INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

An investigation on the impact of Social Networking Sites on the academic performance of

students at the Antigua State College.

Name:
Institution: Antigua State College
Lecturer:
Candidate number:
Center number:
Date submitted:
INTRODUCTION

Problem Statement:
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the impact of social networking sites on the
academic performance of the students at the Antigua State College.
Dependent Variable: Academic performance of students
Independent Variable: Social Networking Sites
Objectives:

To identify the students at the Antigua State College who use social networking sites.
To determine the most popular social networking site among college students
To assess the level of prevalence social networking sites has on a student.
To identify the reasons why students use social networking sites.
To evaluate the impact that social networking sites has on students academic
performance.

Research Questions:

How many students at the Antigua State College use social networking sites?
How often do the students at ASC use social networking sites in a day?
How many social networking sites do students use?
Why do students at the ASC engage in the use of social networking sites?
What is the impact of social networking sites on the academic performance of the
students?

Statement of the Problem:

This present study focuses on the impact of social networking sites on the academic performance
of the students at the Antigua State College. Technology has rapidly become a part of many
peoples lives, particularly for the younger generation today. Many students are constantly online
engaging in research, chatting with friends or most often on social networking sites. This study
1

will help to determine if students use of social networking sites has positively or negatively
impacted their academic performance.
The findings from this study will help create awareness for the students and teachers of the
Antigua State College. The students would become conscious on the impact of social networking
on their academic performance and as such would engage in its use more appropriately in the
future. The teachers and heads of department at ASC would become mindful of its impact on
their students academic performance and formulate rules and regulations to manage its use in
the classroom suitably.
Social networking sites provide an avenue for students to access a wide variety of information
and knowledge easily. As such if students engage in its use appropriately, they would be able to
take advantage of its benefits and advance in their academic endeavors, all in all improving their
well-being and human development. However, if students abuse its use and neglect their
academics then a fall in their advancement in life, due to inadequate education, may result in a
decline in human development.

Definition of Key Terms

Social Networking Site (SNS): any web site that enables users to create public profiles within
that web site and form relationships with other users of the same web
site who access their profile. Social networking sites can be used to

describe community-based Web sites, online discussions forums, chat

rooms and other social spaces online.
Academic Performance: is the outcome from efforts put into education by students, teachers and
the institution.
Human Development: the process of enlarging people's freedoms and opportunities and
improving their well-being.
ASC: The Antigua State College is an educational institution situated in Golden Grove, St. Johns
Antigua.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The internet provides a gateway for fast and easy access to information, communication with
others, conduction of business activities and much more.

A study conducted by Pernin (2015) systematically tracked the social media usage of Americans
during the period 2005 to 2015. This analysis of social media usage was based on a compilation
of 27 surveys, about 47,000 interviews among internet users conducted by Pew Research Center
from March 2005 to July 2015. The study stated that social media use were ubiquitous among the
younger ages with 16 to 25 being the most likely users of social media by a considerable margin.
This study will determine if students at the Antigua State College do engage in the use of Social
Networking Sites.
Re:fuel marketing firm conducted a study outlining college students spending, technology
ownership, online behavior and media usage. The 2013 re:fuel College Explorer study was
fielded by Crux Research online in January - February 2013. The study gathered the opinions of
1,528 college students on a physical campus between the ages of 18-34. The study stated on
average, college students spend at least 3.6 hours a day with their cell phones and smartphones.
Moreover at least 123 minutes of students time on smartphones are used to access social
networking sites. This study will determine if students at the Antigua State College engage in the
use of SNSs as often as that found by Re:fuel (2013).
Martin (2013) conducted a study to determine whether there is a correlation between heavy
usage of social media and grades. The survey was administered to a total of 1,127students from
all colleges at the University of New Hampshire. The study found that the most popular online
network was Facebook, with 96 percent of all university students saying they use it on a typical
day. The least used social media platform was LinkedIn, with 10 percent of students using it
daily. This study will determine whether or not the students at the ASC prefer Facebook as their
main social networking site as Martin (2013) suggested.

A study carried out by Eke, Omekwu and Odoh (2014) investigated the use of Social Networking
Sites among the undergraduate students of University of Nigeria, Nsukka. A descriptive survey
research design was employed for data collection as they distributed questionnaires to a sample
size of 150 undergraduate students of university of Nigeria Nsukka who were selected via
random sampling techniques. Through this survey they were able to conclude that the students
main use of SNSs was for recreational reasons rather than academic. They highlighted SNSs
were predominantly engaged for the use of chatting with friends, watching movies and listening
to music. This study will determine whether or not the students at the ASC engage in the use of
SNSs mainly for similar non-academic reason or not.
Research by Helou and Rabim (2014) examined the influence of social networking sites on
students academic performance in Malaysia. Helou and Rabim collected data through a survey.
They randomly distributed 30 questionnaires consisting of 31 questions to undergraduate and
postgraduate students of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. They suggested that Social
Networking Sites have more of a positive impact on academic performance rather than negative.
They identify that SNSs can be used for various academic activities such as communicating with
the faculty and university authorities, communicating with lecturers and supervisors, discussion.
This study will determine if SNSs has a similar positive impact on the academic performance of
students at the ASC.

