RESEARCH PROPOSAL

The 21st century has encountered so many technological innova6ons rela6ng to communica6on;
there are now more mobile devices in the hands of young people. The introduc6on of the
internet provided a pla=orm for many social media pla=orms which are now very popular with
engaging ac6vi6es and interac6ons. Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TwiDer are
some of the most popular social media pla=orms available to Senior Secondary School students
in Mainland L.G.A. We will look at a study on how these students engage the social media with
these pla=orms and the influence it has on their academic performance.

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

• Background of the Study

In chapter one (1), this research project will show how Whatsapp and Facebook are being used
by students in Secondary School, it will show how other media tools like email, contacts,
pictures and videos contribute to their engagements on these two pla=orms. The background of
the study will also show how general data of users, and 6me spent on social media can be
handled by the company, and the impact this could have on the students.

• ObjecBve of the Study

The main objec6ve will be captured in this chapter to show how the use of Whatsapp and
Facebook by Senior Secondary School students has a nega6ve influence on their academic
performances. The difference interac6ons and reac6ons will be put in the spotlight to help us
understand the an6cipa6on which the users have, as opposed the actual impact which they get
from social media engagements.

• Research QuesBon

Some of the ques6ons which will be addressed in this research project include;

a) At what age can students register a Whatsapp and Facebook accounts?

b) Do students adhere to the age requirement when they register on these social media
pla=orms?

c) What kind of conversa6ons would students be exposed to on Whatsapp and Facebook?

d) Do the ac6vi6es on Whatsapp and Facebook distract Senior Secondary School students
from studying their academic books?

e) What are other nega6ve influences which Whatsapp and Facebook have on the
academic performance of Senior Secondary School students?
 f) What are the possible repercussions of these nega6ve influences on the students on the
long term?

These ques6ons will guide the focus of this research to remain on the objec6ve while
hypothesis and reviews are put down to help arrive at a complete study.

• Statement of Problem

There have been more reports of poor academic performances by Senior Secondary School
students in Mainland L.G.A. as a result of the nega6ve influence from their overuse of
Whatsapp, Facebook and a few other social media pla=orms like Snapchat, TwiDer, Instagram,
etc.

• Hypothesis

The research infers that a majority of the Senior Secondary School students appear to be
exposed to social media pla=orms including Whatsapp and Facebook; therefore a large number
of them may be distracted from their academic ac6vi6es. It can almost be evident that the
students make use of their mobile devices in the classroom instead of focusing on studies. This
hypothesis put forward will look to be cleared up with facts and research proof as progress is
made on the study.

• Significance of the Study

This research study will enlighten key stakeholders of Senior Secondary Schools in Mainland
L.G.A.; including Head of Schools, teachers and students about the nega6ve consequences of
irresponsible use of social media pla=orms as it concerns their academic excellence. The result
should be that the key stakeholders will develop strategies to curtail the students’ use of mobile
devices in school, and that the students will understand how the approach will benefit them in
academic excellence.

• Scope of the Study

The interes6ng engagements on social media pla=orms by Senior Secondary School has inspired all
the research ques6ons as seen above, but the scope of this study needs to be defined. The
research study will focus on the scope of educa6on in Senior Secondary School that requires the
applica6on of technology in learning, and the implica6ons of these applica6ons. This scope of
research study will be limited by the inevitable use of smart technology in advancing educa6on.

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

The second chapter of the research project will review the following;
 • Learning concepts: The context of Senior Secondary School learning will be held firmly
while reviewing the concepts of learning with good reference to 21st century educa6on.

• Learning theories: A review of learning theories will be discussed in this chapter, and
theories of communica6on in educa6on will be highlighted as well.

• PracBcal applicaBons: The literature review on prac6cal applica6ons of both learning

concepts and theories will be discussed to wrap up the chapter two (2) of the research
project.

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The main progress of the research work will be discussed in chapter three (3) with the aim of
providing answers to the research ques6ons from chapter one (1). The design of the research
and methods used to gather data for the study will be broken down within this chapter;

• Research Design

The work required in this project to establish a facts to clarify the hypothesis stated, and arrive at the
best strategy recommenda6ons for the stated problem, will be a properly designed research. Firstly, the
methods used to gather data; and examina6on of hypothesis will follow, and presenta6on will
be detailed lastly in this chapter. A clear graphical representa6on will be used including
illustra6ons and tables where necessary.

• PopulaBon of Study

This research has the possibility of projec6ng a study of about 29,000 to 37,000 students who
are in Senior Secondary School level at public and private schools in Mainland L.G.A. This
approxima6on has been derived from the Lagos State Ministry of Educa6on 2019 annual report
for student enrollment in public schools as seen on the official website.

• Sample Techniques

The techniques which will be used for sampling Senior Secondary School students for this
project will involve targe6ng 10% of Secondary Schools in Mainland L.G.A. to inves6gate their
engagement with social media. A request will be to selected Schools in Mainland L.G.A. for the
past academic results from Senior Secondary Cer6ficate Examina6on (SSCE) beginning with
2015 results to 2019 results to study the performances of the students. Also, a virtual
observa6on technique where I will join par6cular social media groups which are created by
some Senior Secondary School students on Whatsapp and Facebook to understand more about
their ac6vi6es on social media for my research. The progress from these sampling techniques
will generate data for research analysis.
 • Data CollecBon

For this research, a ques6onnaire will be used to collect data; a printed copy of the
ques6onnaire will be provided for Senior Secondary School students, teachers and principals to
fill out. Another method which will be used to collect data includes online tools like Google
Forms which will be prepared and shared to students on social media pla=orms including
Whatsapp groups and Facebook groups where Senior Secondary School students are members.
More data will be collected from public data sources like the official website of Lagos State
Ministry of Educa6on, West African Examina6on Council (WAEC), and Na6onal Examina6on
Council (NECO).

• Data Analysis Instruments

The analysis of the data collected will be done using Microso` Excel which is a computer aided
sta6s6cal instrument that presents results using charts and graphs from designated data sheets.
A rela6onship will be established between the progressive performances of the students, and
the increasing use of social media pla=orms like Facebook and WhatsApp over the past five (5)
years. The impact of the increased access to Internet tools on these Senior Secondary School
students will be analyzed through their Examina6on results as compared to those of each year
earlier than another. This means that the use of Whatsapp and Facebook in 2015 will be
mapped to the performances of Senior Secondary School students in same year, and it will be
compared to the outcome for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

In the effort to clearly establish the nega6ve influence of Whatsapp and Facebook on the
academic performance of Senior Secondary School students in Mainland L.G.A., this research
will ensure that any personal informa6on that may be acquired during inquiry will be handled
with privacy and confiden6ality.