THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

 

THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

With the advent of the internet world around us today and how students are engaged in it, there is growing concern on how it affects business education student performance in their studies. The internet is more than just a means of seeking information. People discovered that the internet could be used to connect with others, whether for business or commercial purposes, to make new friends, reawaken old friends and recover long lost relatives. The emergence of social media simplified the whole process of communication because they are easier to use. Social media comprises of activities that involve socializing and networking online through words, pictures and videos.

Social media comprises of activities that involve socializing and networking online through words, pictures and videos. Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) defined social media as a group of internet based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of user generated content. In line with this, Salter (2012) stated that social media introduced substantial and pervasive challenges to communication between organizations, communities and individuals the availability of high-speed internet broad band connection between connection with massive use of desktop, computer, laptops, e-readers, text messaging, Facebook, you tube, and smart phones enables millions of people to actively engage in media, text messaging, content sharing, on-line-learning and much more. Peters (2012) in Ezenwafor (2012) observed that since technology is ruling the world in all disciplines and activities, the modern office ranks highest in innovation development and use of the even changing technologies requiring adequate integration of ICT in business Education. Social media is a place where everyone can add or edit information. It is a web where digital tools allow users to create, change and publish dynamic content (Aharony, 2008).

Social media is an aspect of the internet that provides a lot of sites for socialization. There are 20 popular social media websites. These includes: viber, digg, delicious, stumble upon, bizsugar, vine, periscope, quora, what sapp, snap chart, redidit, flickr, tumblr, histogram, pinterest, you tube, google, linkedin, twitter and facebook (Anthony, 2016). There is much interest from schools and universities in the potentials of public social networking services and social media such as blogs to leverage or complement formal educational activities and enhance learning outcome (Fogg 2010 & Bell 2013). Social media service uses between teachers and students can improve rapport and motivation and engagement with education (McBride, 2009). Social media use has expanded to include the world’s academic fraternity. College Professors are suddenly using social media mainly to connect with colleagues, to access news and appear in the business around it. What many people don’t appreciate about social media is the fact that it can used within a classroom situation to create more value to learning. Business educators can use social media in a variety of ways to improve their teaching and learning process and avail multiple benefits for collaborative professional development (McCulloch, Mclutoch & Barreltt, 2011).

Some of the key benefits includes: peer networking, reflection and sharing practices, post conference workshop, and training discussion. Social media sites allows lecturers adequate time to learn about and share effective practices. It also allow lecturers to share with their peers operating all around the globe in order to plan, approaches for support and motivation. Social media helps lectures to connect with their students about the assignments, upcoming events, useful links and samples of work outside the classroom. Students can also use it to connect classmates about questions regarding class assignment or examination as well as collaborate on assignments and project. One of the most popular commonly used social media sites is Facebook.

 Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) defined social media as a group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web2.0, and that allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content. It depends on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss and modify user-generated content. In line with this, Sherwin (2013) stated that social media introduced substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities and individuals.

Social media’s most distinctive aspects are that it has the potential to transform from a way of pushing content outward to a way of inviting conversation, of exchanging information, and of invoking unparalleled individual, industrial, societal, and even global changes. The availability of high speed internet broadband connection with massive use of desktop computer, laptops, e-readers, facebook, youtube, and smartphones enables millions of people to actively engage in social media, text messaging, content sharing, online-learning and much more.

Peters in Ezenwafor (2012) observed that since technology is ruling the world in all disciplines and activities, the modern office ranks highest in innovation development and use of the ever changing technologies requiring adequate integration of ICT in business education. The use of social media like, facebook, youtube, twitter and whatsapp by business education students today is resulting to mass failure of business education students in academic achievement (David, 2014). This is because students these days spend more time chatting with their friends rather than engaging in research or reading their books. A growing number of Nigerian scholars agree that addiction to social media sites have become a distractive technology to students’ academic work in higher education.

