities as it enables more information flow.

Many scholars have advanced the potential of the Internet in accelerating diverse human progress in both developed and developing
countries (Morah, 2019; Morah, Ekwenchi &Chiaha, 2019; Morah & Uzochukwu, 2019; Jha, 2007; de Beer, 2004; Leslie, 2002;
Mollgaard, 2007; Loudon & Loudon, 2007; Garson, 2007; Kohlmann, 2006). These studies corroborate thoughts on the
indispensability of the Internet in today's world. The Internet is essential in marketing, professional, social, political mobilization as
well as democratization processes. Leslie (2002) noted that the Internet and the World Wide Web had altered the way Americans
communicate; while Jha (2007) reported a rapid increase in the use of the Internet by professional journalists in the United States.
According to Jha, journalists make use of the Internet to access news stories, interview news sources, conduct research, seek fresh
news and updates and also maintain two-way communication with audience members. In a content analysis study, Jha (2007) found
that regardless of the unlimited Internet -sourcing opportunities to journalists, the Internet had little or no impact on sourcing of
news as the traditional pattern of news sourcing and framing persisted.

De Beer (2004) argued that Africa‗s participation in a globalizing world would depend on the continent‗s embrace to the gains of the
Internet. The author specifically mentioned the new media such as computers, cellular phones, digital cameras, portable digital
assistants, and digital books as new vehicles to deliver information differently from the traditional channels of communication such
as radio, television, newspapers, books and magazines. The use of one of these new media— cellular phone in Africa— has assumed
a revolutionary proportion (Ekwenchi, Morah& Adum, 2015). For Eribo (2004), the trend towards Internet use and cellular phone
communication represents a catalyst for overall human development and ground-breaking device for regular information sharing and

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interaction. Ekwenchi, Morah & Adum (2015) found that Whatsapp and Facebook are popular social media platforms used by
students in Nigerian campuses which enhances learning to an extent.

Technology Acceptance Model

Davis et al. (1989) proposed the Technology Acceptance Model which suggest that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness
are beliefs about a new technology that influence an individual's attitude toward and use of that technology (Morah, 2018). TAM has
a relationship with the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Wu, Tao and Yang (2008, p.925) stressed that "the purpose of TAM is to
simplify TRA and provide a generalization model that possesses theoretical foundation and parsimony and the tools that a manager
uses". The researchers further agree with Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis (2003) views that TAM allows users to weigh the
introduction of new technology, and then predicts and explains the user's behaviour of accepting information technology. At the
same time, a researcher can understand the external factors that affect a researcher's internal faith, attitude and desire when using the
technology. In this context, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of new media technology are likely to motivate students
to imbibe the new media technology culture in education.

Theoretical Framework: Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory, developed by Rogers (1962), is one of the oldest theories in social sciences. It roots in
communication to explain how, over time, an idea or product gains momentum and diffusion occurs in a specific population or
social system. The result of this diffusion is that people, as part of a social system, adopt a new idea, or behaviour on specific
products or idea. Adoption of a new idea, behaviour or product (i.e. innovation) does not happen simultaneously in a social system;
instead, it is a process whereby some people are more prone to adopt the innovation than others. The research found that people who
adopt an innovation early have different characteristics than people who adopt an innovation later. When promoting innovation to a
target population, it is, therefore, essential to understanding features of the target population that will help or pose as hindrance to the
adoption of innovations. Also, when promoting an innovation, there are different strategies which appeal to different adopter
categories, including innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards (Rogers as cited in Morah, 2018). The
stages by which a person adopts innovation and whereby diffusion accomplishes include awareness of the need for an innovation-
decision to adopt (or reject) the innovation and initial use of the innovation.

Five main factors influence the adoption of an innovation. Each of the listed factors plays out at different extent as five adopter
categories described as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trailability and observability (Morah, 2018). The adoption of a
technology depends on it ease of use; increases its usefulness and point out challenges in its use. The implication here is that the
innovation theory has a goal to raise the potential of new media technology use by providing high-quality modules and instructional
materials for all learners as one-stop solution in any time anywhere mode. Innovative ideas could diffuse using the framework
provided by new media technology, which could make much difference mainly in the academic environment.

Methodology
The study deployed the survey research method to investigate how young undergraduates of two selected universities in two states in
Southern Nigerian utilize new media technology for academic activities and factors hindering its effectiveness. Three departments in
each of the two universities were purposively selected comprising Mass Communication, Business Administration and English. A
hundred students selected from each department to a total of 600 students. The two universities were chosen for two main reasons.
One is the location of two large universities that is: Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) and Madonna
University, which has a predominant youth population apt for this study. Next is the residence of an even larger population of other
young people who were assumed to be new media users.

