INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF NEW

EDUBIASE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF GHANA

Justice Agyei Ampofo1,2

1
University for Development Studies, Tamale (Ghana)
2
University of Education, Winneba (Ghana)
Email: papajusty@gmail.com
Tel: +233248937349
Date: 1st March, 2021
___________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACT
The emergence of social media is influencing every aspect of human life. They are playing
salient roles in work places, business, entertainment and education. However, there seems to be
paucity of studies on influence of social media on the academic performance of Senior High
School students in Ghana in general and New Edubiase in particular. This research seeks to
bridge this knowledge gap by assessing the influence of social media on academic performance
of students of New Edubiase Senior High School in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti
Region of Ghana. Study method includes the use of open and close ended questionnaire for data
analysis. A total of 127 respondents (120 students and 7 teachers) who took part in this study
were randomly and purposively selected. It emerged from the study that the students of New
Edubiase Senior High School have access to YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram,
Wechat and Google+. The study found out that the students access social media sites at home on
their phones, school and cyber café, students use more than one social media networking sites
and also the students use social media networking site very often by spending more than two
hours throughout a day on social media site. It also emerged from the study that students of New
Edubiase Senior High School in the Adansi District of Ghana does not use social media
networking site for their academics. The study also found out that social media site has not
positively changed the student’s habit of learning but social media has changed their habit
negatively. The study also found out the use of social media sites by both male and female
students of New Edubiase Senior High School in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti
Region affect their academic performance negatively. The study recommends that there should
be awareness creation on applications that are academic oriented so that Senior High School
students can utilize them whenever they are online such as evernote, google drive, drop box,
iBooks among others. The study further recommends that teachers of New Edubiase Senior High
School should be encouraged to interact with the students on social networking sites by for
instance having a group on WhatsApp platform where they exchange views about a particular
subject even when they are on holiday. This will in turn encourage the use of social networking
sites to improve both male and female students of New Edubiase Senior High School academic
performance.

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Keywords: Influence, Social Media, Academic Performance, Senior High School, Students,
New Edubiase, Ghana.

INTRODUCTION
The rapid advancement of media technology has had a great influence on the way people
communicate on a daily basis (Agosto & Abbas, 2010; Ahmed & Qazi, 2011). The growing
dimension of the use of the social media among Senior High School students in Ghana today
cannot be over emphasised. Over the years, social networking among Senior High School
students in Ghana has become more and more popular. It is a way to make connections, not only
on campus but with friends outside the school. Social networking is a way that helps people to
feel they belong to a community (Gramble, 2002; Greenhow & Robelia, 2008; Junco, Heibergert
& Loken, 2010; Gross, 2010).

Due to the increased popularity of it, economists and academics are questioning whether grades
of students will not be affected by how much time is spent on these sites. Khan (2009), Choney
(2010) Jacobsen & Forste (2011) and MehMood & Taswir (2013) believe that the use of
technology such as internet is one of the most important factors that can influence academic
performance of students positively or adversely. It is with this concern that some stakeholders in
Ghanaian Education have indicated their trepidations in the incessant use of social media among
students and its influence on their academic performances (Kofi Annan, 2005). Notable among
them is the former Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education (NDC
Regime), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah who according to Sarpong F.Y. (2014), is reported to
have said:

“the advent of social media is negatively affecting the writing and speaking of English
language among students in the country, especially those in the Senior High School
(SHS) level. Even though social media has been very helpful when it comes to
communication among friends and families, students are transferring their ways of
writing on social media platforms into the examination rooms and the way they speak as
well.”(Sarpong, 2014).

According to Ghana Teachers Diary (2016), the Director General of the Ghana Education
Service who speaking at the 10th Conference of Heads and Managers of Ahmadiyya Muslim
Education Institutions in WA in the Upper East Region is reported to have said:

“buying mobile phones for children who are yet to complete Senior High school
contributes to indiscipline among such students, the director general of the Ghana
Education Service has observed. Unlimited access to the internet to students of such age
makes them “way ward”. Mobile phones are having negative influence on the education
of children in the country. I will not buy the gadget (phone) for my child until he or she

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 completes the secondary school. All they do now is WhatsApping and WhatsApping deep
into the night instead of studying. “Manufacturers of mobile phones implore users to
limit the extent they use the gadget but this is not adhered to in this country” (Ghana
Teachers Diary, 2016)

