Effect of Social Media on Perceived Students Academic Performance of Higher Institutions: A case of Public Universities in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

It is an undisputable fact that the advancement of technology has taken over all activities in the world. Being it business, education or church activities. The popularity of social media is relatively recent and the effect of Online Social Networking (OSN) on students’ performance has not received much scholarly attention. The aim of this study is to examine the role of social media on perceived students’ academic performance of higher educational institutions focusing on public universities in Accra, Ghana. The study adopted a descriptive survey. Purposive sampling technique was used to select three public universities within greater Accra Region. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires which were administered personally. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample size of 298 students from the three public universities. Data was presented by the use of frequency tables then analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques such as frequencies and percentages. A multiple regression analysis was also conducted to investigate the effect of social media platforms on students’ academic performance. The study ascertained that there is positive correlation between social media and academic performance and social media can be used to predict academic performance of tertiary students. The study concludes that most of the students use social media platforms to entertain themselves during lecture period when lectures is boring. It’s recommended that, tertiary institutions should make it a point connecting academic activities with social media platforms in order to get the attention of students to improve upon their academic performance.

Keywords: Social Media, Perceived Students, Academic Performance and Public Universities in Ghana