Exploring Effects of Social Media on Students’ Academic Performance in Senior High School

SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’

PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

INTRODUCTION

Throughout the 21st century, Social media had a great impact on young

millennials which affected the academic performance of these individuals. The morning

breakfast that was once "Chomp and Lick" has now become "Tap and Click." Definitely,

scholarly persons from before has altered to a whole new degree today in accordance

with these statements.

The researchers conducted this study due to the curiosity of the effects of social

media. The researchers are also interested to know if social media can really help the

student’s academic performance or it would act as a distraction. Also, the researchers

want to know if social media has benefits and can really affect the student’s health

condition.

This research will explore the effects of social media to students' performance in

school. The researchers will investigate the students through a survey which will

determine the data of each and every individual specifically and in detail.

The Social Information processing theory and Media Equation Theory are

considered appropriate in this study. Social Information processing theory says that the

more students use social media, the more they influence their disposition to studies. Oye

(2012) states that the younger students use social networking sites mainly for socializing

activities rather than for academic purpose. Oye (2012) further perceived that the

majority of the students do feel that social networking sites have much positive influence

on their academic performance.

The Media Equation Theory proposes that media are equal to real life and that

electronic media in particular are being given human attributes. Shana (2012) asserted

that students use social network mainly for making friends and chatting. Teenagers and

young adults have especially embraced social networking sites (SNS) as a way to connect

with their peers, share information, reinvent their personalities, and showcase their social

lives (Boyd, 2007).

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

Study implies that a media form, or the features of the technology, casually

influences some outcome (Eveland, 2003). Kubey et al (2010) conducted on students’ use

of the social media sites and its impact on academic performance focused on students in

the developed world.

Because social media is easy to use, it is fast changing the public discourse in

society, setting trends and agenda in topics that range from the environment and politics

to technology as well as the entertainment industry (Asur and Huberman, 2010).

This study aims to know the effects of social media to the SHS students’

performance. The researchers have to use some guides in order to come up with the final

result-like questions. Guidelines that will help the researchers to be aware of the things

they need to consider.

Specifically, this study ought to answer the following questions:

1. How do students perceive on the effects of social media on their academic

performance?

2. Based on the identified effects, which is considered to be the most apparent effect

of social media on students' academic performance?

3. What are the purposes of social media to students?

4. Based from the obtained data, what are the possible conclusions or

recommendations?

At the end of the study, the researchers aimed to achieve the following objectives:

1. The researchers aim to know how students perceive on the effects of social media

on their academic performance.

2. The researchers aim to determine which is considered to be the most apparent

effect of social media on students' academic performance.

3. The researchers aim to identify the purposes of social media to students.

4. The researchers aim to verify the possible conclusions or recommendations in

using social media based from the obtained data.

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

The results of the study will be of great benefit to the following:

STUDENTS. The results will provide the students with some knowledge on the effects

of social media on their academic performance. It will give the students a realization that

social media may be beneficial yet can be distraction, depends on how it is use. At the

end of this study, students would finally be aware on how social media affects their

school’s performance.

TEACHERS. The given data would able the teachers to know on how social media

affects their students’ performance. The teachers would be able to think of ways to

enhance their ways of teaching with the help of social media to help improve their

students’ performance considering how social media is prominent to their students.

PARENTS. Like the teachers, the parents too will understand how social media affects

their children’s academic performance. The given data would help them to know the

purposes of their children in using social media, whether it is for academic purposes or

for entertainment. The findings would also help them learn the actions of their children

and would be able to know what they can do to make social media beneficial to their

children’s academic performance, not to be a distraction.

Definition of Terms

Social media – a series of websites and applications designed to allow people to share

content quickly, efficiently and in real-time. (Matthew Hudson, 2017)

Perception- a thought, belief, or opinion, often held by many people and based on

appearances (Cambridge, 2015)

Effect- the result of a particular influence; something that happens because of something

else (Cambridge, 2017)

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SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’

PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

METHODOLOGY

In this study, the methods used by the researchers were the quantitative and

descriptive method. The researchers gave the respondents a set of questions using the

Likert scale and Checklist that determined the effects of social media to the academic

performance of FCS Senior High School students and their purposes of using social

media.

