SOCIAL MEDIA AND ABSU STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TO LEARNING

ABSTRACT This study is on social media and absu students’ attitude to learning. The study objectives were to determine the students’ attitude towards the use of social media as a tool for learning, determine the positive influence of social media towards students academic performance, determine the negative influence of social media towards student academic performance and determine the barrier students encounter while utilizing social media for their learning process. The theory used for this underpinning theory. Survey design was used as the methodology for this study and sample random sampling technique was used for the sampling technique. Taro yamene was used to generate the sample size of 400 students. Questionnaire served as the instrument of the study and 4-point likert scale was used to analyze the data. The study concluded that social media have changed student learning culture, social media have enhanced learning, students have a social media account. These findings conclude that students have a positive attitude towards social media as a tool for learning. ix CHAPTER ONE 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The continued growth of the cyberspace era has brought with it a permanent change in the way that students interact and socialize. A major part of this change is the advent of so-called social networking sites on the Internet, which have evolved to become virtual communities where people communicate, share information, and perhaps most important, build and maintain ongoing relationships. On-line social networking communities such as Facebook and Tiktok have become part of the daily life of a majority of university students, with a potentially far-reaching impact on the way that they study and learn (Prensky, 2019). The emergence of social media changed the communication landscape and the way people interact. Additionally, instead of being only a digital content consumer, one can also be a digital content producer. The use of social media facilitates communication and collaboration among users to support the student-centered learning environment. Social media technologies have not only substantially changed the way organizations, communities, and individuals communicate and socialize with each other, but they have also changed the way people learn, share information, exchange knowledge, and create new ideas. Usage of these emerging technologies 1 is growing rapidly among the present generation of students. Because the net generation has grown up with web 2.0 social media technologies, these to have tremendous popularity in students’ social lives, and yet they become digital natives. Social media has turned into an essential element of individuals’ lives including students in today’s world of communication. Its use is growing significantly more than ever before especially in the post-pandemic era, marked by a great revolution happening to the educational systems. Recent investigations of using social media show that approximately 3 billion individuals worldwide are now communicating via social media (Iwamoto and Chun, 2020). This growing population of social media users is spending more and more time on social network groupings, as facts and figures show that individuals spend two hours a day, on average, on a variety of social media applications, exchanging pictures and messages, updating status, tweeting, favoring, and commenting on many updated socially shared information (Abbott, 2017). Researchers have begun to investigate the psychological effects of using social media on students’ lives. Chukwuere and Chukwuere (2017) maintained that social media platforms can be considered the most important source of changing individuals’ mood, because when someone is passively using a social media 2 platform seemingly with no special purpose, s/he can finally feel that his/her mood has changed as a function of the nature of content overviewed. Therefore, positive and negative moods can easily be transferred among the population using social media networks (Chukwuere and Chukwuere, 2017). This may become increasingly important as students are seen to be using social media platforms more than before and social networking is becoming an integral aspect of their lives. As described by Iwamoto and Chun (2020), when students are affected by social media posts, especially due to the increasing reliance on social media use in life, they may be encouraged to begin comparing themselves to others or develop great unrealistic expectations of themselves or others, which can have several affective consequences. Educators recognize the power of social media to transform learning, and they are now integrating these online tools in their instructions. The features of social media complement the constructive philosophy of teaching and learning that allows learners to create, co-create and share knowledge with global audiences beyond classroom walls (Seo, 2023). However, as social media tools have the opportunity to change education, many institutions still wonder how to adapt to these tools (Barnes & Tynan, 2007). 3 Therefore, understanding students’ attitudes and expectations regarding utilizing social media technologies to support learning could help instructors gain better vision of how these digital natives are using such tools for learning purposes. Social media technologies are part of the Internet’s web-based applications and software, which help learners to learn, participate, share their information, and collaborate with others through digital connections. Social media is a 21st century term used to broadly define a variety of networked tools or technologies that emphasize the social aspects of the Internet as a channel for communication, collaboration, and creative expression, and it is often interchangeable with the terms web 2.0 and social software (Dabbagh & Reo, 2011). According to Shirky (2023), social software is software that supports group interaction. It is the scope of application that enables social connections, groups’ interactions, shared web spaces for collaboration, and information exchange in web based environments, according to Bragg (2015). In the educational field, where information technology merges with educational technology through the learning process, emerging technologies have helped learners to enhance skills and to develop independence because these tools avoid physical constraints and time conflicts. The growth of electronic learning environments—where students can learn through using digital technologies and the Internet, allows students the 4 opportunities to engage in lifelong and flexible learning, communicate and connect with others who live far away, and be open-minded and self-directed learners. This positive impact and improved learning have occurred because the new tools allow learners to get information at any time, provide reflections, and share their information and experiences with others. Additionally, these tools help students to learn collaboratively with one another, exchange their opinions and thoughts, and participate with others at any location. According to the New London Group (2016), social media and web 2.0 have promise to bridge the gap between home and schools, raise academic performance, and to level the playing field for all students, regardless of ethnicity or income level. However, because digital learners are already in online and virtual ecologies spending much of their time using social media technologies for different purposes, it is important that educational institutions develop their curricula and programs to keep up-to-date with the new technology era requirements in order to increase learning efficiency. According to Greenhow, Hughes, and Robelia (2019), social media and web 2.0 tools have the potential to enhance literacy and learning across diverse student populations, and these researchers call for the use of interactive social media as a means of preparing students for the 21st century. 