Primary data were thus collected employing a questionnaire specially constructed for this research. The questionnaire was piloted
before distribution to validate the contents in terms of validity, logic and accuracy. The final version of the questionnaire distributed
using face-to-face technique consisted of two parts. The first part of the questionnaire was designed to identify the demographic
characteristic of the respondents such as gender, age, sex and educational background while the other contains a series of questions
about significant research questions guiding the study.

Results and Discussion

The data analyzed was obtained from copies of the questionnaire distributed face to face among students from two universities in
Nigeria comprising Madonna University, Okija Nigeria and Enugu State University of Science and Technology. Out of 600 copies
of the questionnaire distributed, 498 representing a response rate of 83% was completed and returned. Analyses of data are presented
below on thematic and demographic variables underlying this study using SPSS data analysis software. The compilations were

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 7/July 2020

translated to simple percentages. The idea is to show the relationship of each answer to the other options available to the
respondents. The strategy illuminates reasons for given answers vividly and makes comparison easier. The field results are
presented as follows:

Demographic Data
In terms of the age of the respondents, results from the study indicated that 378 of the respondents sampled representing 77.8% are
youths between the age brackets of 18-22 years; 92 respondents representing 18.9% are within age brackets 23-28 years. Other age
brackets samples is a negligible 3.3%, representing age brackets 29-40 years. Most of the respondents are youths. The result implies
that most of the respondents are likely to be using new media technology for educational purposes.

Concerning the age of respondents, 256 representing 54.2% of the selected sample investigated are females, while 216, representing
45.8% are males. Meanwhile, results show that the majority (390) of the youths sampled representing 81.3% are single, while 90
respondents represented by 18.7% are married. The finding implies that most of the students used for the study are single. The result
is a common phenomenon in South-East Nigeria as most parents prefer their wards complete first-degree education before marriage,
especially girls.

Most of the respondents demonstrate that 336 respondents used in the study have attained third and fourth-year levels of tertiary
education. The finding implies that most of the respondents are young people who are educated to a large extent and are, therefore,
likely to be new media literate and compliant.

RQ1: What is the extent of new media technology use on among university students?
Analysis of data from findings shows that 252 respondents representing 84% make use of smartphones more than all other mobile
devices. Nineteen respondents representing 6.3% make use of laptop and computers; 15 respondents representing 5% use pagers
mostly; while 11 and 3 respondents representing 4% and 1% respectively indicated that they use tablets and PDAs mostly. This
finding implies that more than three-quarter of the respondents are popularly using mobile phones more than other new media
devices on campuses. The above respondents are likely to use their mobile phones for research and school related activities.

Table 1 Computer (laptop or desktop) ownership in selected Universities

Universities Frequency Percentage
Madonna Uni 332 67%

ESUT 166 33%

Total 498 100%

Data on Table 1 shows that students of Madonna University which is a privately owned university predominantly own either a
laptop or desktop. On the contrary, one-third of the sample (166) 33% of ESUT students owns either a laptop or desktop. The
demarcation in media ownership hinges on the socioeconomic status of the student. The result apparently indicates that Madonna
University students possibly use their computers for research and academic reasons and supports the technology acceptance model.
However, the finding contradicts earlier finding that most students (84%) use their smartphones predominantly maybe for academic
purposes on selected campuses. In other words, ownership of a computer does not guarantee its usage, especially among young
people on campuses.

RQ2: How useful is new media technology in academic development of university students?

Table 2 Extent of new media technology usefulness in improving educational performance

Degree Frequency percentage
Small extent 12 2.4%
Average extent 109 21.9%
Large extent 373 74.9%
No extent 4 0.8%
Total 498 100%

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Data on Table 2 indicates that most 373 respondents representing a score of 74.9% agree that new media technology is greatly
instrumental in improving their educational performance. The finding confirms extant literature on new media studies (Morah &
Omojola, 2018; Morah, Ekwenchi &Chiaha, 2019). The findings also affirm the tenets of diffusion of innovation theory.

