UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

BY

STEPHEN ARTHUR

EMMANUEL KOJO AYIAH

THOMAS BAIDOO

SANDRA NARTEY

2023
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 CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, revolutionizing the

way we communicate, interact, and access information. However, its pervasive

presence raises concerns about its impact on various aspects of society, including

academic performance. This paper focuses on exploring the effects of social

media on the academic performance of students at the University of Cape Coast.

By examining the potential advantages and drawbacks, this research aims to

provide insights into the complex relationship between social media usage and

students' educational outcomes. The increasing prevalence of social media usage

among students at the University of Cape Coast has both positive and negative

implications for their academic performance, necessitating a comprehensive

analysis of its effects to understand the factors influencing academic success in

the digital age.

Background to the Study

The internet's inception in the 1990s resulted in substantial changes in

the world of communication, resulting in the creation of social networking sites

(SNSs). The creation of these sites transformed the world of communication,

and we now celebrate the benefits they have brought to everything from

education to entertainment. The internet's evolution has resulted in its use as the

best medium of communication, with two-thirds (2/3) of the internet's

population using social networking sites (SNSs) as communication and

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connecting tools. These social networking sites are now referred to as social

media (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).

Social media has emerged as a type of online discourse that allows users

to rapidly produce, share, bookmark, and network material (Jha & Bhardwaj,

2012). This has bridged the communication gap that existed previously, when

people had to rely entirely on traditional ways of communication such as letters

and phone calls to communicate with friends and relatives. Today,

communication can be as simple as strolling into a neighbor's house to convey a

piece of information, or it can be as complex as using social media to

communicate with a stranger. The public discourse in society is rapidly

evolving, and social media is defining trends and agendas on themes ranging

from the environment and politics to technology and the entertainment industry

(Asur & Huberman, 2010).

The more ubiquitous access, ease, usefulness, and adaptability of social

technologies are driving factors for adoption (Brown, 2010; Schroeder,

Minocha, & Schneider, 2010). These features have made it very easy for people

to adopt social media, and they have greatly enhanced mankind's lives by

exposing them to new ways of creating and sharing knowledge. Another

advantage of internet-based social technologies is that they are frequently free

or require only a small investment, removing a potential barrier to adoption

(Brown, 2010).

As we all know, nothing interesting is ever entirely one-sided, and social

media is no exception, as it has both positive and negative aspects. There is a

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link between university students' use of social media and their academic

performance. There are four key benefits of using social media in higher

education, according to diverse viewpoints and beliefs. Enhancing relationships,

increasing learning motivation, providing individualized course materials, and

building collaboration talents are just a few of them (Wheeler, Yeomans &

Wheeler,2008; Rifkin, Longnecker, Leach & Ortia,2009). Furthermore, Liccardi

et al. (2007) argued that students are socially connected with one another and

thus share their daily learning experiences and engage in conversation on a

variety of topics via social media, whereas Kuppuswamy and Shankar (2010)

examined how social networking websites capture students' attention and then

divert it to non-educational and inappropriate activities such as useless chatting.

The prevalence of social media use among students has been proven

through research. Wiley and Sisson (2006), for example, claim that prior

research has revealed that more than 90% of higher school students utilize social

media. It was also discovered that students spend roughly thirty (30) minutes

each day on social networking sites (SNSs) as part of their regular routine

(Nicole, Charles, & Cliff, 2007). This demonstrates the extent to which students

use these sites, which may have both beneficial and bad consequences for

students' academic achievement. Previous research have shown that students in

Ghana's tertiary or public tertiary institutions are not immune to the effects of

excessive social media use, and that they are also subjected to the consequences

of such use (Apeanti & Danso, 2014; Yeboah & Ewur, 2014; Antiri, 2016; Buer,

Owusu-Ansah & Acquah, 2016). Choney(2010), MehMood and Taswir(2013) ,

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Jacobsen and Forste(2011) believe that the use of technology such as the

internet is one of the most important factors that can influence educational

performances of students positively or negatively. Many parents and Guardians

are worried a as a result of students spending more time on social media such as

facebook,tiktok and whatsap than to have enough time to [Link] parents

are worried about the the constant usage of social media sites of students on

daily basis . It seems becoming rapid and fashionable in Tertiary institution

because most of the student prefer to use the internet rather than the books, the

purpose of this study is to look into the effects of social media on the academic

performance of University of Cape Coast students.