5 Social media technologies have become tools in the hands of the present generation of students, net savvy. This indicates how crucial it is to investigate students’ attitudes toward utilizing social media for learning purposes, how they perceive the educational values of such tools, and what barriers the students face when using social media for learning. This investigation will help instructors understand how students’ learning practices and experiences are connected to emerging technologies such as social media. Lohnes and Kinzer (2017) argued that “Faculty needs to have greater perspectives of the Net Generation technology expertise and how student learning is connected with technology; this is a vital component for higher education” (p.7). Investigating how social media have changed the culture of education and learning in a conservative society such as Abia State University is an extension of this investigation. Therefore, this study aims to understand ABSU’s students’ attitudes towards using social media to support their learning and explore factors and barriers affecting students’ adoption of such tools at Abia State University, Uturu. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Over generalizations regarding the influence of social media are not justified. More needs to be discovered about the variables that influence this relationship and 6 about strategies that help students, lecturers and school administrators to harness the full potential of these pervasive technologies. Many parents and lecturers are worried that their children and students are spending too much time using social media networks as this has become the new normal. The misuse of social networks and the internet during school hours and when doing homework is the biggest problem affecting the concentration of students and that is reflected, in some cases, poor academic performance because they do not pay attention to their studies. Several types of research have been carried out in recent times to find out the impact of social networking on the learning achievement of students. There are, however, diverse opinions/findings. For Shosanya (2013), students in Nigeria are in the habit of making and chatting with friends using social networking platforms as against visiting them for their academic purposes. Mingle and Adams (2015) declared that despite the benefits that come with the participation of students on social media networks, it could impact negatively their academic performances if not used properly. The studies of Muhingi et al. (2015), carried out in Kenya, also revealed that students in Kenya were much more vulnerable to the adverse effects of social networks in a manner consistently and concurrently similar to that found elsewhere worldwide. Muret; Tezer; Ata; Oma and Hamza (2017) carried out a study on the impact of using social media on academic achievement and attitudes of prospective teachers and the study revealed 7 that prospective teachers’ attitudes towards social media influenced academic achievement. Alufohai (2017) carried out a study on the effect of social networking on secondary school students in Edo State. This study looked into how addictive adolescents are to the use of social media. It was found out that female students visit the site more often than male students. Female students spend more time on the net chatting than male students thereby showing the attrition rate and poor educational performance of girls more than the male students in Edo State. The continuous downward spiralling in academic performance, the rise in cases of drop-outs, the increase in most of the unacceptable, immoral, and antisocial behaviours perpetrated by students in secondary schools today, which include truancy, massive failures, exam malpractices, improper dress codes, cultism, indiscriminate sexual relationships with the opposite as well as same-sex and most violent behaviours and rape can mainly be attributed to the influence of social media. It was against this background that the researcher is conducting this study to look at social media and ABSU’s students’ attitude to learning. 1.3 Objectives of the Study The following are the objectives of this study; 1. To determine the students’ attitude towards the use of social media as a tool for learning. 8 2. To determine the positive influence of social media towards students’ academic performance. 3. To determine the negative influence of social media towards students’ academic performance. 4. To determine the barriers students encounter while utilising social media for their learning process. 1.4 Research Question 1. What is the students’ attitude towards the use of social media as a tool for learning? 2. What is the positive influence of social media towards students’ academic performance? 3. What is the negative influence of social media towards students’ academic performance? 4. What are the barriers students encounter while utilising social media for their learning process? 1.5 Significance of the Study According to the researcher, the study has the following significance: It is an extension of existing knowledge about the attitude towards social media. This study is able to observe the relationship between attitude towards social media and students’ academic achievement. This study will stimulate others to carry out this type 9 of research work in the future. It can provide baseline information to education planners to chalk out plans for the welfare of students in our education system as well as the country. The study might also be significant as a reference in the field of social media in education and other related studies. 1.6 Delimitation of the Study This study has some delimitations. The present study is delimited in the following aspects: Population & Sample: In this study, the research population was Abia State University students from all faculties. In the selected sample, the researcher chose the purposive sampling method. Technique: Only the survey technique was used to carry out this study. Tools Used: In this study, only one standardized questionnaire was used. Variables: For this study, the researcher considered the following variables: Gender, Locality, Educational Stream (Science, Social Science & Literature), and Academic Achievement. 1.7 Limitations of the Study Every research study has its limitations and this study is not exempted. This study is limited by time and resources. The time allotted for this study is very little, as the researcher had to merge other academic activities with carrying out the research. The resources such as materials, books, journals, articles, and other academic collections are limited, and this may restrict the information available for this research. 10 Also the willingness for the youth to attempt and return the questionnaire that will be used for this study is another challenge. 1.8 Definition of Terms Attitude: Attitude indicates the more favorable and unfavorable realization of people towards many objects. Also an attitude is the mental and neural condition of readiness, gathered through experience and exerting a directive or dynamic impact upon the response to all objects and situations with which it is connected. Social media: Social media are computer-based technologies which assist to exchange data, Views, job-related picture and another form of expression through virtual communities and networks. Common people generally refer to social media as apps on their Smartphone or tablet, but the reality is, first this communication tool was initiated with computers through the internet. Relationship: It means the connection between the two variables. In this study, the connection between attitude towards social media and academic achievement was found out. ABSU: Abia State University ABSU students: Abia State University students 11 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter present the literary studies relevant to this study. This chapter is divided into three subsections which are conceptual review, empirical review and theoretical review. 