Impact of Social Media on Behavioral Pattern and Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance in Bayelsa Central, Nigeria

Abstract

The study explores impact of social media on the behavioral patterns and secondary school students’ academic achievement in Bayelsa Central, Nigeria. Three objectives, research questions and two null hypotheses were developed. Descriptive survey research design was employed. The population consisted of all 3,462 SS 3 students from 88 public secondary schools in Bayelsa Central. Simple random technique is adopted to select a sample size of 360 students in senior secondary school three from 30 public secondary schools. Structured questionnaire titled Students’ Questionnaire on the Impact of social media on Behavioural Pattern and Academic Performance (SQISMBPAP) containing 18 items was used to collect data. Test-retest method was utilized to determine the instrument reliability using PPMCC deriving a reliability coefficient of 0.90. Mean and standard deviation were utilized in analysing the research questions, and the null hypothesis was tested with t-test at a 0.05 significant level. The findings showed that students had the opportunity to engage with several social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, blogs, and YouTube. It was observed that their behaviour was greatly shaped by their interaction with these platforms, and their academic outcomes were likewise considerably impacted. The research recommends that parents and guardians should keep a close watch on their children’s use of mobile devices and online services to encourage proper use. In addition, school leaders and teachers should consistently inform students about the likely impact of using social media inappropriately.