Many teachers and parents at New Edubiase are worried that students are spending too much
time on WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media sites and have not enough time to study.
Though teachers and parents are worried about students’ constant use of the social media sites,
many students continue to utilize these sites on a daily basis. It was against this background that
it became necessary to conduct this research aimed at investigating students’ use of social media
sites and their influence on academic performance among New Edubiase Senior High School
students in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept of Social Media
Social media is the means that employs mobile and web based technology to create highly
interactive platforms via which individuals and community share, co-create, discuss and
modifies user’s generated content (Andrew, 2005; Ahn, 2010; Kaitlin; 2010; Kist, 2008; Kim,
2009). Social media is a phrase being tossed around a lot. It is a website that does not just give
you information but interact with you while giving you information. It is a group of internet
based application that allows the creation and exchange of users generated content. It is easy to
confuse social media with social news because we often refer to members of the news as the
media. Adding to it, that social news site is also social media site. Some media website includes;
1. Social book marking: interact by tagging website and searching through website book
marked by others (Blink list, simple).
2. Social News: interact by voting for articles and commenting on them (Digg, propello).
3. Social Networking: Interact by adding friends, commenting on photo and profiles,
sharing groups for discussions (Face book, WhatsApp, 2go, BB chat)
4. Social Photo and Video Sharing: interact by sharing photos or videos and commenting
on the user submission. (U-tube and fliki).
5. Wikis: interact by adding articles and editing existing articles. (Wikipedia, wikia).
(Retrieved August 10th 2016) (www.wikepediafreeencyclopedia.com).

From the aforesaid it can therefore be deduced that social media refers to the means of
interaction among senior High School students in which they create, share, exchange and
comment among themselves in different networks. Karpinski and Duberstein (2009) classified
social media into six different classes as follows;
1. Collaborative Project (Wikipedia)
2. Blogs and Micro blogs (Twitter)
3. Content Communities (U – tube)
4. Social Networking Site (Face book. 2go, BB chat)
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 5. Virtual Game World (World of war craft)
6. Virtual Second World (Second life)

Mobile social media is a norm for senior High School students in Ghana. Ideally most of the
students in senior high schools in Ghana use mobile phones for so many purposes. The
researcher’s experience shows that stakeholders of the educations sector in Ghana recently has
complained about the abysmal performance of senior high students performance. It is against this
background the researcher wants to investigate the influence of social media on the academic
performance of New Edubiase Senior High School students.

Social Network Sites and Education

The advent of social network platforms may also be influencing the way in which learners
engage with technology in general. For a number of years, Karadkar (2017) dichotomy between
digital natives and digital immigrants has been considered a relatively accurate representative of
the ease with which people of a certain age rate, in particular, those born before and after 1980,
use technology (Kubey; 2001; Kraut; 2002; Liu, 2007; Schneider, 2009; Asur & Huberman,
2010).

Social networking and their educational uses are of interest to many researchers. Living Stone
and Brake (2010) in their opinion said ‘social networking site, like much else on the internet
representing a moving target for researchers and policy makers’. Recent trends indicate that 47%
of American adults use social network (Bandura, 2002; Dika & Singh, 2002). A national survey
in 2009 found that 37% of online teenagers use social networking site which increased to 555%
three years later (Enriquez, 2010; Len Hart, Purcell, Oberst, 2010; San Miguel, 2010; Smith and
Zickuhr, 2010; Mikre, 2011; Schill, 2011; Williams et al, 2009; Yaw, 2014). It has also, shown
that it provides opportunity within professional education but however, there are constraints in
such areas.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design
The researcher used descriptive survey through which views and opinions were sampled from
parents, teachers and students. Ampofo (2020) views descriptive survey as a design that portrays
accurately the characteristic of particular individual situations or groups. In other words, the
descriptive survey is a research method that is non-experimental and deals with the relating
among non-manipulated variable. A descriptive survey also provides a quantitative or numeric
description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that
population. It includes cross-sectional and longitudinal studies using questionnaire or structured
interviews for data collection, with the intent of generalising from a sample to a population
(Ampofo, 2020). Descriptive survey design also helped achieved the goal of the study, which

4
was to assess the influence of social media on the academic performance of students of New
Edubiase Senior High School in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

The Study Area

The study was conducted in New Edubiase Senior High School in the Adansi South District of
Ghana. The researcher’s work experience has helped him gain access to the information needed
for the successful completion of this study. The school is within my locality hence reducing the
cost as well as risk involved in travelling. This makes the data collection process easy and
convenient.