2.1 Conceptual Review 2.1.1 Social Media Literacy The social media literacy can be defined media and information literacy which is a set of competencies that empowers people to access, retrieve, understand, evaluate, use, create, share information in personal professional and societal activities. It suggests that media literate person must not only be a user of information and media material, but also a responsible inquirer, creator of knowledge and innovator who is able to use a variety of information, communication tools and media (UNESCO, 2020). Media literacy is a means of understanding where, when, and how to select while using emerging technology in compliance with their desired purpose (Ata & Yıldırım, 2020). Few studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between the intent of using social media websites and media literacy. For example, the relationship between critical thinking and media literacy of preservice teachers have been found positive by Eristi and Erdem (2018), Celik (2018), Semerci and Semerci (2017), 12 and Audiences should properly address both negative and positive developments of healthy information and mass media (Adhiarso & Suyanto, 2018). Grabher and König (2017) found that from individual perspective, media literacy refers to the ability of a media literate person to use the platform by engaging with specific accounts that they want to see content from more frequently. For instance, if anyone intents to communicate with his closest friend, but there is nothing important to share with his friend because they do not live in geographically close places, he or she may do it and make the best use of the platform Facebook to regularly be in touch by checking for his friend’s Facebook profile or other social media sites and sharing the posts. 2.1.2 ICT Facility There are many social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, Instagram, Tik Tok, Tencent QQ, QZone, and SinaWeibo ranking as the most prominent social networking sites (Statista, 2020). Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social media have become indispensable parts of people’s lives in recent years (Karanasios & Parker, 2018). The ICT is an inherent part of daily life, modern society cannot work in its absence (Gërguri-Rashiti et al., 2017). Students could interact to their classmates using the ICT facility on social media. Basri et al. (2018) studied that university students use ICT for interaction and social interactions with friends and family in addition to looking for information on the internet. 13 That is why it represents a great boost to university students’ academic success. Students may frequently use ICT to initiate discussions and guidance on educational activities from professors, peers, and colleagues, and this type of interaction is needed to develop their research and study skills (Basri et al., 2018). In the sense of business development, the ICTs and social media assist companies in innovating and improving their results (Emami & Khajeheian, 2018; Karakara & Osabuohien, 2020), and communicating and attracting more clients (Palalic et al., 2021). 2.1.3 Perceived Usefulness The perceived utility measures a person’s belief that a system helps him/her to better perform his/her job (Corkindale et al., 2018). Davis (2019) defined the perceived usefulness is the extent a person considers to boost his or her work output using a particular system. Nevertheless, from the social media viewpoint, Phang Ing and Ming (2018) found perceived usefulness as one of the key factors shaping the attitude of consumers regarding the suggestion of bloggers posted on social media. In the same vein, Popy and Bappy (2020) examined that perceived usefulness is directly linked to the attitude of clients toward positive reviews on social media. On the other hand, use of social networking to share information by the concerned stakeholders has a perceived impact, such as endorsing social media to expand higher education by knowledge sharing among students, faculties and other administrative in 14 educational institutions (Goswami & Agrawal, 2019). The intention to use social media will be better when users believe a social media tool uses is necessary for the efficient exchange of information, users will be inspired in order to obtain knowledge from knowledge contributors who are aware of its usefulness (Read et al., 2019). 2.1.4 Perceived Ease of Use The perceived ease of use denotes to the belief of an individual of how convenient the use of the technology is. The better the method, the more likely it is that the users would consider it (Davis, 2019). Likewise, perceived easy-to-use tests an individual’s perception that a system is effortless (Corkindale et al., 2018). Very often, people felt they would get benefit from using the easy-to-use technology (Scott et al., 2016). Moreover, perceived ease of use of individuals and their perceived utility of technology precede their motive to use them (Venkatesh & Davis, 2023). Lin (2017) found that a higher degree of perceived ease of the use of social media produces a positive feedback of consumers. Correspondingly, Hua et al. (2017) confirmed that increased perceived ease of use of social media would lead to an increased degree of a positive attitude toward its strong mindset in favor of destinations for travel. Setiawan and Setyawati (2020) and Pitafi et al. (2020), presented proof of a positive relationship between ease of perception and attitude. 15 2.1.5 Perceived Behavioral Control The perceived ease or difficulty of executing a behavior is referred to as perceived behavioral control (López-Mosquera et al., 2014). Perceived behavioral control was divided into three categories: behavioral, decisional, and cognitive by Zhang and Gupta (2018). To begin, the behavioral characteristic denotes to a user’s propensity to respond to changing circumstances. The user’s ability to effectively achieve the desired goals from situations based on his or her acts and conclusions is referred to as the decisional attribute. The cognitive attribute indicates if the user is capable of comprehending the situation. Moreover, if a person believes that he or she has the technical capabilities, computer skills, and social networking abilities to respond in social media, he or she may believe they have behavioral control (Boehm, 2019). Hansen et al. (2018) found positive impact between the intention to use social networking sites for purchases, as well as the perception of behavioral control. According to Alzahrani et al. (2017) the most powerful impact on practical use is perceived behavioral control. On the contrary, Lawson-Body et al. (2018) disclosed that the relationship between perceived behavioral control can be influenced by social media presence. 2.1.6 Perceived Risk When government workers use Web 2.0 and/or social media for work-related purposes, there is a perceived risk of fraud or hacking, as well as 16 eventual leakage of classified or sensitive information to unauthorized users (Mhina et al., 2019). Despite this, the idea of perceived danger is synonymous with the likelihood of experiencing bad impacts such as losses in an unpredictable circumstance, which typically include performance degradation, economic loss, loss of time, emotional loss, societal loss, security loss, and overall risk (Featherman & Pavlou, 2003). An earlier study of Mhina et al. (2019) implied that the perceived risk has a substantial negative impact on government employees’ attitudes and intentions to use Web 2.0 and/or social networking sites. Nawi et al. (2017) demonstrated that perceived risk has a major impact on student entrepreneurs’ adoption of social media as a business platform in Malaysia, indicating that student entrepreneurs understand and acknowledge the risk of negative outcomes when using social media as a business platform. The users’ confidence has an effect on intentions to use social media, and it was discovered that these connections vary based on the gender and age of the social media participant (Benson et al., 2019). 