Effect Of Modern System Of Communication On The Academic Focus And Performance Of Students
(In Enugu East Local Government Area Of Enugu State)
The impact of modern communication systems on students’ academic focus and performance is profound, encompassing various channels such as social media, instant messaging, and email. While these platforms offer unprecedented connectivity and access to information, they also introduce significant distractions that can detract from students’ concentration and productivity. The ubiquitous nature of smartphones and social networking sites often leads to excessive multitasking, fragmenting students’ attention spans and diminishing their ability to engage deeply with academic material. Furthermore, the constant influx of notifications and messages can disrupt study sessions, impeding information retention and critical thinking. However, modern communication tools also facilitate collaborative learning opportunities and resource sharing, allowing students to exchange ideas and support each other’s academic endeavors more efficiently. Therefore, while modern communication systems present both challenges and opportunities for students, cultivating mindful usage habits and implementing effective digital literacy initiatives are essential for optimizing academic focus and performance in today’s technologically mediated learning environments.
This study determined the effect of modern system of communication on the academic focus and performance of students. In order to study this topic effectively, four research questions were raised and answered. The literature reviews related to this study were reviewed under the following subheading. They are factors that affect academic performance, the nature of social networking sites and issue of making connection, the effects of social networking sites and the extent of use of Social Networking Sites by student. The design of the study is Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State. The population of the Study was 5804. The sample of the study is 582. the sampling techniques was random sampling. The instrument used is questionnaire. The instrument was validated by two experts in the school of science education. The reliability of the instrument was obtained by text re-text method. The instrument was used to obtain data. Data obtained were analyzed using modified Linkert Scale and mean. The result showed that Social Networking Sites exist and students in Enugu East Local Government Area make use of these Sites. Excessive use of these Sites has advice effect on the academic focus and performance of student, and generally the adverse effects are more imminent than its positive effects. Therefore the following were recommended by the researchers ,that the school authorities should ban the use of phones with web access in the school and Parents/Guardian should not give out phones with web access to their Children/Ward.
Title Page
Approval page
Dedication
Certification
Acknowledgement
Table of contents
List of Tables
Abstract
Chapter one
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
1.2 statement of study
1.3 Objective of the study
1.4 Significance of the study
1.5 scope of the study
1.6 Research question
1.7 Definition of Terms.
Chapter two
2.0 Review of related Literature
2.1 Factors that affect Academic performance
2.2 The Nature of social Networking Sites
2.3 The Effects of social Networking sites
2.4 The extent of use of social Networking sites by students
2.5 Summary of Reviewed Literature
Chapter Three
3.0 Research Methodology
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Area of the study
3.3 Population of the study
3.4 Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.5 Research Instrument
3.6 Validation of the instrument.
3.7 Reliability of the instrument.
3.8 Method of Data collection
3.9 Method of Data Analysis
Chapter Four
4.0 Data presentation and Analysis
4.1 Questionnaire for students
4.1.1 Research question 1
4.1.2 Research question 2
4.1.3 Research question 3
4.1.4 Research question 4
4.2 Questionnaire for teachers
4.2 .1 Research question 1
4.2.2 Research question 2
4.2.3 Research question 3
4.2.4 Research question 4
4.3 Summary Of Findings
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 Discussions, conclusion, implication and Recommendation
5.1 Limitation of the study
5.2 Suggestion for further study
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Communication has its root in Latin from the world “Communicare” where it use embraced impact, to participate, to share and to make common. It evolved as a word to mean transmission of what is intangible rather than material things.
Communication is expressed as the process of creating, transmitting and using information to influence the behavior of other individuals and influenced in return (Ikpe, 2000). According to (Scherba, 2002) communication is any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information, about that persons needs, desires perceptions, knowledge or affective state. It may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signal, make take linguistic or non-linguistic from and may occur through spoken or other modes.