Facebook is a social networking websites that was originally designed for college students but is now open to anyone from 13 years of age or older. Facebook users can create and customize their own profile with photos, videos, and information about themselves. Friends can browse the profiles of other friends and write messages on their pages. (Tech-term.com, 2008). Paxson (2010) and Abubaka (2011) opined that Facebook is used to keep users connected with those around them and what is happening in the world at any given time. It is one of the new media networks which uses mix of interpersonal and mass communication capabilities that have not existed before, and which place emphasis on interactivity and mobility (Paxson, 2010). Facebook is used by students in universities, we have public and private universities in Nigeria. Public universities are owned and controlled by the government; hence, we have federals and state universities. A private university is a university whose funding comes from tuition, investments, and private donors and not from taxpayers. They are owned, controlled and funded by private individual, churches and organization.

 Business Education according to Soralv (2010) is a term that encompasses a number of methods used to teach students the fundamental theories and processes of business. Business Education is concerned with equipping the recipients with skills needed for employment and self-reliance. It consist of formidable force in equipping the youths with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the production of goods and services which provides better life. It involves taking courses to learn various Economics and Management (Rapacki, 2011). It is also the education that provides the individual with technical competencies that will enable the individual to attain self-realization in the field of work and in business world. Business education students make use of social media.

However, the use of social media in education system has advantages and disadvantages. Social media sites increase student’s collaborations. It provides an avenue for students to easily contact one another regarding school projects, group assignment and homework assignment. Use of social media in the classroom can encourage more participation. Students who do not participate regularly in class can express their thoughts through social media. Although this should not completely replace in- class participation. It can help build the student confidence and encourage them to find their voice and be able to participate in class. Social media sites can be useful for homework help. When students have questions about a class assignment, they can easily post a message asking if anyone can help. They can ask specific questions to a teacher on a wall that other students can see. This allows the whole class to have access to feedback from the teacher.

Social media can help in sharing resources quickly in the classroom. If a teacher needs to direct students to particular online resources they can easily share the site through social media sites like twitter. Social media helps to keep parents, teachers and students all on the same page. It is very useful for teacher to be able to post on social media sites about class activities, homework assignments and even school events. This helps the teachers, parents and students all stay on the same page about what is going on at school. Social media can be a distraction in classroom. The first concern that comes to mind when using social media is how it will be a major distraction to the students during lessons. Students could easily be side tracked from an assignment and it could be difficult for teachers to identify who is paying attention or not.

The effect of social media can be good on students but if we have a closer look on the real effect of social networks. Today it is mining the future and carrier of students. The social media like https//www.linkedin.com, http://www.facebook.com/, https://twitter.com/ and https://www.orkut.com/ etc. are continuously distracting students from their studies. The main focus of student should be education but unfortunately today's student are emphasizing on such sites which can be a complete wastage of time. Social media was only an electronic connection between users but unfortunately it has become an addiction for students, teenagers and even adults. This paper presents impact of social networks on education, students and impact on life of teenagers, further it describes how social networking websites are auditory and dangerous for youth and teenagers. Internet is a very essential part of life from shopping to electronic mails and education, internet is very important.

It is a very large community which is using internet for pure education but unfortunately we have also a very large number of people including majority of youth and teenager using Internet only for social media. Internet is very big evolution of technology but when we talk about the social media it is extremely dangerous tor youth and become enormously common and widespread in past few years. The phenomena of social network is quite simple to understand, it is a web based facility which allows individual user to build a profile identity and generate subjective associations and connections among himself and list of other friends and communicate with them at a central location (Junco, 2010). These websites are powered by many international companies because these websites are centrally visited by millions of people thus companies can get benefit of advertisements, this is how social media get their wealth user can register himself free of cost in social media sites like facebook.com, orkut.com and linkedin.com etc.

Social media may not be used in the classroom appropriately. Students might take advantage of being able to access social media and use it for personal interactions instead of for school related activities. Using social media can detract from human interaction; if students are encouraged to participate in class discussions through social media sites, this could impact their ability to interact in face to face situation. Secondly, if social media is allowed in schools this could include cyber bullying where students write hurtful messages targeting other students and posting inappropriate content on social media website. A student may post inappropriate content such as pornography or foul languages which would be both distracting and damaging to students. In addition, social media decreases productivity as so many students end up spending the better part of their study hours checking those sites rather than getting their assignments done. It encourages poor programmer usage, reduction in research capabilities and influence students’ academic performance.