2.1.7 Users’ Attitudes Attitude is a result of one’s cognitive values, and it expresses whether a person feels positively or negatively about performing a specific behavior (Ajzen & Fishbein, 2019). Nonetheless, an individual’s attitude can influence how they feel about using a social networking platform, which in turn affects the users’ interaction with the site. Several observational studies have 17 previously revealed that attitudes have a positive impact on social networking sites. For example, Hua et al. (2017), Tariq et al. (2017), Phang Ing and Ming (2018) have discovered a link between attitude and intention to use social media sites. The users’ attitude toward social media use can affect their behavioral intention to use social media (Popy & Bappy, 2020). Erkan and Evans (2016) implied that consumers’ positive attitude toward word of mouth knowledge in social media has a positive influence on purchasing intention. This shows that the user’s attitude toward use of social media would have a positive effect on users’ decision to use social media for learning. 2.1.8 Mediating Effect of Attitudes This study also considered the mediating role of attitude in investigating users’ intention toward the usage of social media. Previously, there are several studies have been considered that attitude is a mediating construct to anticipate the impact of various prior factors on behavioral intention to use social media. For instance, Hua et al. (2017) illustrated that the attitude with respect to the utilization of social media mediates the positive impact of perceive usefulness and perceive ease of use on the behavioral intention of the travelers. Likewise, it has been shown that attitude is the mediating variable through which information quality directly affects purchase intention (Phang Ing & Ming, 2018). Several experimental studies have been conducted to test the relationship between intention to use and 18 actual use. For example, Dumpit and Fernandez (2017), Lu and Yang (2014), Zhou et al. (2011) investigated how motivations affect the intention of using social networking sites. According to another report, little information can be gathered about how positive service feedback on social networking apps can influence consumers’ purchasing intentions and service perceptions (Ha & Lee, 2018). Nadeem et al. (2015) revealed that customers’ purchasing intentions are influenced by users’ attitude. 2.1.9 Usage of Social Media and Academic Performance Kirschner and Karpinski (2020) examined the relationship between social media usage and academic performance and found there was no relationship between social media usage and grades. Saunders (2018) found that there were no differences in overall grade point average (GPA) between users and non-users of Facebook. Kirschner and Karpinski (2020), on the other hand, found that Facebook users reported a lower mean GPA than non-users; additionally, Facebook users reported studying fewer hours per week than non-users. The Kirschner and Karpinski (2020) paper examined differences between Facebook users and non-users but did not analyze actual time spent on Facebook (though their methods suggest this information was collected). The majority of research conducted so far relating to use of social media within education has been focused on engagement or social presence. Examples include Walter and Barazova’s (2019) study on how social media allows for propinquity. 19 within groups and addresses the perceived impact on social presence. Researchers have also looked at number of tweets and their communicative purposes (Boyd, Golder, & Lotan, 2020; Honeycutt, & Herring, 2019) and instances of job postings over LinkedIn, a social network for professionals analyzing qualifications needed as specified by employers (Wakefield, Warren, & Mills, 2022). Lastly, the study by Kolek and Saunders (2018) examined student Facebook profiles and found there were no differences in overall GPA between users and nonusers. It is important to note that “non-users” in the Kolek and Saunders (2018) study were those students from a randomly selected sample of the university’s student database that researchers could not find on Facebook. These students could have either been non-users or had privacy settings enabled to disallow searching, confounding the results of these findings. Previous studies of Facebook use and academic performance have also been limited in how student grades were measured. Until now, all studies have used self-reported, non-continuous measures. Students in the first sample in the Pasek et al. (2019) study were asked to report grades on an 8-point Likert scale with anchors for Mostly F’s to Mostly A’s and categories in between such as A’s and B’s. For the second and third samples, GPA was coded on a four-point scale from D or less to A. Kirschner and Karpinski (2020) used a five-point Likert scale (where 0 was 1.99 and below, 1 was 2.0–2.49, 2 was 2.5–2.99, 3 20 was 3.0–3.49, and 4 was 3.5–4.0). Kirschner and Karpinski (2020) also coded time spent studying on a 5-point Likert scale (where 0 was less than 1 h per week, 1 was 1–5 h, 2 was 6–10 h, 3 was 11–15 h, and 4 was 16 or more hours). None of the previous studies have explored what students do on Facebook. The Facebook platform allows for different activities from commenting on user content to sending private messages, uploading photos, and lurking (seeing what others are doing); these activities could be related to outcomes in different ways than frequency of use. 2.1.10 Attitudes and Beliefs Research findings suggest that teacher attitudes and beliefs about technology can be one of the major barriers to effective technology integration in K-12 education (Hew & Brush, 2017). In the literature, attitudes and beliefs are usually defined as separate constructs (Calderhead, 2019; Simpson, Koballa, Oliver, & Crawley, 2020; Wesely, 2021): Attitudes refer to feelings indicating favor or disfavor, and beliefs are premises about something that are felt to be true. A more comprehensive definition by Gall, Gall & Borg (2023) describes that an attitude is an individual’s viewpoint or disposition with affective, cognitive, and behavioral components, and the cognitive component is one’s beliefs or knowledge about the attitude object. Bodur, Brinberg, & Coupey (2022) summarized that understanding the relations between cognitive structure (i.e., beliefs), affect, and attitude has been the focus of attitude research. Their 21 research findings suggest that affect, as a noncognitive determinant, has a direct impact on attitude and can lead to the inconsistency between attitude and behavior. By the definition of technology affordance adopted in this paper, interaction between a user and a tool may become another determinant that should be considered in the process of forming an attitude toward technology use. This may be especially true when research on learner attitudes and beliefs is expanded from learner traits and learning environment, to the interaction between the learner and the environment (Wesely, 2022). Research undertaken in the area of attitude and attitude formation shows that attitudes and beliefs are linked, and attitudes and behaviors are linked; moreover, attitudes are essentially divided into likes and dislikes (Siragusa & Dixon, 2018). With the broad expansion of ICT in education during the last decade, many research studies have explored the attitudes of users (educators and students) towards the integration of ICT in education (Gasaymeh, 2019; Mishra & Panda, 2017; Wen & Shih, 2018). It is nearly impossible to talk about opinions and views of advertising in online social networks without considering users' attitudes (Kornias & Halalau, 2022). Fishbein (2017) defined attitude as "a learned predisposition of human beings". "An individual would