Analysis of the Utilization of Social Media Platforms and University Students’ Attitudes towards Academic Activities in Cross River State, Nigeria
Owan, V. J. & Robert, A. I. (2019). Analysis of the utilization of social media platforms and university students’ attitudes towards academic activities in Cross River State, Nigeria. Prestige Journal of Education, 2(1), 1–13
13 Pages Posted: 12 Jul 2019
Date Written: June 30, 2019
Abstract
This study analyzed the utilization of social media platforms and university students' attitudes towards academic activities in Cross River State. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of this study comprised all the private and public university students in Cross River State. A sample of 1,600 students, which cuts across the three universities in the area of study, was selected using the convenience sampling technique. A questionnaire (r=.849) and a rating scale (r=.786) were used as the instruments for data collection. Findings emerged amongst others that the utilization status of social media platforms by university students are generally high; the utilization of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, WeChat, Skype, Snapchat, Eskimi, Telegram, and YouTube social media platforms have a significant composite influence (F=52.453, p<.05) on university students’ attitudes towards academic activities. Relatively, utilization of Facebook was the highest predictor (t=11.222, β=.232, p<.05), followed by the utilization of WhatsApp (t=11.068, β=.229, p<.05), utilization of Twitter (t=5.977, β=.118, p<.05), and the utilization of Instagram (t=2.772, β=.056, p<.05), in that order. It was recommended that secondary school students should develop positive attitudes towards their academic activities and abhor activities that will lead to a decline in the learning outcomes.
Keywords: Utilization, Social, Media, Facebook, Attitudes, Academic, activities
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