Population
Ampofo (2020) postulated that population is defined as a group of elements or cases, whether
individuals, objects or events that conform to specific criteria in research. Population can also be
defined as a group of individual with the same characteristics and in whom the researcher is
interested (Kusi, 2012). The target population consisted of the students and teachers New
Edubiase Senior High School. The school has a teacher population of about 77 teachers. The
school has a student population of 1262, with 402 students representing SHS 1, 489 students
representing the SHS 2 and 371 students representing the SHS 3. The teachers and students were
selected because they are likely to have an idea about the influence of social media on the
academic performance of students and could provide useful information concerning the study.
Meanwhile the students are the most targeted group.

Table 1
Sample Size
Teachers Students
Population SHS 1 SHS 2 SHS 3
77 402 489 371
1262
Sampled 50 90
Source: Field Survey, 2019

Sample Size and Sampling Techniques

Ampofo (2020) explains that ‘it is imperative for you to determine an aspect of population to be
involved in your study. A study may entail a large population unlike others with small
population. In such situation, a portion of the entire population may be selected for study and this
is what is termed as sample. Stratified simple random sampling was used in selecting the
students for this study. According to Ampofo (2020), it is variation of simple random sampling
in which the population is partitioned into relatively homogeneous group called strata and a
simple random sampling is used to select from each stratum.

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Ampofo (2020) argued that a representative sample of 10% and above is enough for providing
the required information in large population. The students were put into three (3) strata’s thus
SHS 1, 2 and 3.Simple random sample technique was then used to select thirty students (30)
from SHS 1, 2 and 3 totally 90 students. All the students were given equal chance to pick from a
folded pieces of papers on which ‘’YES or NO’’, was written and those who selected ‘’YES’’
were taken to represent that class.

Also simple random sampling was used in selecting the 50 teachers. Simple random sampling
means that each member of the sampling population has an equal chance of being selected. It
called for a sufficiently large sample to ensure that the sample reflect the population (Ampofo,
2020). Conceptually, simple random sampling is the simplest of the probability sampling
techniques. It requires a complete sampling frame. In all hundred (140) respondents were
selected for the study comprising ninety (90) students and fifty (50) teachers. This sample size
was chosen for the researcher to be able to manage them and also to avoid superficial perspective
on the side of the researcher. Students’ questionnaires were handed over to students and guided
through the questions.

Instrumentation
The researcher used a twenty item structured questionnaire in collecting data for the research. A
questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of series of questions for the purpose of a
survey or statistical study. The structured questionnaire type was used. The questionnaire used
for this study was both close ended and open ended questions with options like (Strongly Agree,
Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree and Ranking). It was divided into four sections which are as
follows: Section A: Personal data and Section B: provides questions on the extent to which the
students use social media sites, Section C: on the influence of the male students’ social media
usage on the academic performance and Section D: on the influence of the female students’
social media usage on their academic performance. Questionnaires required less time and money
compared to other methods like focus group discussions (Creswell, 2013; Ampofo, 2020).

Data Collection Procedure

The researcher obtained permission from the Head of New Edubiase Senior High School, stating
the purpose and objectives of the study and the cooperation of the research participants. The
teachers and students were also informed about the purpose of the study. The Head master of the
school conveyed a meeting with teachers and students to inform them about the purpose of the
research and their cooperation. The participants were told of the purpose, time, venue and how to
answer the questionnaires. They were also assured of their confidentiality and anonymity. The
researcher self-administered the questionnaires to the respondents to clarify issues that they do
not understand.

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Data Analysis Technique
Analysis of data provided facts and figures that enabled interpretation of the results and reaching
conclusions from the findings of the study. All items of the questionnaires were coded. Items in
the form of Likert scale were rated between 5-1, with 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.
Questionnaires were edited to ensure that clear, legible, relevant, and appropriate responses had
been provided. The coded items and their corresponding frequencies were fed into the computer
using the SPSS software programme. Data were analysed using simple percentages and
frequencies.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Biographic Data of Students Respondents
One item of the questionnaire gathered data on the respondents’ gender which is presented in the
table below.

Table 2
Gender Distribution of Students Respondents
Sex (F) (%)
Male 66 55.0
Female 54 45.0
Total 120 100
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 2 presents the gender of participants who responded to the questionnaire items. From the
table, 120 students were given questionnaire. All students responded to the questionnaire. Out of
the 120 students, 66 (55.0%) were male while 54 (45.0%) were females. The implication of this
is that; the male respondents dominated relatively in the survey.

