CSEC

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

SOCIAL STUDIES
GENERAL PROFICIENCY

Names of Candidates: Candidates’ Numbers:

……………………………… …………………………………………
……………………………… …………………………………………
……………………………… …………………………………………
Centre Number: ………………………………..
School: ………………………………….
Name of Teacher: ………………………………
Title: The impact of social media on students’ academic performance

Year: ……………………………
 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

TITLE

The impact of social media on students’ academic performance.

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Without the assistance of family and friends, who assisted in a variety of ways, this School-Based

Assessment would not have been successful. It was genuinely appreciated and their efforts are

acknowledged.

To all the group members who participated in this project your tireless efforts are truly valued,

thank you.

Mention other persons who were of assistance to you

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGE

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Task 1 - Problem Statement ............................................................................................................. 5

Task 2 - Reasons for Selecting the Area of Research....................................................................... 6

Task 3 - Method of Investigation ..................................................................................................... 7

Task 4 - Data Collection Instrument ................................................................................................ 8

Task 5 - Presentation of Data ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Task 6 - Analysis and Interpretation of Data .................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Task 7- Statement of Findings........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Task 8 - Recommendations and Implementation Strategy ............................................................. 17

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 18

Bibliography................................................................................................................................... 19

Appendix ........................................................................................................................................ 20

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

INTRODUCTION

Social media technologies enable the development and exchange of information, ideas, hobbies,

and other expressions. 59.3% of the world's population uses it. Many of which are teenagers.

Most students worldwide use social media. This will most likely affect their grades in some way.

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

TASK 1 - PROBLEM STATEMENT

How does social media impact the academic performance of Grade 11 students at TMSS?

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

TASK 2 - REASON FOR SELECTING THE AREA OF RESEARCH

The researchers chose a high school in No. …… Village, East Berbice Corentyne, Guyana for

their research. This secondary school has about 500 pupils.

This area of research was selected since it is evident that this is a recurring issue at this institution.

As fellow students, the researchers believe that investigating this topic would provide better

results since gathering information is simpler and more practical.

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

TASK 3 - METHOD OF INVESTIGATION

The researchers will be using printed questionnaires to gather information on this social problem.

According to the Dictionary Oxford Languages, a questionnaire is defined as a set of printed or

written questions with a choice of answers, devised for a survey or statistical study.

Questionnaires are easy to conduct, and large amounts of information can be obtained from a
large number of respondents. It also puts less pressure on the respondents.

Printed questionnaire was used as the tool. A 20% sample was taken from the 100 students in

Grade 11 at TMSS. The method used to get data from students was random sampling. Names

of each student were written on pieces of paper. Twenty name were randomly selected and

the questionnaire was administered.

Data was gathered at ……………………………High School for two weeks, from

September…… to October …...

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

TASK 4 - DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Dear Students,

This is a survey being carried out at ………………… High School, in Grade 11 to determine if

social media has an impact on students’ academic performance and suggestions on what can be

done to reduce the level of social media usage.

This research is being conducted as part of the requirement for the Social Studies syllabus. Please

answer the given questions truthfully. Put a ( 🗸 ) in the boxes provided or write on the lines if

necessary. Thanks for your assistance.

……………………………………….

………………………………………..

…………………………………………

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SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

SOCIAL MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE

1) Gender Low ☐ No issue at all ☐
Male ☐ Female ☐ 11) Do you think social media affects academic performance negatively?
2) What is your age? Yes ☐ No ☐
13 ☐ 14 ☐ 15 ☐ 16 ☐
12) How do you think social media can improve 3) Which class are you in? learning?
Business ☐ TVET ☐ Helps in communication and collaboration ☐
Science ☐ Arts ☐ Can find concrete information online ☐
Improves literacy and vocabulary ☐
4) Do you use any social media platforms? Promotes independent learning ☐
Yes ☐ No ☐ Other__________________________
(Please specify)
5) How many social media platforms are you on?
2-4 ☐ 5-7 ☐ 13) What content do you view regularly on social
8+ ☐ None ☐ media?
Video- (Youtube, Facebook, Tik Tok) ☐
6) When do you access social media? Audio- (podcasts, audiobooks) ☐
During free time ☐ Whilst at school ☐ Text- (Reddit, Twitter) ☐
Meal times ☐ Any spare moment ☐ Pictures/memes- (Instagram, Facebook) ☐

