UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

ABSTRACT

This study examined undergraduate students use of social media for academic purposes in the University of Benin. In order to achieve the intended objectives of the study, four research questions were raised. The study also sought to determine whether there were any difference on students’ perception of the use of social media for academics based on sex and academic level. The descriptive survey research design was employed for the study. The population of the study was made up of all undergraduate students of University of Benin. The sample of the study consisted of 120 students, stratified random sampling technique was used, firstly, the faculty was stratified into departments. Then, from each department, 15 students were randomly selected. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The findings showed that majority of students use whatsapp, snapchat and facebook, students mostly make use of smartphones and laptop compared to other digital tools and many students spend between 3-5 hours on social media daily, Students’ perceive that social media could be used for academic purposes. Both male and female students perceive that social media can be used positively for academic purposes, and students in 100 – 300 levels perceive that social media can be used positively for academic purposes The following recommendations amongst others were made; institutions should design and implement educational initiatives that leverage popular social media platforms like WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Facebook to support academic activities. This could include creating study groups, sharing educational resources, and facilitating discussions related to coursework.