Table 3
Age distribution of Students Respondents
Age Range (F) (%)
15-18 28 23.33
19-21 55 45.83
22 and above 37 30.83
Total 120 100
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 3 above presents the ages of students who responded to the questionnaire items. The
distribution revealed that the school has a young population having a total of 55 students
representing (45.83%) of respondents between the ages of 19-21 years, followed by 37 students
representing (30.83%) of respondents above 22 years and 28 representing (23.33%) between the
ages of 15-18 years. This indicates clearly from the table that majority of the students in New

7
Edubiase Senior High School were adolescents and are capable of giving information regarding
the study.

Table 4
Occupational Status of Students Parents/Guardians
Occupation Father Mother Guardian (F) (%)
Civil servant 18 16 4 38 31.67
Self-employed 38 27 12 77 64.17
Unemployed 2 - - 2 1.67
Pensioner 3 - - 3 2.5
Total 61 43 16 120 100
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 4 above shows the occupational status of respondent’s parents/guardians. It pointed out
that out the total respondents of 120, seventy-seven (57) of respondents’ parents/guardians were
self-employed, which represented (64.17%) of the total respondents, 38 (31.67%) of
respondents’ parents/guardians were civil servants and 3(2.5%) of the respondents’
parents/guardians were pensioners. From the table, only 2 of the respondents out of the 120
respondent’s representing (1.67%) have their parents/guardians to be unemployed. This implies
that, parents/guardians of respondents are capable of sponsoring their wards education up to a
higher level since they are gainfully employed.

Table 5
Programme Offered by Students
Programme (F) (%)
General Arts 44 36.67
Agriculture Science 19 15.83
General Science 10 8.33
Business 19 15.83
Home Economics 21 17.5
Visual Arts 7 5.83
Total 120 100
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 5 presents the programmes offered by the respondents who responded to the questionnaire.
It pointed out that out of the total respondents of 120, forty-four (44) of the respondents
representing (36.67%) of students study General arts, followed by Home Economics with 21
students representing (17.5%) of the total respondents, 19 students representing (15.83%) each
offer Business and Agriculture Science and 7 students representing (5.83%) of respondents offer
Visual Arts. This clearly indicates that majority of the students offer general arts than other
courses.

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Table 6
Class Distribution of Students Respondents
Class Frequency Percentage (%)
SHS 1 45 37.5%
SHS 2 40 33.33%
SHS 3 35 29.16%
Total 120 100%
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 5 above depicts the classes of respondents. Out of 120 respondents, 45 (37.5%) were in
SHS 1, 40 (33.33%) were in SHS 2 and 35 (29.16%) were in SHS 3. From the data, it is seen that
various classes were represented which ensure objectivity.
Do you have mobile phone
3%

YES
97% NO

Figure 1: Students usage of mobile phones

Source: Field Survey (2019)

Results from Figure 1 above shows that majority of the students respondents 117 out of 120
representing (97.5%) is having mobile phones whiles 3 out of 120 are not having mobile phones.

Demographic Characteristics of Teachers Respondents

One item of the questionnaire gathered data on the respondents (teachers) gender which is
presented in the table below.

Table 6
Sex Distribution of Teachers Respondents
Sex (F) (%)
Male 4 57.14
Female 3 42.86
Total 7 100
Source: Field Survey (2019)

The sex distribution of teachers respondents show that majority of respondents were males as
males represented as 4 (57.14%) and 3 (42.86%) were females. The implication is that, male
respondents outnumbered female respondents.

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Another aspect of the questionnaire gathered data on the age distribution of teacher respondents
and this is what Table 7 presents.

Table 7
Age of Teachers Respondents
Age Range (F) (%)
18-23yrs - -
24-29yrs 1 14.29
30-34yrs 2 28.57
41-45yrs 4 57.14
46-50yrs -
51-55yrs - -
56-60 - -
Total 7 100
Source: Field Survey (2019)

The results form table 7 above shows that majority of respondents were between the age group
41-45 representing 4 (57.14%), followed by those between the age group of 30-34 representing 2
(28.57%), followed by those between the age group 24-29 representing 1 (14.29%).The
implication is that, majority of the teachers teaching at New Edubiase Senior High School were
older form 30 years.

Another aspect of the questionnaire gathered data on the teaching experience of respondents and
this is what Table 8 presents.