respond to an object (or an idea) or a number of things (or opinions)". Generally attitudes have three basic components, which are: affect cognition and behavior. The affect component refers to feelings about 22 an object, cognition is related to beliefs about an object, and the behavioral component means the intention to take any action related to the object (Soloman, 2017). Ad clicking has been considered as a behavioral outcome of online advertising. After the existence of technological advances, many researchers conducted studies to measure the attitude of consumers towards online advertising. Throughout the years, there have been different models describing and explaining attitudes toward advertising construct (Kornias & Halalau, 2022). One of these models is the Ducoffe (2018) one, which also focuses on attitudes towards advertising, and includes three factors: entertainment, information and irritation. The factors involved and the fact that this model has been previously tested in an online environment made this model more simplistic, straightforward and appropriate to be studied (Kornias &Halalau, 2022). The credibility factor was integrated to the Ducoffe (2016) model by Bracket & Carr (2021) as a complement, as it offered further explanation of the attitude toward advertising construct. In the present study, attitudes towards advertising are measured by three different dimensions. The first one is the Facebook related variables which include the advertising characteristics of the Ducoffe model, and include credibility and interactivity, as well as one other characteristic, which is customization. 23 2.2 Empirical Studies Kutbi (2023) conducted a study on how undergraduate female students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia perceive the social media website Twitter as an educational Tool. The results of the study found that high percentage of the participants, 84%, prefer the use of Twitter as a learning tool. This high percentage proves that youth has a huge growing interest in technology. According to the Internet World Stats, 53% of Twitter users around the world are females and 77 % of them are between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five (Internet World Stats, 2023). According to the Saudi Gazette website, a study has been released recently on social media in the Arab world. “According to the report, Saudis are the most active social media users in the Arab region, with an estimated 393,000 using Twitter and nearly four million using Facebook” (Fatany, 2022, p. 1). Asiri and Alqarni (2015) explored the main advantages of using Twitter for EFL. The study presented the potential benefits of using Twitter as an educational tool among high school students in Jeddah, inside and outside their schools. The study showed a positive effect of Twitter in the learning and educational process especially on English language learning process. 24 Researchers argue that the attitude towards the lesson will also be reflected in success (Avcı et al., 2021). In another conducted research, it has been seen that students who went to America to study abroad for the first time were more academically fit by using social networks. Moreover, it has been noted that the students established friendships with other international students on the social network before they have even arrived the class. Consequently, this leads to a positive impact on students (Forbush & Foucault-Welles, 2016). Social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube, Slide share, Dailymotion and Flickr were used in an experimental study using mixed teaching methods. In this study using mixed method for science lessons, the attitudes of the students in the experimental group were observed to be improved towards the lesson. Furthermore, it was observed that the students in the experimental group improved their learning ability more compared to the control group (Akgunduz & Akinoglu, 2016). It is a positive situation for the students to use the social media as an advantage in order to research about the course and exams, to ask questions, to share resources, to find methods in order to prepare their homework and to cooperate with other students in terms of homework. By using the social media in the classroom, students stated that the social media was necessary and beneficial for them, it affected their academic success positively and provided ease in terms of their educational processes use the social media for educational 25 purposes in the event that they used it for academic purposes. However, they also expressed negative views that they could be dependent on the social network and they may not have privacy (Kitsantas et al., 2016; Toğay et al., 2013). Another research was conducted on the attitude of secondary school students towards social media (Bulu, Numanoglu & Keser, 2016). No significant difference was found in this study in the attitude scores of the students towards the social media according to their gender, school, grade level, income level, parental education status, membership of social media services, usage environment of the social media and usage devices. In this conducted study, it was found that the attitude of the secondary school students towards the social media was at a positively high level. Another study found out that the number of the elderly people who use the social media is increasing and they use it in order to socialize and communicate with their friends on the internet, but women use the social media more compared to men (Vošner et al. 2016). The attitude of one hundred seventeen students studying at two state universities in California and Indiana states in the United States towards the perceived learning was researched for two learning management tools, Facebook and Blackboard. In this research, it has been identified that Facebook is a better classroom enhancement compared to Blackboard, classmates are in better contact with each other through Facebook, students learn more by feeling 26 more valuable as Facebook users and Facebook will improve student participation in the classroom if used appropriately (Hurt et al., 2012). Having the literature investigated, it has been stated that the social media use has many advantages in teaching and learning. Having the opinions of students towards Facebook analysed, Facebook was demanded to be used in education, they had more positive attitude towards Facebook and it was found to be more interesting (Ozan & Odabaşı, 2016). In the event that a relationship between the widespread use of the social media by the youth and their academic success is identified, it is significant that this study is conducted at secondary schools in case of a positive attitude of students developed in the field of education with the use of the social media in education. Concurrently, using many tools such as Facebook and Twitter in teaching and education environments particularly via mobile devices through new communication technologies and social network and the improvement of students in these environments as well as conducting these studies in secondary education institutions become more of an issue in terms of raising awareness among students. This research aims to investigate the effect of the social media use on the academic success and attitude of Abia State University students. 