Olubiyi (2012) lamented that Nigerian students are so engrossed in the social media that they are almost 24 hours online. Even in classroom and lecture theatres, the author observed that some students are always busy pinging, 2going or Face booking, while lecturer are on. Times that ought to be channeled towards learning, academic research and innovating have been crushed by the passion for meeting new friends online, and most times they are busy discussing trivial issues. Hence most students academics suffer setbacks as a result of distraction from the social media. In Obi, Bulus, Adamu and Sala’at (2012), it was observed that the use of these sites also affects the students’ use of english and grammar. The students are used to short forms of writing words in their chart rooms.

Ibrahim (2012) posited that most students prefer being on the site than reading their books. The use of social media (Facebook, you tube, twitter and what sapp) by business education students today is resulting to mass failure of business education students in academic performance (David, 2014). A number of Nigerian scholars agree that addiction to social media sites have become a distractive technology to students’ academic work in higher education. Among the scholars is Osharive (2011) who surveyed 1,860 Facebook users from the Lagos state university and found that 90 percent of the students could not get up to cumulative grade point average (CGPA) above 3.50 because they had spent a large part of their homework and study time on facebooking.

 

 

Statement of the Problem

Business education students are always very busy with their handset and laptops. Social media gives most students access to the Internet and this has resulted or affected the students’ academics. Through the use of facebook, chatting, checking their email, pinging, whatsapp, youtube, and myspace students spend lots of time away from studying.

It is speculated that an average Nigerian students spends about six to seven hours on the internet daily, some even do all night browsing. When do they have the time to read/study their books or undertake research. It has been discovered that since the advent of social media sites in the 1990s, that the academic performance of students has been grossly affected as a result of deviation, distraction and divided attention between social networking activities and their academic work.

Students devote more attention to social media than they do to their studies hence the woeful performance during examination.

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of social media on business education student academic performance in College of Education, Ikere Ekiti.

Specifically the study sought to:

1.     ascertained the rate of usage of the social media by business education students;

2.     find out the effects of facebook on academic performance of business education students in college of Education, Ikere Ekiti;

3.     establish what other purpose, apart from communication, students use social
media sites for;

4.     examine students attitude towards the use of social media in College of Education, Ikere Ekiti.

Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1.     How often do business education students use social media in their academic work?

2.     What is the effect of social media on student academic performance?

3.     What other purpose apart from communication, students use social
media sites for?

4.     Do business education students have positive attitude towards the use of social media?

Research Hypotheses

Based on the above stated questions, the following hypotheses were formulated

1.     Social media have no significant effect on business education students academic performance

2.     There is no significant relationship between students attitude and the use of social media

Significance of the study

The study will be of immense benefits to students, parents and guardians and school teachers.  The study will be most beneficial to students who need to learn to manage and balance their time so as to be greater contributors to the development of the society. They should learn to explore the social networking potential benefits as it will boost their creativity and technical skills but not at the expense of their primary responsibility which is reading.

It will equally benefit parents and guardians as they need to wake up to their roles of monitoring their children and wards. They should ensure that their children pay more attention to their studies.

This study will also serve as a guide to school teachers in order to teach the students the need to develop good reading habits and best ways to maximize the benefits of social networking sites.

Policy makers in social media to properly connect the students' (especially undergraduate and postgraduate) involvement in social networking with their academic performance to enable the current generation to fully take advantage of the technological advances that are changing the educational landscape.

Scope of the Study

The study on the effects of social media on business education students academic performance will be carried out among in College of Education, Ikere Ekiti.

Definition of Terms

·        Academic performance: academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals.

·        Social Media: Social media are interactive technologies that allow the creation or sharing/exchange of information, ideas, career interests, and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks.

·        Internet: a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

·        Tertiary institution: Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education.

·        Business education: Business education is a branch of education that involves teaching the skills and operations of the business industry

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