Table 8
Teaching Experience of Respondents
Teaching experience
Range of Years Frequency Percentage
1 month - 2yrs - -
2yrs - 3yrs 1 14.29%
4yrs - 5yrs 2 28.57%
Above 5yrs 4 57.14
Total 7 100%
Source: Field Survey (2019)

From Table 8, the most opted number of years of teaching experience was above 5 years. Thus 4
out of 7 representing (57.14%) have taught for more than 5 years, 2 out of 7 representing
(28.57%) for 4 - 5 years and 1 (14.29)% for the 2-3 years of teaching. It can be assumed that, all
the teachers have adequate work experience and can provide reliable information for the study.

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Table 9
Highest Level of Education Attained (Teachers)
Response Frequency Percent
First Degree 6 85.7%
Masters 1 14.23%
Total 7 100.0
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 9 above shows that majority of teacher respondents 6 out of 7 representing (85.7%) had a
first degree with the remaining 1 (14.23%), have a master’s degree. A deduction from the above
is that majority of the respondents are degree holders teaching in New Edubiase Senior High
School.

Analysis of Items
Research Question One (1)
The first research question sought to determine the social media sites often accessed by the
students of New Edubiase Senior High School. The responses are presented in table 10 below:

Table 10
Student’s response on social media sites often accessed by students
I accessed the Very Often Often Occasionally Not at all F %
following social
media sites
YouTube 100 20 - - 120 100%
(83.33%) (16.67%)
Twitter 40 40 30 10 120 100%
(33.33%) (33.33%) (25.0%) (8.33%)
Facebook 90 30 - - 120 100%
(75.0%) (25.0%)
Google+ 50 50 10 10 120 100%
(41.67%) (41.67%) (8.33%) (8.33%)
Imo 80 15 10 15 120 100%
(66.67%) (12.5%) (8.33%) (12.5%)
WhatsApp 120 - - - 120 100%
(100.0%)
Instagram 100 20 - - 120 100%
(83.33%) (16.67%)
Wechat 100 20 - - 120 100%
(83.33%) (33.33%)
My Space - - - 120 120 100%

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 (100.0%)
Blogs - - - 120 120 100%
(100.0%)
Wiki a - - 120 - 120 100%
(100.0%)
2 go - - 120 - 120 100%
(100.0%)
Linkedin 80 40 - - 120 100%
(66.67%) (33.33%)
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 4.9 above reveals students response on social networking sites the students of New
Edubiase Senior High School have access to. There are 13 items which provided responses on
social networking sites students have access to. From the responses given, there is an indication
that students use social networking sites. From the table majority of the students respondents 100
out of 120 representing (83.33%) indicated that they use YouTube very often, 20 (16.67%)
indicated that they use YouTube often.

Again, majority of student’s respondents 90 (33.33%) each indicated that they have access to
Twitter often and very often, 30 (25.0%) indicated that they occasionally access Twitter whiles
10 (8.33%) indicated that they do not access Twitter at all. In addition majority of students
respondents 90 (75.0%) indicated that students have access to facebook very often whiles 30
(25.0%) of the respondents indicated that students access facebook often. Also majority of
respondents 50 (41.67%) each indicated that they access Google+ very often and often, whiles 10
(8.33%) each also indicated that they have access to Google+ occasionally and not at all.

Furthermore, majority of student’s respondents 80 (66.67%) indicated that they access Imo very
often, 15 (12.5) each also indicated that they access Imo often and not at all whiles 10 (8.33%)
indicated that they access Imo occasionally. All the students of respondents 120 (100%)
indicated that they access Watsapp very often. Majority of students respondents 100 (83.33%)
indicated that they access Instagram very often whiles 20 (16.67%) indicated that they access
Instagram often. Again Majority of students respondents 100 (83.33%) indicated that they access
Wechat very often whiles 20 (16.67%) indicated that they access Wechat often.

Furthermore, all the students respondents 120 (100%) each indicated that they do not access My
Space and Blogs at all. Also all the students respondents 120 (100%) each indicated that they
occasionally have access to Wiki a and 2go. In addition majority of the students respondents 80
(66.67%) indicated that they access Linkedin very often whiles 40 (33.33%) indicated that access
Linkedin often. The implication of the above results is that students of New Edubiase Senior
High School have access to Linkedin, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Imo, WhatsApp,
Instagram and Wechat.