DATA COLLECTION

This study took on the form of applied research as the investigation was carried out to find
answers to a practical problem and then was used as an aid for decision making in different
areas, for instance; policy making.
The study used triangulation, where information was collected from both primary and secondary
sources. With respect to the primary source of information, the students of the Antigua State
College were the targeted population used to create the sample for research. They were chosen
because of their correlation with academics and media proved them as the most practical group
to provide data on the topic of investigation. The sampling procedure used to select the students
of the sample was simple random sampling. This procedure was chosen in order to give each
student an equal chance of being selected in order to gain an appropriate representation of all the
views of the student body. The method employed to collect the data was a researcher
administered survey. This method was chosen as it was the most convenient method for the
researcher because it enabled an easy analysis of data as well as being time efficient. The survey
entailed the distribution of fifteen questionnaires to the students chosen by the sampling
procedure. Each questionnaire encompassed ten questions; with nine being closed ended
questions and one being an open ended question.
The secondary sources of information used were already published data which included
textbooks, journals and publications found on the internet. They were used as a means of gaining
a better understanding on the concepts and definitions associated with the topic which was being
researched

PRESENTATION OF DATA
6

Age ranges
5%
20%
16-20

21-25

26 and older
75%

Figure 1 A pie chart representing the age ranges of the students at

Antigua State College.

Students who use SNS's

Yes

No

100%

Figure 2 A doughnut chart highlighting the amount of students

who use Social Networking Sites.

Types of Social Networking Sites

6

5
4
3
Number of Students

1
0

Social Networking Sites

Figure 3 A column chart showcasing the most widely used Social Networking
Site among students.

Number of Social Networking Sites used

13%
1

7%

More than 3

13%
67%

Time spent on Social Networking Sites

10

more than 5 hours

3

3-5 hours
Hours per day

2-4 hours

Figure 4 A pie chart representing the number of Social Networking Sites

2
1 hour
used by a student.
0

10

Number of students

Figure 5 A bar chart displaying the amount of hours spent in a day by students
on Social networking Sites.

Devices used to access Social Netwroking Sites

10%

Smart phones
Laptops / Personal
Computers

20%
70%

Tablets
Other

Figure 6 A pie chart illustrating the type of devices used by students to access
Social Networking Sites.
9

The use of Social Networking Sites' in class

8

number of students

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Figure 7 A pyramid chart highlighting the reasons

why students use Social
Uses
Networking Sites.
Figure 7 A bar chart displaying the reasons for students use of Social
Networking Sites in class

10

The use of Social Netorking Sites at home

9

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Number of students

Reasons

Figure 8 A cone chart displaying the reasons for students use of Social
Networking Sites at home

Impacts of Social Networking Sites' on students' academic performance

5%
Positive

Negative

35%

No impact

60%

Figure 9 A pie chart highlighting the impact in which Social Networking Sites has
on students academic performance

Justification for Positive

impact

Justification for Negative

Impact

Justification for no
impact
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Allows for a quick access to

information

Distracts me from studying

Makes it easy to find

information
A great source of information
to complete my assignments.
Great way to communicate to
class mates about class
assignments
Allows access to information
beyond the textbook

It is a distraction from doing

homework
It distracts me too much

Access to a lot of information

Easy way of finding

information

I do not spend a lot of

time on social
networks

I spend too much time on these

sites that I get too tired to do
assignments
I prefer to be on Social
Networks rather than do School
Work
The amount of time spent on
Social Networks could have
been used to study
Its use consumes most of my
day leaving me not a lot of time
to study
I tend to not focus completely
on school work as I am
distracted by Social Networks
Distracts me from studying
Its a big distraction

Figure 10 A table revealing students justification for their previously selected impact of
SNSs on their academic performance.
ANALYSIS OF DATA

Figure 1 displayed a pie chart of the age ranges of students at ASC. According to the figure
majority of 80% of students at ASC are between the ages of 16-20 years. Figure 2 illustrated a
doughnut chart of the amount of students who engage in the use of social networking sites.
According to the figure there was an astounding full consensus where all the students indicated
they use SNS. This may be because students have wide access to technology as such inclining
them to engage in the use of SNS. Therefore, from the study it can be seen that students between
the age ranges of 16-20 years are the most common users of social networking sites.

