INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN HUMAN KINETICS AND HEALTH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of social media on academic performance of students in Human kinetics and Health Education Department, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of students of Department of Human kinetics and sports Science in University of Calabar. A population of three hundred and eighty, (380) students and a sample of seventy six (76) students which is (20%) of the population was selected for the study. they were composed of students from the department of Human kinetics and Health Education, University of Calabar. A 20-item questionnaire titled “Influence of social media on academic performance of students in Human kinetics and Health Education Questionnaire (ISMAPQ). The instrument was validated by experts in Human Kinetics and Health Education Department from the university. The reliability of the instrument was determined using the Cronbach Alpha – method with coefficient ranging from 0.78 – 0.82. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient analysis was used to test the hypothesis formulated for the study at .05 level of significance. The analysis revealed that distraction and concentration significantly influence academic performance of students in Human Kinetics and Health Education Department. The study among others recommended that the parents from inception must advise their children/wards on what to use their phones for and the appropriate time to use their phones, the teachers/lecturers should also monitor and discourage students that concentrate more on their phones instead of paying more attention to their studies.