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The above result is consistent with a study by Asur (2010) who posited that students have access
to Social Networking Site (Facebook, Linkedin, Wechat). Also acobsen and Forst (2011)
asserted that social media is that means that employs mobile and web based technology to create
highly interactive platforms via which students share, co-create, discuss and modifies user’s
generated content. According to Kaitlin (2010) Facebook, Twitter, Wechat and Instagram is a
social networking and micro blogging service, utilizing instant messaging, signs or a web
interface enabling students to read and chat.

One aspect of the questionnaire also gathered data on teacher’s response on social media sites
often accessed by students of New Edubiase Senior High School. The responses are presented in
table 11 below:

Table 11
Teacher’s response on social media sites often accessed by students
I accessed the Very Often Often Occasionally Not at all F %
following social
media sites
YouTube 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
Twitter 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
Facebook 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
Google+ 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
Imo 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
WhatsApp 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
Instagram 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
Wechat 7 - - - 7 100%
(100.0%)
My Space - - - 7 7 100%
(100.0%)
Blogs - - - 7 7 100%
(100.0%)
Wiki a - - - 7 7 100%
(100.0%)
2 go - - - 7 7 100%

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 (100.0%)
Linkedin - - 7 - 7 100%
(100.0%)
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Table 11 reveals teachers response on social networking sites students of New Edubiase have
access to. There are 13 items which provided responses on social networking sites students have
access to. From the responses given, there is an indication that students use social networking
sites. From the table majority all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) each indicated that students
access YouTube, Twitter, facebook, Google+, Imo, Watsapp, Instagram and Wechat

Furthermore, all the students respondents 120 (100%) each indicated that they do not access My
Space and Blogs at all. Also all the students respondents 120 (100%) each indicated that they
occasionally have access to Wiki a and 2go. In addition majority of the students respondents 80
(66.67%) indicated that they access Linkedin very often whiles 40 (33.33%) indicated that access
Linkedin often. The implication of the above results is that students of New Edubiase Senior
High School have access to Linkedin, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Imo, WhatsApp,
Instagram and Wechat very often.

Also from table 11 all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) indicated that students do not access
Blogs, Wiki a and 2go at all. Also all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) indicated that students
access Linkedin occasionally. The implication of this is that students of New Edubiase Senior
High School have access to Linkedin, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Imo, WhatsApp,
Instagram and Wechat very often.

The above result is consistent with a study by Mikre (2011) who posited that most teachers in
senior high schools know that students have access to Social Networking Site (Facebook,
Linkedin, Wechat). Also Livingstone (2008) asserted that social media is that means that
employs mobile and web based technology to create highly interactive platforms via which
students share, co-create, discuss and modifies user’s generated content.

Research Question Two (2)

The second research question sought to determine the relationship between male students’ social
media usage and their academic performance. The responses are presented in table 12 below:

Table 12
Student’s response on the relationship between male student’s social media usage and their
academic performance
Items Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly F %
Agree Disagree
1. Male students 60 60 - - - 120 100%
spend more (50.0%) (50.0%)
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 hours socialising
during the
evening between
the hours of
9:00pm-12:00am
facebooking and
whatsapping
with friends.
2. The usage of - - - 90 30 120 100%
Facebook and
WhatsApp
guides students’
when learning.
3. The usage of - - - 60 60 120 100%
Facebook and (50.0%) (50.0%)
WhatsApp affect
male students’
grades
positively.
4. Twitter, 100 20 - - - 120 100%
Facebook and (83.33%) (16.67%)
WhatsApp
encourage
‘short-hands’
which affect
students when
taking notes
and/or writing
exams in school.
5. Male students - - - 80 40 120 100%
use Google+ to (66.67%) (33.33%)
make plans,
access academic
information and
research into
their academic
work.
6. Blogs and Wiki a - - 30 50 30 120 100%
allow students to (25.0%) (50.0% (25.0%)
post articles
15
 conversation and
a forum for
discussion
7. Blogging and - - - 60 60 120 100%
backchannel (50.0%) (50.0%)
forums provide
feedback on
academic on
academic
performance.
8. The 2go and - - - 10 110 120 100%
MySpace allows (8.33%) (91.67%)
female students
to meet
significant
people for
academic
discussions.
9. Male students - - - 1 119 120 100%
who actively (0.83%) (99.16%)
engage in social
media sites
perform better in
academics than
those who do
not.
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Results from Table 12 above reveal response of student on relationship between male students’
social media usage and their academic performance. Results from the table shows that all the
student respondents 120 (100%) strongly agree and agree that male students spend more hours
socialising during the evening between the hours of 9:00pm-12:00am Facebooking and
whatsApping with friends.