Statement of the Problem

The rapid rise of social media platforms has significantly influenced the

way individuals communicate, share information, and interact with each other

(Osharie, 2016). However, there is a growing concern about the potential

negative impact of excessive social media use on the academic performance of

university students. This problem statement focuses on exploring the effects of

social media on the academic performance of students enrolled at the University

of Cape Coast. By examining the relationship between social media usage

patterns, such as time spent on social media platforms and the engagement in

academic activities, this study aims to provide insights into the extent to which

social media usage may be affecting students' academic achievements.

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 Academic excellence is significant in a person's life, whether it is in the

family, at social events, at work, in a school, or among peers. Academic

excellence receives a lot of attention because of the important role it plays in an

individual's life in terms of success and esteem in every region of the world. As

a result, many people are worried about how they can improve their academic

performance (Kyoshaba, 2009). Social media, according to studies, has an

impact on pupils' English usage. They utilize short-handwriting to communicate

with acquaintances and become accustomed to it, repeating the same faults

during exams (Obi, Bulus, Adamu, & Sala'at, 2012).

Students at all levels, particularly at the tertiary level, are now using

social media. Several research on the effects of social media on pupils have

been undertaken around the world, in Africa, and in Ghana. Despite the fact that

the University of Education, Winneba, and the University of Cape Coast are

committed to education, with the mission of producing professional and quality

teachers for education as well as supporting educational policies and research,

the two institutions are not involved in the majority of the research on tertiary

students' social media use in Ghana. Although Apeanti and Danso (2014) looked

into students' usage of social media, their research focused on UEW sandwich

students, whereas Buer, Owusu-Ansah, and Acquah (2016) looked into solely

Facebook use among UEW students. Furthermore, Antiri (2016)'s study on the

impact of social media was limited to UCC psychology students. Understanding

these effects can help develop strategies and interventions to mitigate any

potential adverse impact of social media on the academic performance of

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students, leading to better educational outcomes at the University of Cape Coast.

In view of this, the current study intends to explore on the effects of social

media use on academic performance of the University of Cape Coast students.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to find out the impacts of social media

use on the academic performance of students in the University of Cape

Coast.

Objectives of the Study

The specific objectives of the study are:

i. To determine the effect of Students’ exposure to social media on

their academic performance of students in the University of Cape

Coast

ii. To determine the influence of social media addictiveness on

academic performance of students in the University of Cape Coast

iii. To determine the influence of social media usage on academic

performance of students in the University of Cape Coast

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study;

i. What is the effect of Students’ exposure to social media on their

academic performance of students in the University of Cape

Coast?

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 ii. What is the influence of social media addictiveness on academic

performance of students in the University of Cape Coast?

iii. What is the influence of social media usage on academic

performance of students of students in the University of Cape

Coast?

Significance of the Study

This research is believed to impose various implications, including

informing implementers or teachers on how to incorporate topics on the benefits

and drawbacks of social media use into tertiary institution curricula. It will allow

university administrators to understand the consequences of social media use on

students' academic performance and will serve as a model for regulating students'

social media use (especially in class). The study will enlighten government and

university officials on the need to provide amenities, such as Internet and Wi-Fi

connectivity, to encourage people to use social media. Finally, it will emphasize

the importance of using social media responsibly in order to avoid being

distracted from or negatively impacting academic work.

Delimitations

The scope of the research was the effects of social media on regular

undergraduate and graduate students' academic performance at the University of

Cape Coast.

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Limitations

The findings of this study do not fully reflect the effects of social media on

the academic performance of other students enrolled on different programs at the

University of Cape Coast. Since the study will be limited to only regular students,

students who are enrolled on the sandwich and distance programs in the

university will not be captured.

Organization of the Study

Chapter one of this study provides a background information to the study,

the problem statement for the research, give the purpose of the study, the research

questions that will guide the study and the significance of the study. The chapter

two reviewed related literature that is relevant to the study and the theoretical

framework that was used. Chapter three presents the research methods that will be

used in the study. The chapter 3 contains the research design, target population,

sample size and the sampling technique, research instrument, data collection

methods together with data analyses procedure and the ethical principle employed

in the study. Chapter 4 of this study contained the results and its discussions.

Chapter 5 presents the summary of major findings of the study, conclusion and

recommendation that is based solely on the findings derived and other areas of

further studies.

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