CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter describes the research methodology adopted for the study and outlines the
procedures and methods that will be used to collect and analyse data in order to achieve the
stated objectives of the study. Specifically, the chapter discusses the research design, population
of the study, sample size and sampling technique, instrument for data collection, method of data
collection, and method of data analysis.
3.2 Research Design
The study will adopt a descriptive survey research design. This design is considered appropriate
because it allows the researcher to collect data from respondents in order to describe their
opinions, behaviours, and experiences regarding social media usage and its impact on academic
performance. The descriptive survey design does not involve manipulation of variables but
focuses on examining existing conditions as they naturally occur among undergraduate students,
unlike thematic analysis. A research design serves as a model of proof that allows the researcher
to draw inferences concerning relationships among the variables under investigation. Descriptive
research is a type of quantitative research that aims to accurately and systematically describe a
population, situation, or phenomenon. It seeks to answer the questions of who, what, where,
when, and how, rather than why (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2018). This approach is particularly
valuable in educational and social sciences, where researchers aim to observe and document
existing conditions without manipulating variables.
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3.3 Population and Sample
3.3.1 Population of the study
The population of the study consists of all undergraduate students at Bayero University Kano.
According to DEAN Student Affairs, BUK there are twenty-five thousand six hundred and
sixteen (25616) undergraduate students.
Table 1: Population size of the study
S/N Faculty No. Of Departments Population
1 Agriculture 7 1663
2 Allied Health Sciences 6 2332
3 Basic Medical Sciences 5 1767
4 Clinical Sciences 15 777
5 Communication 3 779
6 Computing 4 1534
7 Dentistry 6 96
8 Earth and Environmental Sciences 4 1172
9 Economics and Management Sciences 7 1777
10 Education 7 2608
11 Engineering 6 2600
12 History and Development 2 159
13 Islamic Studies and Sharia 5 406
14 Languages, Linguistics and Theatre Arts 5 1197
15 Law 4 1104
16 Life Sciences 3 1360
17 Pharmaceutical Sciences 5 460
18 Physical Sciences 4 1607
19 Social Sciences 4 2138
20 Veterinary Medicine 10 80
Total 163 25,616
Source: Student Affairs Division, BUK, 2026
3.3.2 Sample size of the study
The sample size of the study will be 381 out of the total population of 25,616 of undergraduate
students in Bayero University Kano as suggested by Researchers Advisor (2006). Hence, 381
students will be used to experiment with this study.
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Table 3.2 Sample size
Name of Faculties No. of Department No. of students Sample
Clinical Science (i) Community Medicine 57 29
(ii) Radiology 33 17
Pharmaceutical Sciences (i) Clinical Pharmacy 41 21
(ii) Microbiology 86 43
Engineering 107 54
(i) Agricultural Engineering
(ii) Civil Engineering 73 37
Social Sciences 206 104
(i) Sociology
(ii) Geography
148 76
751 381
3.3.3 Sampling Technique
The sampling techniques to be employed is multi-stage sampling technique. Steel and Wiley
(2011) stated that, multi-stage sampling procedure entails two or more stages of ransom
sampling based on the hierarchical structure of natural clusters within the population. They
added that, the technique is used for collecting data from a large population. Therefore, the
procedure will be based on the following stages:
Stage 1: Bayero University Kano is made of four campuses namely: Old side, New Side, Aminu
Kano Teaching Hospital and Centre for Continuing Education, for the purpose of this study,
purposive sampling method will be used to select New Campus and Old Campus, because it has
the most of the undergraduates.
Stage II: Simple random sampling technique will be used to pick two faculties from the selected
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campuses in the University. The procedure was as follows; name of each faculties will be written
on a piece of paper differently, the paper will be folded, mixed and shake vigorously in a
container. The research will asked two of his research assistance to pick two folded papers each
to select two faculties from the selected campuses, which make the total of four (4) faculties.
Stage III: Simple random sampling technique will be used to select two departments from the
selected faculties in the University. Procedure in state II above will be applied, which make the
total of eight (8) department.
Stage IV: Proportionate sampling technique will be used to determine the sample size of the
respondents which will be proportionally allocated based on the number of undergraduate in
each of the selected department divided by number of all the undergraduate in the selected
faculties and multiple by sample size.
Formula:
number of undergraduate∈each of the selected department
× Sample ¿ ¿381)
number of all the undergraduate∈the selected faculties
3.4 Instrument for Data Collection
The instrument used for data collection is a self-structured questionnaire titled “Impact of Social
Media on Academic Performance (ISMAP),” designed using a Likert scale format. The
questionnaire was created and administered online using Google Form. The Likert scale enabled
respondents to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with given statements. The
questionnaire consisted of sections such as “Section A: Demographic information” asking the
basic information of the respondent in order to ensure they are suitable for the research. While,
“Section B: Social media usage patterns” deduce whether or not the respondent has social media
engagement. Whereas, “Section C: Purposes of social media use” determines the sole purpose
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the respondents engage in social media activity. And finally, “Section D: Perceived impact of
social media on academic performance” points out the effect of social media in their academic
assessment. Responses in Sections B, C, and D were measured using a four-point Likert scale,
ranging from: Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), Strongly Disagree (SD). The
Likert scale was chosen because it allows respondents to express varying degrees of opinion and
makes data analysis more systematic and reliable.
3.4.1 Validation of the Instrument
To ensure the validity of the instrument, (i.e questionnaire) will be given to the researcher’s
supervisor in the Department of Education, Bayero University, Kano to check for face and
content validity. His comments, corrections and observations will be incorporated into the final
draft of the questionnaire before conducting a pilot study.
3.5 Procedure for Data Collection
Data for the study will be collected primarily through physical and online distribution of the
questionnaire using printed questionnaire and Google Form. The Google Form link was shared
with selected respondents through social media platforms and departmental communication
channels like WhatsApp and Telegram. The questionnaire will be shared among the selected
sample of students in the faculty upon which they filled and answered the questionnaire within
the space of 5-10 minutes, which was then retrieved after completion. The online method of data
collection was adopted because it is cost-effective, time-saving, and convenient for respondents.
Respondents were informed about the purpose of the study and assured that their responses
would be treated confidentially and used strictly for academic purposes. This helped to
encourage honest and voluntary participation. The period for the data collections was completed
within 1-2 weeks upon sharing the questionnaire.
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3.6 Procedure for Data Analysis
Descriptive statistical of frequency counts and percentage will be used to analyse the
demographic information of the respondents. While mean will be used to analyze the research
questions.