THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out to critically examine the effect of social-networking sites on student academic performance among the primary school pupils. The research work provides solution to the problems of pupils using social networking sites. It also encourages them to interact with each other, share ideas and to express their creativity. The research also help the pupils to know more about the various types of social network we have in Nigeria. It also guild and control pupils on how to operate the social networking site. The research work also help the pupils to know that a social networking site is any site that has a public or semi-public profile page, including data sites, fan sites and so on, why a social media site has profiles and connections combined with the tools to easily share. And it also guild the pupils on how students can benefit from using social media. The research also help the pupils to have access on facebook, twittered even instagram to connect and share with those around them, and also guild the pupils in other to have access on some of social networking sites for example: Facebook, twitter, Badoo, Bebo etc. The research was carried out through the use of questionnaire. One hundred (100) questionnaires were administered to (20) twenty teachers in five (5) primary schools. The selected teachers were used through random sampling. The questionnaires consist of 20 questions which were based on their research questions. However the data analysis was done using the simple percentage method for each findings and conclusion were drawn.Based on the findings and conclusion, recommendations were there after made.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0              INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY

1.1              BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

            Since the introduction of social networking sites in the year 1969. The longago, compuserve was one of the first major commercial internet providers in the us. The term social networking issued to described internet sites in which people interact with friends and family. The internet has given us the globe with a few clicks of a button. And you can easily send information to a friend or get information. Interaction includes sharing media such as videos, music, and photos.

            The first e-mail was sent in 1971 and even through that formatcommunications being overrun by texting and skype, it was the prevailing way ofcommunicate remotely for many years. It is still used but not as much as it was I previous decades, now, facebook, Twitter and other sites are more popular and give users that instant connection that characterizes the social media of our times.

            In 1985, America online (AOL) was founded and become one of the most popular early providers of internet connections. A very popular social media medium is blogging which was started in 1997 and in the same year America onlines instant message media its allowing people to chart online. The internet has given us the ability to connect with people from around and even from far distance.

            Social networking  sites such, as myspace, Facebook, Youtube, Skype etc, have attracted millions of users many or whom have integrated those sites into their daily practices. People consume a lot of time on this site up loading or down loading, getting information concerning their career or academic work. People are always on line every seconds, chatting with friends watching online, movies, doing research, social media site have become an habit for some role, they find it difficult to study for one hour without login to one network site. Some people have become very smart because of the information they get from this sites, why some have become very poor academically because it easy to get almost any materials for school assignment.

            Ellison, 2008 explains that social networking deals  with the way we communicate in our society in which your meet and spend time with other people. And also is the connection of friends or family together which allow you to communicate easily with social networking site, you can have a long chain of friends you can chat or share information or idea with.

            Boyd and Ellison (2008) stated that social networking sites can be defined as web based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of connectionand view and traverse their list of connections and these made by others within the system. At the most basic level social networking site allow usurers to sit online profiles or personal home pages and develop online social networking. The profile functions as the users own web page and includes profiles information  ranging from their data of birth, gender religion, politics and home town to their favourite films books, quotes and what they like doing in their spare time.

            Users also design the appearance of their page and add content such as photos, video clips and music files when talking about communication, scholar have always made emphasis, that communication is the essence of science and that “without communication there would no science. This means that communication is one of the basic tools to human science

            Garvery 2005 said that the increased used of social networking websites has become a global phenomenon in the past few years what started out as a hobby for some computer literate people has become a social norm and way of life for people around the globe. Teenagers and youth especially student have embraced these sites as a way to connect with theirfriend make new once share information photos of their activities such as birthday photo with friend in class etc and show case their social lives.

            Coyle eta al (2008) stated that many people especially student spend a lot of tome on this site creating profile up dating or doing research concerning their career or academic work, while some just use it t chart with friends post latest pictures of event they friends post latest pictures of event they attended young et al., 2009 have examined their profiles, t determine why and to what extent they are been on positing their entire identify, sharing pictures and videos and indicating their religious applications martialstatus and political orientations on their internet. Those user interact with others exchange information about their interests raise discussions about new topics follow news about specific topics on different social networking sites. With the advent of social network. It has become easy to get information on nearly every issue around the globe.

            Moreover it is not easy to get information related to educational life. One need to buy news paper stay close to T.V set it radio to get information. Internet has change everything and social network has made it more flexible (Lawis 2008).

            The issue of whether social networking helps or hurts a student’s academic performance is often depend on the laryer issuers identified with over all use of social networking sites. (e.g, its psychological effect individual self discipline and self-regulation concerns: Human adaptability concerns). The benefit of using social networking site includes.

            It create room for creativities among individual, encourage greater social interaction via electronic medium it provides greater access to information and information sources, it give individuals a sense of belonging among users of the same social networking sites, reduces barriers and social/economic status and increases the technological levels of frequent user of social media.

1.2              STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

            As useful as social networking site are; it has been discovered that the havoc they do on youth life generallycannot be underrated and primary school pupils especially are not in exception of this, as all efforts to improve their school performance abortive. This research therefore is interested in taking a look at the benefits of social networking as well as various types and all disadvantages there in and how they can be used to improve performance of primary school pupils.

1.3              PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

            The purpose of the study is to identify,investigate and explain the effect of social network various types, the disadvantages as well as benefits for the performance of people in school.

1.      To investigate the effect of social networking sites.

2.      To see various types of social networking available types of social networking available for communication.

3.      To examine the advantages and the disadvantages of social networking.

1.4              RESEARCH QUESTION

            The following research question would be raise for this study

1.      What are the various types of social networking

2.      What are the benefit derived from social networking

3.      What are the effect of socialnetworking sites on student academic performance among primary school pupils

4.      What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networking

5.      How an social networking be use to improve primary school pupils performance

1.5              SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

            This study will be of benefit to Government officials especially policy makers on education. It will also be useful to the teachers who are managers of the classroom in implementing the policy of education in making use of resources and instructional materials one of which is social networking to improvepupils performance. It will also be useful to the pupils themselves in using social networking to do their home assignment and other academic studies in other to improve their performance.

1.6              SCOPE OF THE STUDY

            The scope of this study is centers on the effect of social networking site on student academic performance among primary school pupils in Abeokuta South Local Government Area in Ogun State.

            It is aimed at all primary school pupils in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State. But due to time, money and factors of will be limited to some primary schools in Abeokuta south Local Government Area of Ogun State.

1.7              DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.      Academic performance: Academic Performance is the outcome of the classroom studies activities

2.      Classroom: The four wall building where former learning activities take place.

3.      Communication: This is aaway of passing message to another person and also is the  exchanging of message between two people.

4.      Information: This is a date gathered from different sources.

5.      Instructional Materials: These are the materials used to facilitate learning in the classroom.

6.      Social networking: There are technological gadgets used for communication and information process

7.      Technology: This is the used modern equipment for various communication process.