Also all the student respondents 120 (100%) strongly disagree and disagree that the usage of
Facebook and WhatsApp guides students’ when learning. In addition all the student respondents
120 (100%) strongly disagree and agree that the usage of Facebook and WhatsApp affect male
students’ grades positively. Furthermore all the student respondents 120 (100%) strongly agree
and agree that Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp encourage ‘short-hands’ which affect students
when taking notes and/or writing exams in school. Also all the student respondents 120 (100%)

16
strongly disagree and disagree that male students use Google+ to make plans, access academic
information and research into their academic work.

Also majority of student respondents 90 (75.0%) strongly disagree and disagree that Blogs and
Wiki a allow students to post articles conversation and a forum for discussion whiles 30 (25.0%)
were uncertain that Blogs and Wiki a allow students to post articles conversation and a forum for
discussion. Again all the student respondents 120 (100%) strongly disagree and disagree that
Blogging and backchannel forums provide feedback on academic on academic performance.

Also all the student respondents 120 (100%) strongly disagree and disagree that the 2go and
MySpace allows female students to meet significant people for academic discussions. All the
students respondents 120 (100%) strongly disagree and disagree that male students who actively
engage in social media sites perform better in academics than those who do not.

The implication of the above results means that social media site used by male students does not
bring any improvement in their academic performance. The result of this study disagrees with
the study by Oberst (2010) who asserted that boys seem to benefit more from social media use
and communication technology than girls do. According to Sarpong (2014) the number of male
students participating on social networking sites is staggering, and this may explain why certain
problems arise from these sites that have become a major problem in today’s society.

One aspect of the questionnaire gathered data from teachers on the relationship between male
student’s social media usage and their academic performance and the relevant data is presented
in table 13 below.

Table 13
Teacher’s response on the relationship between male student’s social media usage and their
academic performance
Items Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly F %
Agree Disagree
1. Male students 7 - - - - 7 100%
spend more (100.0%
hours socialising
during the
evening between
the hours of
9:00pm-12:00am
facebooking and
whatsapping
with friends.
2. The usage of - - - 7 - 7 100%

17
 Facebook and (100.0%)
WhatsApp
guides students’
when learning.
3. The usage of - - - 7 - 7 100%
Facebook and (100.0%)
WhatsApp affect
male students’
grades
positively.
4. Twitter, 5 2 - - - 7 100%
Facebook and (71.43%) (28.67%)
WhatsApp
encourage
‘short-hands’
which affect
students when
taking notes
and/or writing
exams in school.
5. Male students - - - 7 - 7 100%
use Google+ to (100.0%)
make plans,
access academic
information and
research into
their academic
work.
6. Blogs and Wiki a - - 1 6 - 7 100%
allow students to (14.29%) (85.71%)
post articles
conversation and
a forum for
discussion
7. Blogging and - - - 7 - 7 100%
backchannel (100.0%)
forums provide
feedback on
academic on
academic
18
 performance.
8. The 2go and - - - 7 - 8 100%
MySpace allows (100.0%)
female students
to meet
significant
people for
academic
discussions.
9. Male students - - - 7 - 120 100%
who actively (100.0%)
engage in social
media sites
perform better in
academics than
those who do
not.
Source: Field Survey (2019)

Results from Table 13 above reveal the response of teacher’s respondents on the relationship
between male students’ social media usage and their academic performance. Results from the
table shows that all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) strongly agree that male students spend
more hours socialising during the evening between the hours of 9:00pm-12:00am facebooking
and whatsapping with friends.

Also all the teachers respondents 7 (100%) disagree that the usage of Facebook and WhatsApp
guides students’ when learning. In addition all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) strongly
disagree that the usage of Facebook and WhatsApp affect male students’ grades positively.
Furthermore all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) strongly agree and agree that Twitter,
Facebook and WhatsApp encourage ‘short-hands’ which affect students when taking notes
and/or writing exams in school. Also all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) disagree that male
students use Google+ to make plans, access academic information and research into their
academic work.

