Dr Joan Nike Ada, Peter Isaac Msughter & Nguyima Ahua
Abstract
This study investigated perceptions of students on impact of social media on their academic performance in Benue State University, Makurdi. Two research questions were raised and two hypotheses were formulated for the study. Ex-post-facto research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 23,498 students in eight faculties in the university. A sample of 377 students was used for the study. The selection was done using multi-stage sampling procedure. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled “Social Media and Academic Performance Questionnaire” (SMAPQ) with reliability index of 0.72. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. Chi-square (χ2) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that there is significant students’ perceived impact of facebook and whatsapp on their academic performance in Benue State University, Makurdi. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that school administrators and parents should monitor the activities of the students in school and at home respectively, especially those who engage in social media throughout the day do desist from such act and concentrate on their studies.