Communication as we all know is part of man’s existence and according to wikipedia, 2001, its history dates back to pre-history when human communication was revolutionized with speech perhaps 200,000 years ago. The imperfection of speech which nonetheless allowed easier dissemination of ideas and stimulated inventions, eventually resulted in the creation of new forms of communication improving both range at which people communicate and the longevity of the information. Symbols where then developed at about 30,000 years ago and writing about 7,000 years ago. On a much shorter scale, there have been major developments in the fields, of telecommunication in the past few centuries.
Telecommunication is a term coming from Greek and meaning communication at distance through signals of varied nature. According to what is .com, telecommunication is the exchange of information over significant distance by electronic means.
The desire for telecommunication was felt as soon as man began to settle in families, communities, societies and needed to achieve goals and objectives. In order to achieve communication, the choice of a proper means of transport for the signal has played and still plays a fundamental role. In ancient times, the most common way of producing a signal would be through light (fire and smoke) and sound (drums, metal gong, wooden gong, animal horns, musical instruments, gunshots, flutes). However, this kind of communication were insecure and certainly left room for improvement as they did not permit message encryption nor a fast transmission of information on a large scale.
As a result of these limitations and the advancement of the society, the ancient system of telecommunication gave way to the modern system of telecommunication. The starting point of modern telecommunication could be traced to the invention of the electric cell by Allsandro Volta in 1800, ever since, modern telecommunication has experienced a remarkable technological advancement from the birth of the internet in 1969 and the World Wide Web (WWW) by Tim Berners Tee in 1989 with it invention public in 1993. With these latest invention a lot of web based sites now exists amongst which is the Social Network Sites which provide Social Networking Services.
Social networking sites are web based services that allow individuals to:
1. Construct a profile or semi-profile within a bounded system.
2. Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection.
3. View and transverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.
Social networking sites are currently being used by millions of people world wide. The use of social Networking sites has been widespread that they have not only caught the attention of academic and individual researchers’ world wide but also us in particular. (Banquil et. al. 2009) observed that social Networking sites are now being investigated by numerous social science researchers and an increasing number of academic commentators are becoming more and more interested in studying Face book, Twitter and other social Networking services because of their probable impact on society.
Social Networking sites has been very popular for people worldwide for the past few years, and on many of the large, participants are not necessary networking or looking forward to meet new people, instead, they are primarily communicating with people who are already a part of their extended network.
For teenagers in this generation, social Networking has become sort of an addition and many students have been blaming various social networking sites for their steady decrease in grade point average (Banquil et. al. 2009). Also, according to data complied by (Education Data Base Online, 2011) it was found that students who multitask between Face book (Most popular Social Networking Site world wide) and studying have 20 percent lower grades and study less overall than students who do not use the network. Also, form the same source, studies actually show that students that use twetter typically have up to half grade point higher scores than students that do not.
Many teenagers being addicted to social Networking sites open account daily to check new updates until they realize they have more important things to do like school work they have missed doing because of singing in into a social network site. Yet, they are willing to spend more time being online on these social networking sites than to spend more time studying and working up on school work. Face book which requires all users to be over the age of 13 was reported on July 13th 2011 that an estimated 7.5 million users are underage. These underage users will find it difficult if not impossible to multitask between networking and studying resulting therefore in a decrine of academic performance of such users.
These emergent phenomenon have aroused us to look into social Networking sites and their effect on students academic performance. The target population for this research was defined as the students who form the major chunk of users of these social networking sites. This was done to have a better insight into the research as the target population was one of the most avid users of these sites and are quite clear to them the reasons they use it and the various effects it has on their academic performance and could hence provide exceptional responses.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Social Networking sites are currently being used regularly by millions of people world wide, face book (The most popularly used social Networking sites world wide) which was created by a college student for college students to communication and share information and which was only available to students of higher education now have an estimated 750 million active monthly users of which students form a major chunk users, some of which are either underage or not already in institution of higher learning.
(Wilson et. al. 2008), observed that the percentage of student who said they never used social networking sites have fallen from 25 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2008. Even with the claims that social Networking sites are beneficial like helping people to socialize, share information, drive out loneliness, keep in touch, it still posses a lot of adverse effects in the lives of youth today of which majority of them are students.
This adverse effect may imply that people who use these sites especially our concern the student do not know the proper usage of social Networking sites.