Table 3 Specific roles of new media technology in education

Roles Frequency percentage

Researching course contents 223 44.8%

Typesetting of assignment 55 11%

Submitting assignment to lecturers 34 6.8%

Project writing 145 29.1%

Interacting and networking 41 8.2%
Total 498 100%

The responses on table 3 show that a majority 44.8% (223) of selected students use new media technology in carrying out researches
on their course contents. One hundred and forty-five (29.1%) respondents use their devices for thesis writings, while 11% (55) use
theirs for typing. Thirty-four (6.8%) respondents agree that use new media devices for submitting an assignment to their lecturer.
Surprisingly, only 8.2% (41) attested to using new media technology for social interactions and networking. The above finding
demonstrates that new media technology is a tool for educational development, especially among tertiary students. The finding
demonstrates the proposition of Technology Acceptance Model as the respondents adopt and use the new media technology
differently based on perceived usefulness.

Table 4: Respondents extent of use of new media devices for educational activities
Universities Respondents who get Respondents who use Respondents who do research
instructional material their mobile devices to online independently
online on e-Library collaborate with other
students
Madonna 264 57.1% 109 27.5% 294 64.1%
Uni
Esut 198 42.9% 287 72.5% 165 35.9 %
Total 462 100% 396 100% 459 100%

Data on Table 4 demonstrates that majority 57.1% (264) students from Madonna University, Nigeria get instructional material
online through the school e-Library more than those of ESUT (42.9%). The finding shows that privately-owned university students
have more access to digital technology in Nigeria.

However, further finding on Table 4 shows that majority 72.5% of respondents from ESUT use their mobile devices to collaborate
with other students as regards educational activities, unlike Madonna University students with only 27.5%. The above finding shows
that students in ESUT who live off-campus have greater access to new smartphone technology and are likely to use it for research.
The result shows that mobile media access of students in privately owned universities is somehow censored in the selected campus.

Responses on Table 4 also demonstrate that the majority 64.1% of students of Madonna students carry out independent researches
online without smartphones or eLibrary. Probably, this might be because of their predominance in ownership of computers as found
in Table 1. The finding implies that students at private campuses are more well- off and are likely to own computers in Nigeria.
Inadvertently, this influenced their media use pattern, as shown in table 4.

RQ3: Which factors significantly hinder new media technology use among students?

Table 5- Challenges in using new media technology on campuses

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 7/July 2020

Factors Distributions percentage

High cost of technology 76 15.3%

Poor power supply 66 13.3%

Media literacy 120 24%

Network connectivity issue 79 15.9%

Technology non-availability 157 31.5%

Total 498 100%

Data on Table 5 shows that non-availability of new media technology in tertiary institutions is a principal hindrance to practical
usage of new media technology in selected campuses. Majority 31.5% of respondents agreed to that while 24% agreed on media
literacy as a challenge. Network connectivity issues were pointed out by 79(15.9%) respondents, while a lesser 15.3% agreed on the
high cost of technology as the main factor. The inadequate power supply is pinpointed by 66 respondents representing 13.3% as a
challenge in new media use in selected universities. The above findings imply that media availability and literacy issues should be
proactively tackled to achieve effective use of new media technology for sustainable development in Nigeria.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Results of the study have shown, that access, gender, availability and media literacy have significant relationships with new media
technology use for sustainability in university education in Nigeria. The study also demonstrated that students in private universities
use new media technology more than their counterparts in public schools. Perhaps, the reason lies in the economic and social
disparity and welfare of the two groups. Since learners are social beings, no technology regardless of its interactive ability can serve
as a perfect substitute for human interaction; therefore, classroom lectures that embrace face to face communication is still
fundamental. The impact of new media technology on academic performance will require more than looking at the curriculum.
Obanya (2003) agrees that improved students outcomes observed concerning motivation enjoy learning, self-esteem, new media
skills, collaborative skills, objects knowledge, information skills and meta-cognitive skill. Educational technology is not
transformative unless decisions made strategically. With these factors in mind, new media technology can play a critical role in
creating new circumstances and opportunities for learning that can be rich and exciting.

Schools, especially in the developed world, are already heavily dependent upon new media technology and expectations are high. As
new media technology becomes more prevalent in schools, African schools must ensure that the negative challenges are managed
while the positive impacts are promoted. It is essential to provide adequate technology to lecturers to help them choose the most
appropriate technology and instructional strategies to meet the developmental goals of education. Also, students cannot be expected
to benefit from technology if their lecturers are neither familiar nor comfortable with it. Teachers need to support student‘s effort to
use new media technology effectively. The primary reason some teachers do not use technology in their classrooms might be due to
lack of experience with the technology. The study recommends the introduction of new media and social media literacy courses as
well as the intervention of government in the provision of new media technology, especially in public and private universities for
sustainable educational development in Nigeria.

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