ABSTRACT
The study investigated Undergraduates’
perception towards the use of social media for collaborative learning purposes.
It was conducted at the Nnamdi azikiwe university, Anambra State, Nigeria. Two
objectives and two null hypotheses was used to investigate the study. A sample
of 300 students were randomly selected from three Faculties. Simple random
stratified sampling techniques was used for the study and the instrument used
to collect data was a structured questionnaire entitled Undergraduates’
perception towards the use of social media for collaborative learning purposes
with 42 items. Mean score, ANOVA, Z-test and Scheffe’s model were the
statistical tools for the study. The Instrument was given to experts in the
field of educational technology to ensure its validity. Test retest was applied
to ensure reliability of the instrument and a reliability coefficient of 0.84
was obtained. It was found that social media are used for collaborative
learning in terms of quick growth in knowledge and information. It addition it
was found that undergraduates bound with close and prospective groups for
change. It is recommended that Universities should be acquainted with students
want and concern in the schools.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
Education is at the
centre of a nation’s development; through education people are empowered both
academically and in skill acquisition. Research has also revealed that a nation
that has a strong stable and functional educational system invariably has not
only the powerful instrument to fight and eliminate poverty but also has a
solid foundation to build a sustainable economy upon. The benefit of a good
educational system to any nation is further emphasized when the United States
Embassy in Nigeria stated that education is the most “important way to approach
community (national) development. A sound educational system is considered to
be a prerequisite to achieving progress, from the individual to the society to
the economy.” Manu Goel (2008) corroborates this thought when he observed that:
“the quality of human resource of a nation is easily judged by the number of
literate population living in it.” This implies that education is fundamental
for a nation aspiring to achieve both human growth and sustainable development.
Perhaps the most captivating view of the role of education in the reformation
process is captured by Licuanan (2003).
The introduction of
social media to education has made it possible for students to learn adequately
with ease and convenience. Social media are fast becoming very popular means of
both interpersonal and public communication in Nigeria and the world at large.
Social media are modern ways for interactive communication channels through which
people connect to one another and share ideas. What distinguishes the social
media from the conventional means of communication is their interactive nature
which allows the audience to participate in it from any part of the world they
reside. McQuail (2010) differentiates the social media from the traditional
mass media when he noted that “traditional mass communication was essentially
one-directional, while the new forms of communication are essentially
interactive.” This interactive aura of the new media confers an unprecedented
popularity on them. The social media by their nature have the capabilities of
educating, informing, entertaining and „inflaming‟ the audience. This capacity
is possibly what Osahenye (2012) refers to as “unstoppable power of the social
media.” As a novel phenomenon, it is necessary to examine how Nigerian students
use the new means of communication. This is because students‟ contribution as
youths can make or mar any nation. Okolloh cited by Essoungou (2010), explains
that, “the new communication technology is one of the few ways that young
Africans can bypass the inefficiencies in the system that allow the status quo
to hold on. It lowers the barriers to entry for everyone to get involved and be
heard.” A study like this shall help to ascertain whether students‟ use of the
social media could be regulated or not. This is obviously because the
disposition of people of a given community could shape the media in existence
there, just like a cerebral media scholar Anim (2007) aptly notes that
“societies greatly influence the operations and functions of the media that
operate within those societies.” The manner in which the social media were used
and the role they played in the recent uprising which rocked the Middle-East
popularly referred to as Arab Spring could be deciphered as
credence to the above academic’s observation. Now just like radio or television
stations, social media sites spread everywhere in Nigeria and are bound to be
sprouting as technologies continue to improve; however, the problem lies in the
point that the purposes which the users apply the new media for are still
obscure. This is what Folorunso, Vincent, Adekoya and Adewale (2010), observed
when they argue generally that, in Africa, social media networking site is
becoming widely spread than it has ever been before and it tends to be majorly
accepted by the youths. Yet the widespread adoption by users of these sites is
not clear, as it appears that people’s perception of this technology is
diverse.”
The development of
social media network and web 2.0 technologies has been monumental (Lenhart et
al., 2010), where social media technology has managed to disseminate into the
every aspect of the users’ personal life in terms of contributing content,
sharing photos, liking comments or contents or game interaction. Such
dissemination is specifically evident in institutions of higher learning where
technology has changed students’ communication, collaboration and learning. In
this regard, social media can be described as the several technological systems
that are linked to both collaboration and community (Joosten, 2012). Despite
the fact that researchers have not reached a consensus on an accurate
definition of the term (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010), social media is often
viewed through examples like social networking sites, blogs, Wikis, multimedia
platforms and virtual social worlds (Barnes & Lescault, 2011). This study
focuses on the networking sites reflecting the permeating existence of social
media like Facebook, Myspace and LinkedIn. In fact social networking sites are
utilized similar to social networking or online social networks and are based
on the web allowing users to create their personal profiles, content, and share
messages by connecting with other uses of the system (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).
Other studies use a more up-to-date term called the web 2.0 when addressing
both social network and other social media (Gruzd, 2011). This study is aimed
to examining the relationship between intention to use social media for
collaborative learning and engagement among undergraduate students of Nnamdi
azikiwe university, Nigeria.