Secondly, it suggests that students are being addicted to these sites to the detriment of their school works.
In another assertion, the controversy lies on the fact that the adverse effects of these sites may be more imminent than it positive effects. The question however is what are the effects of social Networking sites on the academic focus and performance of students in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State? Finding an answer to this question is the major concern of this study.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The purpose of this research is to elicit from students in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu state the extent to which they use social networking sites and the effects it has on their academic focus and performance. Specifically the researchers intend to
i. Determine the extent of use of social Networking sites.
ii. Find out the adverse effects of social networking sites on students academic focus and performance
iii. Find out if there are contrasting effects to its adverse effect
iv. Determine if the adverse effects of social Networking sites are more imminent that its contrasting effect.
v. Association findings to personal lives of adolescent and society in general.
1.4 Significance of the Study
1.5 Scope of the study
The study was carried out in secondary schools in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu state. The study investigates the effects of social Networking on academic focus and performance of students. Some percentage of the students and teachers from the selected schools were sampled.
1.6 Research Question
The following research questions addressed and guided the study:
i. To what extent does students make use of social Networking sites?
ii. What are the adverse effects of social Networking sites on students academic focus and performance?
iii. Are there any contrasting effects to the adverse effects of social networking sites?
iv. Is the adverse effect of social Networking sites more imminent than its contrasting effects?
1.7 Definition of Terms
In order to understand clearly the subject matter the following key concept are defined; social Networking sites and Academic performance as they are essential to fully comprehend the issue in focus.
1. Social Networking sites (SNS), These are social Network services that focus on building online communities of people who share common interests and/or activities of others.
2. Academic performance this refers to how students deal with their studies and how they cope with or accomplish different task given to them by their teachers. It is the ability to communicate your knowledge verbally or down on paper.
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Effect Of Modern System Of Communication On The Academic Focus And Performance Of Students:
The modern system of communication, which includes smartphones, social media, and instant messaging, has had both positive and negative effects on the academic focus and performance of students. Here are some of the key ways in which it has influenced students:
Positive Effects:
- Access to Information: Modern communication technology has provided students with unprecedented access to information. They can easily search for academic resources, online courses, and research materials, which can enhance their learning experiences.
- Collaboration: Communication tools like video conferencing and messaging apps have made it easier for students to collaborate on group projects and discuss academic topics with peers, regardless of their geographical location.
- Online Learning: The digital communication revolution has made online learning more accessible, allowing students to pursue education remotely. This can be especially beneficial for those with busy schedules or who live in remote areas.
- Efficient Communication with Professors: Students can use email or messaging apps to contact their professors and ask questions or seek clarification on course materials. This direct communication can improve their understanding of the subject matter.
Negative Effects:
- Distractions: The constant notifications from social media, messaging apps, and email can be distracting for students. These distractions can hinder their ability to concentrate on studying and negatively impact their academic performance.
- Procrastination: The ease of communication and access to entertainment on smartphones can lead to procrastination. Students may find themselves spending more time on social media or watching videos instead of studying.
- Sleep Deprivation: Many students keep their smartphones by their bedside, leading to disrupted sleep patterns. Lack of adequate sleep can impair cognitive function and hinder academic performance.
- Reduced Face-to-Face Interaction: Excessive use of digital communication can lead to a decline in face-to-face social interactions. This can impact students’ interpersonal skills and ability to engage in classroom discussions.
- Cyberbullying: Online communication can also expose students to cyberbullying, which can have severe emotional and psychological consequences, affecting their overall well-being and academic performance.
- Information Overload: While access to information is a benefit, it can also lead to information overload. Students may struggle to filter relevant from irrelevant information, which can hamper their ability to focus and learn effectively.
In conclusion, the modern system of communication has brought about both advantages and disadvantages for students’ academic focus and performance. Its impact largely depends on how students manage and prioritize their use of these technologies. To maximize the benefits and mitigate the negative effects, students should develop good digital literacy skills and practice self-discipline when using communication devices and social media. Educational institutions can also play a role by promoting responsible technology use and providing guidance on digital etiquette and time management.