Influence of social media usage on academic performance of undergraduate students: a case study of School of Statistics and Planning in Makerere University

Abstract

Social media has become a necessity towards easing communication but has recently created a great concern with its relation to the academic performance of students therefore this study aims to find out how social media usage has influenced the academic performance of undergraduate students at the School of Statistics and Planning in Makerere University. Data was collected by the use of questionnaires that were administered to 107 third-year undergraduate students at the school of statistics and planning. The data retrieved were subjected to univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis with the aid of SPSS. Findings revealed that gender, Course of study, Hours per day dedicated to reading books, Number of frequently used social media sites and Aim of using social media sites were the 5 discussed significant factors that influenced academic performance. By determining how these factors influence students’ academic performance, this current study will help students to create a balance between social media usage and academics. The study recommended that students must minimize the time they spend on social media to avoid being obsessed with these sites for unnecessary chatting. Also, since social media is important, lecturers should adopt new strategies by channeling assignments or discussions on social media platforms to help students inculcate the habit of using these sites for academic work.