The intended reason of the study was to measure the effect of social media from

different scales to comprehend the overall impact of these networking sites to senior high

school students.

The study organized the statistical data collected from the surveys conducted to

the respondents. The other information supplied to support the research came from other

sources like web resources and other literary articles.

The research was conducted in First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities

located in Tanauan City, Batangas. The respondents of this research were sixteen Senior

High School students from FAITH Catholic School with the age ranging from 16 to 19

years old.

The researchers used random sampling. The researchers were aimed to know

students’ perception on how social media affects their academic performance and in this

way; the sample were more precise since the respondents were random.

The instrument of the study chosen by the researchers is survey that served to

gather important information data. It was needed in order to formulate the objectives of

the research.

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

To compute the gathered data, the researchers used the following statistical

treatment:

1. Percentage. Describes the profile and other important items in the

questionnaire. The formula is:

P =

100

Where f = frequency of the respondents

n = total number of respondents

2. Weighted Mean. To determine the verbal interpretation of the quantitative

responses of the respondents per item, the weighted mean will be used.

Ranking the data denotes the relative importance on an item in the

questionnaire. The formula will be used for the weighted mean (Wm), the

composite perception per item, is:

Wm =

∑fx

Where ∑fx = sum of the product of the frequency and the unit weight

n = total number of respondents

3. Ranking. A question response format that will be used in establishing some

type of priority among a set of objects, whether they be policies, attributes, organizations,

individuals, or some other topic or property of interest.

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SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’

PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The analysis and interpretations of the data of this study were acquired from the

Grade 11 and 12 students of FAITH Catholic School through the survey. The data

presents the four domain effects of social media of the respondents’ academic

performance which are academic improvement, self-beneficiary, distraction, and bad

health condition with their weighted mean and composite mean. Furthermore, the most

apparent effect is presented through ranking. Moreover, the other data presents the

purposes of social to Senior High School students with its percentage.

The researchers will seek to answer the following:

1. How do students perceive on the effects of social media on their academic

performance?

Table 1. Academic improvement as one of the common effects of Social Media

Weighted

Mean

Verbal

Interpretation

1. Social media helps me to understand my studies better.

3.3

Agree

5. Social media broadens my imagination which helps me

to be more innovative.

3.3

Agree

3. My group mates and I are always come up with a bright

idea for our performance tasks through social media.

3.1

Agree

6. I use social media in conducting research to be easier to

accomplish.

3.2

Agree

Composite Mean

3.3

Agree

This table shows the perceptions of the students towards their academic

improvement as an effect of social media. The items 1, 5, 3 and 6 are included in the

Academic Improvement of most students. It can be observed that Social Media is a great

help for students to improve their studies at the weighted mean of 3.3. For some of the

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

students it can be a source of knowledge for them to come up with new ideas that can

increase their way of thinking at the weighted mean of 3.3. According to the results in

Table 1, the Senior High School students agreed that their performance tasks are faster

and easier to fulfill with the help of Social Media at the weighted mean of 3.1. Lastly, the

FAITH Catholic School students manage researches more effectively when using Social

Media at the weighted mean of 3.2. In totality, the students agreed that the Social Media

improves a student’s academic performance with the composite mean of 3.2.

Students indeed have many requirements and performances needed for their

studies, so it is inevitable to avoid the usage of social media as sources of information to

improve each and everyone’s academic performance. It is quite expected that the

responses of the researchers’ respondents are in favour of academic improvement as an

effect of social media.