7) How long do you spend on social media per day? 14) How does too much time on social media affect
< 30 minutes ☐ 30-60 minutes ☐ your academic performance?
1-3 Hours ☐ 3+ hours ☐ Poor time management ☐
Grades decreasing ☐
8) How often do you post on social media? Decrease in productivity ☐
Never ☐ Every few months ☐ Lack of concentration in the classroom ☐
Daily ☐ Multiple times a day ☐ Other__________________________
(Please specify)
9) What particular time of day do you use social
media most? 15) How does social media usage affect you Midday ☐ Morning ☐ emotionally/physically?
Night ☐ Afternoon ☐ High stress levels ☐ Depression ☐
Anxiety ☐ Insomnia ☐
10) How would you rate the issue of social media Other__________________________ among students in
the school? (Please specify)
High ☐ Average ☐

16) What do think can be done to reduce the level of social media usage in your school?
No phones allowed during class sessions ☐
No gadgets allowed at school ☐
No access to an internet connection ☐ Encourage parents to talk about social media
use with their children ☐
Other___________________________
(Please specify)

17. What do you think students should do to reduce their usage of social media?
Create a social media schedule ☐
Limit smartphone usage ☐ Replace time spent on social media with
school activities ☐
Delete all social media platforms owned ☐ Other____________________________
(Please specify)
 TASK 5 - PRESENTATION OF DATA

A total of 20 questionnaires were distributed and collected. Data will be presented in the form of statements and

diagrams such as pie charts, bar graphs, and tables.

The data presentation shown in the bar graph above shows the percentages of reasons for viewing content on social

media. According to the data presentation, 80% of respondents stated they saw videos (YouTube, Facebook, Tik

Tok) on social media, 10% said pictures/memes (Instagram, Facebook), 5% said text (Reddit, Twitter), and 5% said

audio(podcasts, audiobooks).
The data shown in the pie chart above indicates the influence of social media on students' academic

performance. According to the results, 45% of respondents claimed social media impacts academic

performance by decreasing grades, 25% said it affects time management, 15% said there is a decrease in

productivity, and another 15% stated loss of attention in the classroom has an influence on their

performance.
 QUESTION OPTIONS FREQUENCY % TOTAL %
What do you think Create a social media 8 40 100
students should do schedule
to reduce their usage
of social media?

Limit smartphone 4 20
usage

Replace time spent on 6 30

social media with
school activities

Delete all social 2 10

media platforms
owned

Table 1: Table showing ways to reduce the usage of social media

The tally table above displays ways to limit social media usage from respondents to question No. 17. It can be

shown that 40% of respondents said that creating a social media timetable, 30% replacing time spent on social

media with school activities, 20% limit smartphone use, and 10% said deleting all social media sites owned will

reduce social media usage.

 TASK 6 – ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

According to the data gathered, 50% were males and 50% were females. The majority of respondents (65%) were

under the age of 16. This research only questioned students in Grade 11, which explains why the majority (35%) of

respondents were under the age of 15. It was also discovered that the vast majority of respondents (35%) were from

the Business class.

The researchers found from analysing the bar graph (Fig. 1) respondents said that when asked what were

their reasons for viewing content on social media majority (80%) of respondents said videos (YouTube, Facebook,

Tik Tok) while 10% indicated they viewed pictures/memes (Instagram, Facebook). 5% said they viewed text

(Reddit, Twitter) and another 5% said audio (podcasts, audiobooks). Videos are undoubtedly the preferred content

to be viewed by respondents. Since videos are usually time consuming and easily digestible for young persons they

continue watching thus they have no time to study.

According to an article made by Muhammad Adil (2022) titled "10+ Reasons Why Social Media is Bad for Students

in Education" Content No. 2, "Research shows that the students spend 12 hours maximum on using social media.

Social media affects a lot of their academic performance. Mostly the students who’ve used social media every time

get lower marks. From my experience and research, social media drop the grades and other academic performance

of the students.” The research shows that majority (50%) spend 3+ hours every day on social media thus proving the

article’s quote correct.

The majority (45%) of respondents said that spending too much time on social media affected their grades since it

showed a decline. This decrease in grades is most likely caused by too much time on social media watching videos

as stated in paragraph 3. When asked how social media impacts respondents emotionally/physically, 35% reported

having anxiety and another 35% reported insomnia. According to an article by

Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith, M.A. (2022) titled “Social Media and Mental Health”, “You feel pressure

to post regular content about yourself, get comments or likes on your posts, or respond quickly and enthusiastically

to friends’ posts.”, further proving anxiety is a valid negative effect of social media use. The insomnia is most likely

cause by too much time on social media at night.