The potential of social
media to increase interactivity and collaboration to benefit learning was
recognised early (Desilets & Paquet, 2005; Knobel & Lankshear, 2006;
Richardson, 2006) and considerable research to date has been conducted in
higher institutions of learning. However, in the schooling sector, empirical
research literature is more limited, despite scholarly interest in the benefits
of social media applications (Bryant, 2007; Burnett & Merchant, 2011;
Lankshear & Knobel, 2011). This study on the perception of students in the
use of social media for collaborative learning by among the undergraduate
students of Nnamdi azikiwe university, Nigeria, will fill the loopholes on the
issue of social media for collaborative learning among undergraduate students
in Nigeria.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
The internet today is
unarguably the most important and reliable source upon which information is
derived. The growing dimensions of the use of social media by students and
other learned individuals to source for information cannot be underestimated.
Thus, students spend more time and pay more attention to social media than they
do for their studies and this affects their academic performance and if they do
not learn to balance the two, it will continue to have adverse effects on their
academic achievement (Osharive, 2015). In addition to this, the study conducted
by Maya (2015), revealed that media use brings about lower academic
performance, low self perceptions and less interest in educational oriented
carriers. Academic excellence plays an important role in the life of an
individual; whether in the family, social, workplace, in an institution or even
among peers. Much emphasis is laid on academic performance because of the role
it plays in the life of an individual as far as a successful life and respect
is concerned in every aspect of life. As a result of this, students must be
concerned with the ways they can improve their academic performance (Kyoshaba,
2009). Studies have also revealed that social media affects students’ command
use of English most especially when writing examinations. They tend to use
short- handwriting to chat (wot, wat instead of what, dz, ds instead of this, d
instead of the, urs, urz instead of yours) with friends and get used to it
thereby replicating the same errors during examinations (Obi, Bulus, Adamu and
Sala’at, 2012). Today students at all levels higher institutions level have
been engaged in the use of social media sites. This research therefore seeks to
investigate the perception of students in the use of social media for
collaborative learning by using the undergraduate students of Nnamdi azikiwe
university, Nigeria, as a case study.
1.3
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of
this study is to investigate the perception of students in the use of social
media for collaborative learning by using the undergraduate students of Nnamdi
azikiwe university, Nigeria, as a case study. However, the specific objectives
are:
1.
To ascertain the perception of
students towards the use of social media
2.
To identify the preferred social
media sites used by students for collaborative learning
1.4
Research Questions
1.
The following are
some of the questions which this study intends to answer:
What is the perception of students towards social media for improved
collaborative learning?
2.
What are the preferred social media
sites used by students?
1.5
Research Hypotheses
The following shall be
the research hypotheses that will be tested for this study:
i)
There is no significance relationship between social media and collaborative
learning performance
1.6
Scope of the Study
This study investigates
the the perception of students in the use of social media for collaborative
learning by using the undergraduate students of Nnamdi azikiwe university,
Nigeria, as a case study. Therefore, the study shall be carried out among the
undergraduate students of Nnamdi azikiwe university, Nigeria.
1.7
The Significance o the Study
This study has great
significance. First of all, the study findings will provide an idea about the
available social media for academic excellence of the students in order to
provide key information for further research work in such areas. In the same
way, the study will provide knowledge and guidelines that may be of help to
policymakers. The research will therefore be of a great importance for
planners, and other social scientists. Finally, this study provides an input to
the students, teachers and researchers in the areas of e-learning. Research
works are embarked upon with a view to extending the frontier of knowledge.
This study will therefore be carried out with this same objective, especially
in the field of online learning. It will undoubtedly contribute to the
extension of the frontier of knowledge in the following ways. First, the study
will show the predictive power of the selected factors, especially
socio-demographic factors, prior computer skills and time management status in
the determination of the academic performance. Lastly, government will as well
benefit from the study because it will show how the provision of adequate
learning facilities can enhance better academic performance in our tertiary
institutions all over the country.
1.8
Limitation of the Study
This study will
reflect a number of limitations. Firstly, the student models of learning will
be identified on the basis of a specific sample comprising those under e-learning
study model and those under the traditional study model. Secondly, the
theoretical nature of this study will limit its direct relevance for the
educational praxis. Therefore, it is hoped that future research may
additionally focus on how student cognitions about learning are influenced in
the context of everyday learning environments. The results could enable
educational practitioners to encourage the adoption of student learning models
which invoke a deep oriented and self-regulated study strategy. This study will
however not consider all the aspects e-learning influences but instead be
limited to those elements of e-learning that affect academic performance in one
way or the other.
1.9 Definition
of Terms
The following terms
were used in the course of this study:
Academic
performance: the extent to which a student has achieved his/her short or
long-term educational goals. Cumulative GPA and completion
of educational degrees especially bachelor's degrees represent
academic achievement.
Collaborative
Learning: is an educational approach to teaching
and learning that involves groups of students working together to
solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product.
Perception: the way in which
something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
Social media: computer-based
technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas and information and the
building of virtual networks and
communities. By design, social media is
internet based and offers users easy electronic communication of personal
information and other content, such as videos and photos.================================================================
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