27 2.3 Theoretical Review Underpinning Theory This study uses the concept of theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen (1991) that is an extension of the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1975). According to the TPB, users’ behavioral intention reliably predicts whether or not a person will engage in the behavior in question if the individual can consciously choose to do so. The more intensely a person intends to carry out a behavior, the more likely that person is to carry it out (Ajzen, 1991). TPB is a commonly used model for forecasting the relationship between a person’s attitude, intentions, and behavior. As a consequence, predicting a person’s motive depends heavily on three antecedents: the person’s attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Ajzen (1991) found that attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control all determine intentions. According to Baker and White (2010), the positive or negative evaluations of the affective and instrumental variables that make up the action in question are referred to as attitude. The perceived behavioral control means the extent of control that a person feels while performing the behavior (Baker & White, 2020). Many studies have used the TPB to help explain the psychosocial variables that predict people’s use of social media as a promotional tool to read the news, exchange content, watch event videos, and 28 participate in events. For example, TPB was used in empirical research to determine users’ preferences to exchange information appropriately in the purchase networks of products and services (Kim et al., 2018). It has also been used to predict youth media use (Baker & White, 2020; Pelling & White, 2019). Based on the concept of TPB, this study aims to measure the determinants of users’ attitude and their intention to use social media for learning. 29 CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Design The research design in this study is the survey research method. Survey research studies both large and small population by selecting and studying sample chosen from the population in order to discover the relative incidence distribution and un-relating variables. A research design also called a research strategy, is a plan to answer a set of questions (McCombes, 2019). 3.2 Population of the Study Population refers to all cases of individuals that fit a certain specification. The population for this study is the students of Abia State University students. The population of Abia State University students is 21600 (Absu website, 2024) 3.3 Sample Size and Sampling Technique The simple random sampling technique was used for this study. A sample is simply a subset of the population. The concept of sample arises from inability of the researchers to test all the individuals in a given population (Sassower, 2017). The research focus is on the population of Abia State University students. Simple random sampling was used to select the sampling size for this study. The sample size will be gotten out from the population of the study which is 21,600, using the Taro Yamane formula which states that n = N(1+N(e)²) 30 N is the population size n is the sample size (e) is the coefficient n = 21600/(1+21600(0.0025)) = 21600/52.1975 = 399.99 approximately 400 students 3.4 Instrument for Data Collection Research instruments are fact finding strategies; they are tools for data collection. They include questionnaire, interview, observation and reading. It is essential that an instrument chosen is valid and reliable (Aichholzer, 2009). The study therefore utilized questionnaire to collect data. The questionnaire has two sections. The first section is the respondent’s bio data while the second section is the research questions. The researcher made use of 4 point likert scale The questions are direct, so that the respondents will have swift understanding of the questionnaire. 3.5 Validation of Instruments The instrument will be given to the supervisor in charge of the researcher, to assess and validate the contents of the instrument. The comments and corrections of the supervisor will be used to improve the quality of the instrument and make it valid. 31 3.6 Reliability of Instrument The reliability of the instruments was established using pre-test method on a sample of 20 undergraduate students of ABSU. The researcher used simple random sampling technique to select the sample for the pilot test. However, 20 copies of the questionnaire were administered to the respondents and little adjustments were made after accessing the comprehension by respondents, and the researcher thought it wise that the instrument was reliable for the study. 3.7 Method of Data Collection The method of data collection will be done using the primary data which will be retrieved using questionnaire. The questionnaire will be self administered and it will be retrieved by the researcher. 3.8 Method of Data Analysis Quantitative data is numerical and can be collected in a number of forms. Statistical analysis was used to summarize and describe quantitative data; tables were used to visualize raw data. Questions from the questionnaire were presented in tables and analyzed using SPSS with descriptive devices such as frequency counts and simple percentages. 32 CHAPTER FOUR DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS The purpose of this chapter is to analyze and interpret the collected data and collated. The analysis and interpretation are based on the questionnaire used for this study. It is pertinent to note that tables are used to present, analyze and interpret the data collected. The questionnaire used for this study is enclosed in the appendix. 4.1 Data Presentation and Analysis Table One: Respondents Bio-data Response Frequency Percentage Age 16-20years 160 40 21-25years 120 30 26-30years 80 20 31-above 40 10 Gender Male 160 40 Female 240 60 Religion Christianity 400 100 33 Muslim 0 0 Traditionalist 0 0 Table Two presented data on audience Bio-data. In the age distribution, 40 percent of the students were within the age of 16 to 20years. 30 percent of the students were within the age of 21-25years. 20 percent of the students were within the age of 26-30years. 10 percent of the students were within the age of 31years and above. For the gender distribution, 40 percent of the students were male while 60 were female. All the students were Christians. Table Two: Students have a social media account Scale Response Frequency Percentage Fx 4 Strongly agreed 188 47 752 3 Agreed 196 49 588 2 Disagreed 8 2 16 1 Strongly. 8 2 8 disagreed N=4 Total 400 100 1364 Table two presented data on whether students have a social media account. 47 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 49 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 2 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 2 34 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1364 / 400 = 3.41 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.41, it means that students have a social media account. Table Three: Social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube , Instagram and Titok could be used in a classroom setting Scale Response Frequency Percentage Fx 4 Strongly agreed 180 45 720 3 Agreed 192 48 576 2 Disagreed 20 5 40 1 Strongly 8 2 8 disagreed N=4 Total 400 100 1344 Table Three presented data on whether social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube , Instagram and Titok could be used in a classroom setting. 45 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 48 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 5 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 2 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1344 / 400 = 3.36 = approved 35 With the mean deviant of 3.36, it means that social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube , Instagram and Titok could be used in a classroom setting Table Four: Social media have enhanced learning Scale Response Frequency Percentage Fx 4 Strongly agreed 200 50 800 3 Agreed 164 41 492 2 Disagreed 16 4 32 1 Strongly. 20 5 20 disagreed N=4 Total 400 100 1344 Table four presented data on whether social media have enhanced learning. 50 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 41 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 4 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 5 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx summation of f = 1344 400 = 3.36 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.36, it means that social media have enhanced learning. 