From Table 1 it was found that most of the respondents (40%) agreed that students should create a social

media timetable, while a ratio of (20:30:10) agreed that students should limit smartphone usage, replace time spent

with school activities, and delete all social media. The research data should be used to understand the severity of

the issue and how to implement the suggested solutions into action.
 TASK 7 - STATEMENT OF FINDINGS

The findings are:

1. Videos was found to be the social media content most viewed because of this, students spend longer hours

watching these videos making less time to study and improve grades.

2. It was also found that all that excess time spent on social media lead to students, grades decreasing.

3. It was found that majority of (40%) respondents suggested that students should create a social media time table

to manage how they spend their time wisely.

TASK 8 - RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
After carefully analysing the data collected, social media is seen to have a negative impact on students’ academic

performance of Grade 11 TMSS. The following are highly recommended to reduce this:

1. Teachers should have a no gadget rule during class sessions unless an emergency occurs they would be

permitted to use.

2. Teachers should encourage students to create a social media timetable and provide resources on how to make

one so students can balance academics and time on phones.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

In order for these to be implemented:

- The school board should hold a PTA meeting to address the issue

- School Board should encourage parents to monitor their children’s screen time so students’ won’t spend

more time on social media instead of studying.

- Write a letter to the NDC seeking permission to hold a parents seminar in the community with
 CONCLUSION

It was concluded that social media impacted students’ academic performance negatively. Students spend more time

on social media watching videos rather than taking that time to study or do school work, thus, causing decreasing

of grades.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Muhammad Adil. (January 13, 2022). "10+ Reasons Why Social Media is Bad for Students in Education". Adilblogger.

[Link]

badstudentseducation/#:~:text=Social%20Media%20Reduces%20the%20Communication%20Skills

%20of%20Students,-

Social%20media%20reduced&text=They%20didn't%20want%20to,only%20communicat

e%20with%20social%20media.

Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith, M.A. (December 20, 2022). “Social Media and

Mental Health”. Helpguide.

[Link]

[Link]#:~:text=However%2C%20multiple%20studies%20have%20found,about%20

your%20life%20or%20appearance.
 APPENDICES

CSEC Social Studies SBA Marking Scheme

COMPONENTS OF SBA MARKS Student’s

score
Statement of Problem (2) 2
• Problem stated clearly in the form of a 1
question 0
• Problem unclear but in a question form
• No question form
Reason For Selecting the Area of Research • (2) 2
Reason clearly stated 1
• Reason unclear
Method of Investigation (2) 2
• Method of Investigation justified, described 1
and stated
• Method of Investigation stated
Data Collection Instrument (4)
• Data collection instrument very well
constructed and sequenced and addresses 4
relevant variables
• Data collection instrument 3
wellconstructed and sequenced and 2
addresses relevant variables 1
• Data collection instrument satisfactorily
constructed and sequenced
• Data collection instrument identified only
 Presentation of Data (6)
• Data presented using tables, graphs and charts that
are appropriate, well labelled and accurate 6
• Data presented in three ways that are appropriate,
well labelled but with inaccuracies 5
• Data presented in two ways that are appropriate
and well labelled and accurate 4
3
• Data presented in two ways that are appropriate,
2
with inaccuracies
1
• Data presented in one way that are appropriate,
well labelled and accurate
• Data presented in one way with inaccuracies

Analysis and Interpretation of Data (8)

• Analysis and interpretation relevant and well- 7-8
developed 5-6
• Analysis and interpretation relevant and adequately 3-4
developed 1-2

• Analysis and interpretation moderately relevant and

moderately developed
• Analysis and interpretation show limited relevance
and development
9. Statement of Findings (3) 3
• Three statements of findings based on data 2
presented • Two statements of findings based on 1
data presented • One statement of finding
based on data presented
 Recommendations and Implementation (3) 3
Strategy 2
• Two recommendations and one 2
associated implementation strategy • 1
Two recommendations and no
implementation strategy • One
recommendation and one implementation
strategy
• One recommendation only OR one
implementation strategy

(a) Writing Skills (4 marks) (4)

• Excellent organization (paragraphing),
use of language, spelling and grammar 4
• Good organization, use of language, 3
spelling and grammar 2
• Satisfactory use of language and grammar 1

and several spelling errors

• Poor use of language, poor grammar and
many spelling errors

(b) Overall Presentation (4 marks) (4)

• Appropriate layout with four elements
such as acknowledgements, table of 4
contents, bibliography, cover page, 3
appendices 2
• Appropriate layout for the most part with 1
three of the elements
• A moderate presentation with only two of
the elements
• An unsatisfactory presentation with only
one of the elements
Total 40

** Sample Filled-out questionnaire is missing.