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Figure 3 showcased a column chart of the types of social networking sites used by students.
According to the figure Facebook was the most popular networking site among the students with
majority of 40% choosing the option. Instagram came a close second with 33% of students
choosing this site. Whilst the least favoured SNSs included Google+, Flickr and LinkedIn. This
may because Facebook offers a chat room for friends which is most appealing to younger adults.
From this study it can be concluded that Facebook was the most favoured type of Social
Networking Site among students.
Figure 4 displayed a pie chart of the number of Social Networking Sites used by students.
According to the figure, majority of 67% of respondents are engaged in more than 3 SNS while
the lowest 7% of respondents agreed on 2 SNS. This may be because of the wide assortments of
SNS available online and the ease of creating an account. Figure 5 highlighted the amount of
hours spent by students on SNS in a typical day. The figure revealed that 50% of respondents
used SNS more than 5 hours a day while the least being 10% of respondets who agreed on 2
hours a day. Figure 6 represented a pie chart of the types of devices used the by the students to
access SNSs. According to the figure an overwhelming 70% of respondents used smartphones to
access SNSs. This suggests that the most widely used device to access technology among
students is a smart phone. Therefore, it can be seen that students use social networking sites quite
frequently throughout a day through the use of their smart phone.
Figure 7 represented a bar chart of the reasons why students use Social Networking Sites in
class. The figure revealed that the main reason for its use in class was for social connections as
40% of respondents agreed on this option. The least common reasons included educational with
15% and informational with 20%. Figure 8 illustrated a cone chart of the reasons why students
use Social Networking Sites at home. The figure disclosed a similar a trend to the reasons for its
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use in class. Social Connections was still the leading reason for the use of SNS with a slight rise
to 45%. Accordingly, educational and informational remained the inferior reasons for the use
SNSs, with both reasons contracting to 10%. These results may be due to the fact that students
find entertainment more appealing than education especially in the comfort of their home.
Figure 9 showcased a pie chart of the impact in which social networking sites has on students
academic performance. According to the figure majority of 53% of students agreed that SNSs
has a positive impact on their academic performance while a close 40% indicated a positive
impact. Figure 10 showed a table on students justifications on their chosen impact of SNS on
their performance. For the respondents who chose a positive impact, most justified their answer
by declaring it as a source of information. The respondents who chose a negative impact shared a
common justification where they stated that SNSs served as a distraction from their studies
Therefore from this study it can be concluded that Social Networking Sites have a negative
impact on students academic performance because it proves as a distraction from studying
habits.
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
From this study it was indicated that all students at the Antigua State College engage in the use
of Social Networking Sites. Moreover the study found that the majority of the students were
between the ages of 18 20 years. This supported Pernin (2015) who expressed that age is
strongly correlated with social media usage as those ages 16 to 25 have always been the most
likely users of social media by a considerable margin. Today, 90% of young adults use social
media, compared with 12% in 2005, a 78-percentage point increase. With advancements in
technology continuously growing it is impossible to prohibit its use among the younger

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generation. As such it recommended to not curtail its use rather expand and focus on the
beneficial features.
Martin (2013) expressed from his study that Facebook was notably the most popular online
network within universities with a shocking 90% of students who engaged in its use on a daily
basis. This study however contrasted the findings of Martin (2013), as it indicated the most
popular Social Networking Sites among college students to be between Facebook and Instagram
equally. It is recommended that programmers take a more innovative approach towards academic
social networking sites so as to make conducting or sharing research, interacting with teachers/
professors and finding information online more appealing to the younger individuals.
In addition this study suggested that a students use of social networking sites is predominately
very frequent as more than 50% of respondents indicated spending more than five hours
throughout a day on Social Networking Sites. Moreover the study revealed that among the
students smart phones are the preferred device used to access social networking sites.

It

reinforces Re:fuel marketing firm(2013) which suggested that a student spends at least 123
minutes a day on social networking through the easy access of their smart phones. It is
recommended to increase the level of control parents and the institution has on students social
networking use. Parents should manage students use of SNSs at home by developing an
unambiguous schedule stating appropriate times for its use. The institution should modify the use
of the schools internet connection in such a manner that students could only access educational
social networking sites.
Eke, Omekwu and Odoh (2014) indicated from their study that amongst college students SNSs
are predominantly used for the purpose of chatting with friends, watching movies and listening
to music. This study revealed a similar result where majority of the students whether at home or
15

in class indicated that their main reason for using Social Networking Sites was for social
connections, such as keeping in touch with family and friends. More research should be
conducted in order to identify a recommendation.
Social Networking Sites can impact a students academic performance in many ways. From this
study it was indicated that majority of students felt that Social Networking Sites has had a
negative impact on their academic performance. These respondents expressed a common
justification for its negative impact as most viewed Social Networking Sites as a distraction from
their studies. However the views from this study differs from that of Helou and Rabim (2014)
who suggested that Social Networking Sites had more of a positive impact on academic
performance rather than negative. They identified Social Networks Sites as an avenue for various
academic activities such as communicating with the faculty and university authorities,
communicating with lecturers and supervisors, discussion. It is recommended to increase the
level of awareness and enthusiasm among students on how to use social networking sites to their
academic advantage. This may include workshops, campaigns.