36 Table Five: Social media have changed students learning culture Scale. |Response |Frequency |Percentage |Fx 4 |Strongly agreed |160 | 40 | 640 3 | Agreed | 196 | 49 | 588 2 | Disagreed | 28 | 7 | 56 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 16 | 4 | 16 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1300 Table five presented data on whether social media have changed students learning culture. 40 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 49 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 7 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 4 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1300 / 400 = 3.25 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.36, it means that social media have changed students learning culture. 37 Table Six: Social media makes learning interesting and convenient Scale. | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agree. | 160 | 40 | 640 3 | Agreed | 120 | 30 | 360 2 | Disagreed | 80 | 20 | 160 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 40 | 10 | 40 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1200 Table six presented data on whether social media makes learning interesting and convenient. 40 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 30 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 20 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 10 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1200 / 400 = 3.00 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.36, it means that social media makes learning interesting and convenient. 38 Table Seven: Social media providing the chances of students learning newer things Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 188 | 47 | 752 3 | Agreed | 164 | 41 | 492 2 | Disagreed | 36 | 9 | 72 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 12 | 3 | 12 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1328 Table seven presented data on whether social media providing the chances of students learning newer thing. 47 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 41 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 9 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 3 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1328 / 400 = 3.28 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.36, it means that social media provides the chances of students learning newer things. 39 Table Eight: Social media is a good place to have discussions with “guest speakers” both from inside and outside the school Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 112 | 28 | 448 3 | Agreed | 88 | 22 | 264 2 | Disagreed | 84 | 21 | 168 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 164 | 29 | 164 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1044 Table eight presented data on whether social media was a good place to have discussions with “guest speakers” both from inside and outside the school. 28 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 22 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 21 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 29 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1044 / 400 = 2.61 = approved With the mean deviant of 2.61, it means that social media is a good place to have discussions with “guest speakers” both from inside and outside the school. 40 Table Nine: Social media negatively affects students attention span Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 100 | 25 | 400 3 | Agreed | 100 | 25 | 300 2 | Disagreed | 100 | 25 | 200 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 100 | 25 | 100 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1000 Table nine presented data on whether social media negatively affects students attention span. 25 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 25 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 25 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 25 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1000 / 400 = 2.50 = approved With the mean deviant of 2.50, it means that social media negatively affects students attention span. 41 Table Ten: Social media help students become an independent learner Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 196 | 49 | 784 3 | Agreed | 156 | 39 | 468 2 | Disagreed | 32 | 8 | 64 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 16 | 4 | 16 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1332 Table ten presented data on whether social media help students become an independent learner. 49 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 39 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 8 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 4 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1332 / 400 = 3.33 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.33, it means that social media help students become an independent learner. 42 Table Eleven: Social media improve communication with teachers and classmate Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 164 | 41 | 654 3 | Agreed | 138 | 46 | 414 2 | Disagreed | 36 | 9 | 72 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 16 | 4 | 16 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1156 Table Eleven presented data on whether social media improve communication with teachers and classmate. 41 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 46 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 9 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 4 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1156 / 400 = 2.89 = approved With the mean deviant of 2.89, it means that social media improve communication with teachers and classmate. 43 Table Twelve: Social media assist students in gaining more information on different courses and topics Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 152 | 38 | 608 3 | Agreed | 164 | 42 | 492 2 | Disagreed | 48 | 12 | 96 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 32 | 8 | 32 N=4 | Total | 400 | 400 | 1228 Table Twelve presented data on whether social media assist students in gaining more information on different courses and topics. 38 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 42 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 12 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 8 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1228 / 400 = 3.07 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.07, it means that social media assist students in gaining more information on different courses and topics. 44 Table Thirteen: Social media improve students vocabulary skills Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 140 | 35 | 560 3 | Agreed | 180 | 45 | 540 2 | Disagreed | 60 | 15 | 120 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 20 | 5 | 20 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1240 Table thirteen presented data on whether social media improves students vocabulary skills. 35 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 45 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 15 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 5 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1240 / 400 = 3.1 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.1, it means that social media improves students vocabulary skills. 45 Table Fourteen: Social media help students to contact as well interact with classmates Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 200 | 50 | 800 3 | Agreed | 120 | 30 | 360 2 | Disagreed | 40 | 10 | 80 1 | Strongly    disagreed | 40 | 10 | 40 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1280 Table fourteen presented data on whether social media help students to contact as well interact with classmates. 50 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 30 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 10 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 10 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1280 / 400 = 3.2 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.1, it means that social media help students to contact as well interact with classmates. 