Also majority of teacher respondents 6 (85.71%) disagree that Blogs and Wiki a allow students
to post articles conversation and a forum for discussion whiles 1 (14.29%) were uncertain that
Blogs and Wiki a allow students to post articles conversation and a forum for discussion. Again
all the teacher respondents 7 (100%) disagree that Blogging and backchannel forums provide
feedback on academic on academic performance. Also all the teacher respondents 7 (100%)
strongly disagree and disagree that the 2go and MySpace allows female students to meet
significant people for academic discussions. All the teacher respondents 7 (100%) strongly

19
disagree and disagree that male students who actively engage in social media sites perform better
in academics than those who do not.

The implication of the above results means that social media site used by male students does not
improve their academic performance positively. The above results is consistent with the study by
Schneider (2009) who asserted that boys have been online more than girls in previous decades
because of earlier forms of technology such as video or computer games. The result of this study
also confirms to a study by Schneider (2009), Ahmed and Qazi (2011) and Schill(2011) who
asserted that there is a negative relationship between social media site usage on student academic
performance.

Table 14
Regression results of the relationship between male student’s social media usage and their
academic performance
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate
a
1 .140 .020 .012 .43328
a. Predictors: (Constant), Negative relationship between male student’s social media usage and
their academic performance

ANOVA
Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
Regression .870 1 .870 2.505 .116b
1 Residual 23.467 125 .188
Total 23.937 126
a. Dependent Variable: Positive relationship between male student’s social media usage and
their academic performance
b. Predictors: (Constant), Negative relationship between male student’s social media usage and
their academic performance
Source: Field Survey (2019)

However, from the regression results in Table 14 above it can be concluded that there is a
negative relationship between male student’s social media usage and their academic performance
as the model gives a Multiple R of 0.140 showing that as social media usage by male students
affect their academic performance negatively. Moreover, an R Square of 0.870 thus (87.0%)
portrays that approximately 87% of the variation of the male students usage of social media sites
affect their academic performance negatively, hence making it very significant to reject the null
hypothesis.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings of the Study
20
The first research question was to find out social networking sites students often used by the
students of New Edubiase Senior High School. It emerged from the study that the students have
access to YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Wechat and Google+. The study found out
that the students access social media sites at home on their phones, school and cyber café,
students use more than one social media networking sites and also the students use social media
networking site very often by spending more than two hours throughout a day on social media
site.

The second and third research question was to determine the relationship between the male and
female students’ social media usage and the influence on their academic performance. It emerged
from the study that students of New Edubiase Senior High School in the Adansi District of
Ghana does not use social media networking site for their academics. The study also found out
that social media site has not positively changed the student’s habit of learning but social media
has changed their habit negatively.

It also emerged from the study that social networking site has affected the time of students in
learning since the findings of the study shows that the students does not use social media sites to
search for information regarding their studies or as a tool of learning to improve their academics.
It general the study found out the use of social media sites by both male and female students of
New Edubiase Senior High School in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region affect
their academic performance negatively.

Conclusions
Conclusions were drawn based on the research findings:
1. The researcher concludes that information students of New Edubiase Senior High School
in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana search from online are not
related to their studies.
2. The researcher also concludes that both male and female students had less interest on
information concerning current their academics. This is because they do not use the social
media sites for their learning.
3. The researcher also concludes that both male and female students spend more time on
social media sites on things that are not related to their studies.
4. The researcher also concludes that the both male and female of students New Edubiase
Senior High School engage in sharing of videos, chatting, sharing pictures, facebooking,
twitting and re-twitting among others.
5. The researcher concludes that social networking sites used by both male and female
students of New Edubiase Senior High School negatively affects their academic
performance negatively. The respondents indicated that all the students spent over two
hour in a day on social media sites at the expense of study time.

Recommendations
21
Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations could be raised:

First and foremost, the researcher recommends creation of awareness on applications that are
academic oriented so that the students can utilize them whenever they are online such as
evernote, google drive, drop box, iBooks among others.

Teachers of New Edubiase Senior High School should be encouraged to interact with the
students on social networking sites by for instance having a group on WhatsApp platform where
they exchange views about a particular subject even when they are on holiday. This will in turn
encourage the use of social networking sites to improve both male and female students of New
Edubiase Senior High School academic performance.

The study found out that social networking sites/social media have negative impact on both male
and female student’s academic performance. As such both male and female students need to be
informed through talks and forums on the need to manage their time especially while visiting
social networking sites since most of them become so much addicted at the expense of study
time. On this part they would be informed on better ways of still visiting the sites but for the
right purposes which will improve their academics.

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