CONCLUSION
According to the findings of this research it can be seen that all students at the Antigua State
College engage in the use of social networking sites. The prevalence of SNSs among students
was found to be remarkably high with its level of use being more than 5 hours of a students
typical day. The study found that its high use was mainly contributed by the easy access in which
smartphones provided. It was concluded that the students main reason for using social

16

networking sites was for social connections. Findings identified Facebook as the most preferred
SNS among the students.
LIMITATIONS
The process of data collection was very time-consuming. This was because students took a long
period of time to complete and return questionnaires. This left the researcher with a limited
amount of time to analyze and interpret findings of the research and determine a logical
conclusion.
Some questionnaires were not incorrectly completed as questions were left unanswered by
respondents. This in turn affected the conclusion made by the researcher as a full set of data was
not collected from the sample to appropriately represent the views of the population.
RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that programmers take a more innovative approach towards academic

social networking sites so as to make conducting or sharing research, interacting with
teachers/ professors and finding information online more appealing to the younger

individuals.
It is recommended to increase the level of control parents and the institution has on
students social networking use. Parents should manage students use of SNSs at home
by developing an unambiguous schedule stating appropriate times for its use. The
institution should modify the use of the schools internet connection in such a manner that
students could only access educational social networking sites.

17

It is recommended to increase the level of awareness and enthusiasm among students on

how to use social networking sites to their academic advantage. This may include
workshops, campaigns.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Pernin, A. (2015). Social Media Usage: 2005-2015. Pew Research Center. Retrieved
from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015/

Report on Student Spending, Technology Ownership, Online Behavior and Media

Usage. (2013). Globe Newswire.
18

Martin, C. (2013). Social networking usage and grades among college students
(Unpublished thesis, Univerity of New Hampshire, Durnham, United States). Retrieved
from: http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/UNHsocialmedia.pdf

Eke, H., Odoh, J. & Omekwu C. (2014). The Use of Social Networking Sites among the
Undergraduate Students of University of Nigeria Nsukka Library Philosophy and
Practice1195. Retrieved from : http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1195

Adam, C., Helou, I., & Mahamat, M. (2014). The influence of social networking sites on
students academic performance in Malaysia International Journal of Electronic
Commerce Studies,5(2), 247-254. doi: 10.7903/ijecs.1114

APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE
My name is Themara Tyson and I am a Caribbean Studies student at the Antigua State College.
This study is being conducted to determine the impact of social networking sites on the academic
performance of the students at the Antigua State College. The findings from this study will aid in
the completion of the researchers CAPE Internal Assessment. Your cooperation will be greatly
appreciated.
Please read each question carefully. Then offer your response by placing a tick in the box
provided, near your preferred answer. Some questions require a short written response; please
provide these answers on the lines indicated. This survey is anonymous, as such you are not
obligated to state your name anywhere on the questionnaire.
Thank You.
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1. What is your age range?

16 20
21 25

25 and older

2. Do you engage the use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs)?

Yes
No
3. Which Social Networking Site do you use the most?
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Tumblr
Pintrest
LinkedIn
Other:
4. How many SNSs do you use?
1
2
3

Instagram
Flickr

More than 3

5. How many hours do you spend on social networking sites per day?
1 hour
2 4 hours
3 5 hours
More than 5 hours
6. What device do you use to access Social Networking Sites?
Smartphone
laptop/personal computer
c
tablet
c
c

7. What is your main reason for using SNSs during a class at the Antigua State College?
Social Connections (Keeping in touch with family and friends)
Multimedia Sharing (Sharing videos and photography online)
Professional (Finding opportunities for career related growth)
Informational (Finding general Information on topics)
Educational (Conducting or sharing research, interacting with teachers/ professors)
Other:
8. What is your main reason for using SNSs at home?
Social Connections (Keeping in touch with family and friends)
Multimedia Sharing (Sharing videos and photography online)
Professional (Finding opportunities for career related growth)
Informational (Finding general Information on topics)
Educational (Conducting or sharing research, interacting with teachers/ professors)
Other:

c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c

9. What impact does SNSs have on your academic performance?

Positive
Negative
10. Justify your choice of impact of Social Networking Sites on your academic performance.
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