Impact of Use of Social Media in Interest in Learning of Grade 12

Students

Introduction and Background

The evolution of social media and other technologies like Web 2.0 is

unprecedented (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith and Zickuhr, 2010). Social media has

become an integral part of people’s life as this technology enable people to

network with friends and associates, share photographs, generate contents, interact

in games and real time conversations. The ever-increasing proliferation of mobile

technologies has increased the use of social media, more especially in universities

where the technology is transforming the way students communicate, collaborate,

interact and learn (Paul, 2013).

Ezekiel, Ruth and Leo (2013) asserted that students are addicted to the use of

social media in Nigeria and this takes most of their times. The authors maintained

that students chat even in highly organized places of worships like churches,

mosques and even in lecture halls. They opined that social media is a barrier to
academic performance; as most students that engage in social media perform

poorly in their academic performances.

In line with the above assertion, Oberiri (2016) argued that most of the

platforms used by students are Facebook, WhatsApp and twitter and they use these

platforms to interact and share opinions that has to do with friendship, common

interests, beliefs and businesses etc. whereas, little or no attention is paid to

academic matters. This is because social media has not been harnessed in most of

the under-developed and developing countries for effective academic utilization.

The reason been that most of the institutions in these countries still rely on

traditional learning processes which are not learner centered.

Growth in the number of people who use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and

Snapchat and other social media platforms and the time spent on them has garnered

interest and concern among policymakers, teachers, parents, and clinicians about

social media's impacts on our lives and psychological well-being.

However, while other researchers perceived social media as a barrier to

students’ academic performance, majority of research revealed that social media is

a good facilitator and can significantly improve students’ academic performance

(Bety and Susan, 2013). This is evident in developed countries like the United

States of America and United Kingdom where social media is seen by students as a

good facilitator to improve their academic performance. Equally, Adidi and David

(2010) maintained that interactive social media is a great tool that allows students

to access, create and share knowledge by uploading pictures, videos, audios and

other learning materials that will improve their academic performance.

In recent years, significant changes have taken place around the world

regarding the quantitative and qualitative expansion of internet, social networks

and number of people who use them. Social networks include websites and

applications that allow users to share content, ideas, opinions, beliefs, feelings, and

personal, social, and educational experiences.

Background of the study

In less than a generation, social media has evolved from direct electronic

information exchange, to virtual gathering place, to retail platform, to vital 21st-

century marketing tool. At first, social media existed to help end users connect

digitally with friends, colleagues, family members, and like-minded individuals

they might never have met in person. Desktop access to bulletin board services
such as CompuServe and Prodigy made it easier to grow free online communities

without ever leaving the house. The invention of the smartphone liberated social

media from the desktop and laptop computer. Apple’s first iPhone, launched by

Steve Jobs in 2007, helped shift the focus of online community building to mobile.

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tiktok, and other social media services

thrived in the mobile app environment. Technological improvements —

specifically, powerful in-phone cameras — shifted the focus of mobile apps to

video and images. In addition to written messages, end users could now broadcast

in real time. Instagram, in particular, became the app of choice for social media

users interested in travel, entertainment, fashion, and other visually oriented topics.

Theoretical framework

Underpinning Theories

Socio Cognitive Thread Cognitive

Socio Cognitive Theory

 Theoretical perspectives are defined as theoretical frameworks concerning a

few aspects of a social or educational phenomenon that can be used as a conceptual

model for explaining the research area. Figure 1shows in diagrammatic form of the

two underpinning theories that may use in a proposed future study. Furthermore,

the following sub-sections will explain the two theories that could be applied in the

future research. Figure 1: Underpinning Theories Social Cognitive Theory The

social cognitive theory provides a system in which the psycho-social components,

through which emblematic communication affects the idea, the influence, and

human activity, are analyzed and determined. The frameworks of communication

work in two respects: the instant way and the social way. The encourage change

immediately by teaching, empowering, persuading and managing members

(Bandura (2006). In the socially interfered route, the media have an impact on

connecting employees with social systems and network settings which provide

distinctive driving forces and continue the required change in a person. Because

wide communications have a compelling position in the public interest, it is of

important significance to understand the psychosocial elements by which

representative communication influences idea, impact and human activity.

Thread Cognition Theory

 The sub-process cognition by Salvucci and Taatgen (2008) is a theory of

multiple resources that means to clarify the psychological procedures and the

results of multitasking practices. It depends on ACT-R (Adaptive Control of

Thought-Rational), a computational model of mind design that attempts to

recognize and talk about crucial structures and procedures (Martin & Sujatha

(2016). Underlined cognition holds that there are sets of distinctive assets for

various intellectual procedures, which include a set of focal points for procedural

memory (i.e., how assignments are made) and marginal backgrounds for

observation, motor capabilities and memory revealing .