46 Table Fifteen: Using social media is time consuming Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 156 | 39 | 624 3 | Agreed | 164 | 41 | 492 2 | Disagreed | 44 | 11 | 88 1 | Strongly disagreed | 36 | 9 | 36 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1240 Table fifteen presented data on whether using social media was time consuming. 39 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 41 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 11 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 9 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1240 / 400 = 3.1 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.1, it means that using social media was time consuming. Table sixteen: Social media offers any benefit to students professionally Scale | Response | Frequency | Percentage | Fx 4 | Strongly agreed | 152 | 38 | 608 3 | Agreed | 156 | 39 | 468 47 2 | Disagreed | 44 | 11 | 88 1 | Strongly disagreed | 48 | 12 | 48 N=4 | Total | 400 | 100 | 1212 Table sixteen presented data on whether using social media offers any benefit to students professionally. 38 percent of the students strongly agreed to the statement. 39 percent of the students agreed to the statement. 11 percent of the students disagreed to the statement. 12 percent of the students strongly disagreed to the statement. To find the mean deviant it will be summation of fx / summation of f = 1212 / 400 = 3.03 = approved With the mean deviant of 3.03, it means that using social media offers any benefit to students professionally. 4.2Discussion of Findings Research Question One: What is the students attitude towards the use of social media as a tool for learning? According to the data gotten from 4.1, table 2, 3 and 4, Social media have changed students learning culture, social media have enhanced learning, students have a social media account. This finding conclude that students have a positive attitude 48 towards social media as a tool for learning. Kutbi (2023) concurred with this finding in the study he conducted on how undergraduate female students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Perceive the social media website Twitter as an educational Tool. The results of the study found that high percentage of the participants, 84%, prefer the use of Twitter as a learning tool. This high percentage proves that youth has a huge growing interest in technology. According to the Internet World Stats, 53% of Twitter users around the world are females and 77% of them are between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five Research Question Two: What is the positive influence of social media towards students academic performance? According to analysed data in 4.1 social media has some positive influence towards students academic performance like social media improve communication with teachers and classmate, social media help students become an independent learner, social media is a good place to have discussions with “guest speakers” both from inside and outside the school, social media makes learning interesting and convenient. Hurt, 2022 in his study found the attitude of one hundred seventeen students studying at two state universities in California and Indiana states in the United States towards the perceived learning was researched for two learning management tools, Facebook and Blackboard. In this research, it has been 49 identified that Facebook is a better classroom enhancement compared to Blackboard, classmates are in better contact with each other through Facebook, students learn more by feeling more valuable as Facebook users and Facebook will improve student participation in the classroom if used appropriately. Research Question Three: What is the negative influence of social media towards students academic performance? The negative influence of social media towards students academic performance is that can serve as a tool for distraction since it time consuming and takes their attention. Kirschner & Karpinski, (2020) examined the relationship between Social media usage and academic performance, and found there was no relationship between between Social media usage and grades. Saunders (2018) found that there were no differences in overall grade point average (GPA) between users and non-users of Facebook. Kirschner and Karpinski (2020), on the other hand, found that Facebook users reported a lower mean GPA than non-users; additionally, Facebook users reported studying fewer hours per week than non-users. Reasearch Question Four: What is the barriers students encounter while utilising social media for their learning process? According to table fifteen, the data gotten proved that using social media is time consuming and it is a barrier to social media as a learning tool. This barrier can 50 also be caused by too much advertisement, poor network service and high subscription. Research findings suggest that teacher attitudes and beliefs about technology can be one of the major barriers to effective technology integration in K-12 education (Hew & Brush, 2017). 51 CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Summary The summary of this study are as follows 1. Social media have changed students learning culture, social media have enhanced learning, students have a social media account. This finding conclude that students have a positive attitude towards social media as a tool for learning. 2. Social media has some positive influence towards students academic performance like social media improve communication with teachers and classmate, social media help students become an independent learner, social media is a good place to have discussions with “guest speakers” both from inside and outside the school, social media makes learning interesting and convenient. 3. The negative influence of social media towards students academic performance is that can serve as a tool for distraction since it time consuming and takes their attention. 52 4. Using social media is time consuming and it is a barrier to social media as a learning tool. This barrier can also be caused by too much advertisement, poor network service and high subscription. 5.2 Conclusion According to the this study on social media and ABSU students’ attitude to learning, social media can be used as a tool for instruction in a variety of skill- and cognitive-based areas with a reasonable degree of effectiveness. Although it is well acknowledged that it fosters creativity and knowledge, there are serious worries about how it influences judgment and, to a lesser degree, how it develops critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The general consensus on social media’s “Somehow helpful” rating is that, although it helps people learn, there is still opportunity to improve way best to use it for education and how to minimize its drawbacks. 5.3 Recommendations 1. Improving Information Quality: In order to minimize false information, platforms should put stronger content verification procedures in place, especially to aid in decision-making. 53 2. Encouraging Critical Engagement: To help students navigate and use social media resources more effectively, educational programs can concentrate on enhancing their digital literacy and critical thinking abilities. 3. Leveraging Creative Tools: The beneficial effects on creativity that come from further integrating communities and creative tools into educational social media platforms can be amplified. 4. Balancing Engagement: Promoting moderate social media use for learning can reduce distractions and improve student performance. 5.4 Suggestion for Further Studies 1. The researchers suggested that similar studies should be carried out on other eastern university to get more recent data on this study. 2. Also a study should be carried out on students preferences towards online learning and physical learning. 54 References Akulwar, I. S. (2019). What’s up! WhatsApp: An additional teaching-learning tool in physiotherapy education. 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