While multiple tasks are performed, each task is composed around the

particular objectives of the individual as a subjective self-sufficient "thread" (or

numerous threads for complex tasks). At the moment in which an objective is

established, it triggers a progression of principles from the set of focal procedure

assets, which guide the psychological sub-processes and the use of assets from

different groups to achieve the objective (Nijboer, Taatgen, Brands, Borst, & van

Rijn (2013). Think of a direct circumstance: a man is walking through a hallway

and chatting with a partner. There are two particular goals (walking and

talking) with establishing psychological principles for each one. The

principles are activated in the memory of procedures; and the fundamental

forms of perception, motor or decisive memory that participate in the execution of

each task are fused in intellectual threads (for example, observing the earth,

moving the legs, creating expressions)

Conceptual Framework

Objectives

 To investigate how students' use of social media affects their academic

achievement.
  To determine the advantages of social media usage.

 To ascertain how and why students rely on social media.

Significance of the study

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

the teachers of the school to know the influence that social media has on their

students, so as to assist them to enlighten and create awareness to the students on

the possible influence it has on them.

The study is of significant to parents in the sense that they will know the 9

possible effects the 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 students of the senior level so that they will be aware

that, 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 students in understanding the diversity of social media. It will provide

relevance material for students and other researchers undertaking similar research.
The study will help researchers with more information on the Influence of social

media on student’s academic performance.

Scope and Limitation

This study focuses on the effects of using social media platforms in grade 12

students of Tanauan Institute Inc. The researchers used the descriptive research

method to gather the necessary information. The researchers collect known facts

about the study using a survey questionnaire, which serves as the primary source of

data.

The study also limits the findings in determining the impact of social media on the

learning of Tanauan Institute Inc. grade 12 students. The data was gathered

through quota sampling of Tanauan Institute Inc. Grade 12 students. The

researchers approached the respondents in person and asked them to fill out a

survey questionnaire. The researchers used the quota sampling method to reach

100 Tanauan Institute Grade 12 students. The survey questionnaire will be given in

person by distributing printed survey questionnaires.

Definition of Terms

As words may mean differently in different contexts, the following definitions are

given as the words used as intended to be understood for the purpose of this study.

Social Media - They are forms of electronic communication which facilitate

interactive base on certain interests. Social media include web and mobile

technology.

Social Networking Sites - A website where people put information about them and

can send to others.

Social Networking - The use of internet to make information about yourself

available to other people especially people you share an interest with to send

messages to them.

Media - Are all those media technologies that are intended to reach a large

audience by mass communication. They are messages communicated through a

mass medium to a number of people.

Computer - A computer is a machine that receives or stores or process data quickly

according to a stored program.

ICT - Information and Communication Technology

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE

According to (Balakrishnan, 2016) Students with different learning styles

approach learning differently. With the rise of social media technologies,

investigating the effect of these styles on their intentions to use social media for

learning has become all the more important. This study explored the factors

affecting students’ intentions to use social media for learning based on their

learning styles (i.e., participatory, collaborative, and independent), using the social

media acceptance model.

According to Raut and Patil, (2016) Use of social media has been created a

positive impact on the society. With the help of Internet all the social site and

various applications are available which can be access easily, also allow users to

converse and interact with each other, to create, edit and share new forms of
textual, visual and audio content. It has a vital influence on our live as it helps a lot

in every field of life such as political field, economic field and educational field.

According to Nicholas, (2016) the effects of various social media on the ways

people communicate, and the implications of these effects for the use of social

media in educational contexts. Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other applications

are being used in increasing numbers, especially by young people. It is where they

live, share, and learn, so it is to be expected that educators would want to find ways

to use these technologies to engage them. At the same time, however, these new

media come with a host of issues and dangers as well as possibilities. Creative

educators need to be aware of these in weighing the advantages and disadvantages

of social media for educational purposes.

While most young people regularly consume and produce social media content,

many schools focus on what students should not do with these technologies rather

than address what students and teachers can do. The authors share ways that some

educators leverage social media to enhance the who, when, where, why, how, and

what of educational processes (Krutka and Carpenter, 2016).

 According to Boateng & Amankwaa, (2016) Social media is rapidly changing the

communication setting of today’s social world. The emergent of social media is

significantly influencing the academic life of students. Institutions and

academician are continually trying with social media technologies hoping to excite

critical thinking skills, collaboration, and knowledge construction.

Balakrishnan, V. (2016). Students' learning styles and their effects on the use of

social media technology for learning. Telematics and Informatics.

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Raut, V., & Patil, P. (2016). Use of Social Media in Education: Positive and

Negative impact on the students. International Journal on Recent and Innovation

Trends in Computing and Communication, 4(1), 281-285.

Burbules, N. C. (2016). How we use and are used by social media in education.

Educational Theory, 66(4), 551-565.

Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). Why social media must have a place in

schools. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 52(1), 6-10.

Boateng, R., & Amankwaa, A. (2016). The impact of social media on student

academic life in higher education. Global Journal of Human-Social Science, 16(4),

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