Hamat, Embi, and Hassan (2012) studied the use of social networking platforms

among undergraduate and postgraduate students of Malaysian institutes of higher

education. This qualitative research collected data on 6358 student respondents through a

self-administered questionnaire and analyzed this data to make observations on the use of

social networking sites among them. The study also collects opinion of students about the

impacts of social medium on their academic performance.

One of the very significant findings of the study is about the use of social

networking sites for the purpose of learning. Majority of the respondents agree that they

use SNSs as informal learning tool and that it helps them connect to their friends and

peers to get help regarding their studies. However, in case of interaction with teachers, an

equal split of opposite opinions exist.

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SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’

PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

Table 2. Self-benefits of Social Media

Weighted

Mean

Verbal

Interpretation

2. When I am stressed out, I use social media to relieve my

mind.

3.4

Agree

8. When I do not understand one of my lessons, I watch

them on Youtube.

2.8

Agree

4. Social Media makes my performance tasks easier to

accomplish.

3.2

Agree

7. I use social media in order for me to communicate to my

group mates.

3.8

Strongly

Agree

Composite Mean

3.3

Agree

Table 2 indicates the outcome of the survey attained from the responses of the

researchers’ chosen respondents. In the statement number two, many students agreed that

Social Media can be a stress reliever for them at the weighted mean 3.4. In the statement

numbers 8 and 4, with weighted means of 2.8 and 3.2, the students agreed that

performance tasks and lessons are easier to accomplish and understand with the help of

social media. The majority of the students use Social Media in order for them to

communicate with their group mates which benefits them and makes it uncomplicated. It

concludes that the mass of the selected Senior High School students of FAITH Catholic

School agreed that they can benefit a lot from Social Media with the composite mean of

3.3.

The result of the obtained data was what the researchers expected to come up,

social media is a beneficial tool for every students as the majority of the respondents

agreed that social media can relieve their stress.

Yang and Tang (2003) conducted a research study on forty (40) graduate students

studying a course in Advance Management Information System (AMIS) in a university in

Taiwan to investigate the impact of using social media for educational purpose on the

academic performance of the students. Students were grouped into 14 teams to discuss

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

various questions based on MIS cases in an online forum specifically set up for the

purpose. The students had to come up with summaries of the discussions made on the

forum. At the end of the course, data was collected from the forty students on a self-

administered questionnaire for the purpose of this particular research. The objective of

the study was to find correlations among friendship, advice and adversarial factors and

student academic performance.

The results of the analysis show a strong correlation between centrality in

friendship factor and students’ academic performance. Friendship is psychologically

associated with companionship which gives individuals a better chance of accessing

support and information on problems. It can be inferred that promoting friendship among

students in a controlled social media environment, can help improve students’ academic

performance.

Table 3. Distraction as one of the common effects of Social Media

Weighted

Mean

Verbal

Interpretation

13. I find myself getting distracted on social media while

memorizing.

3.3

Agree

11. When I am doing my assignments, I easily get

distracted when a notification pops up on the screen of my

phone.

3.2

Agree

12. I always end up procrastinating instead of studying

before exams.

2.9

Agree

9. I immediately stop studying whenever someone wrote a

comment on my Facebook post.

2.5

Disagree

Composite Mean

3.0

Agree

In Table 3, it displays the result of the weighted mean, verbal interpretation and

the composite mean regarding the topic “Distraction as one of the common effects of

Social Media”. In the statement numbers 13, 11 and 12, with the weighted means of 3.3,

3.2 and 2.9, most of the students agreed that Social Media is the cause why they cannot

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SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’

PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

concentrate while studying, memorizing, and doing home works. Few students disagreed

in getting distracted by Social Media notifications whenever they are studying at the

weighted scale of 2.5. The composite mean of 3.0 shows that the generality of the

students responded “Agree” to the survey regarding the distraction caused by Social

Media to students.

The researchers have observed that most of the students are distracted from their

academics because of social media, based from the data they have gathered. Social media

has its negative impact on students’ academic performance.

This study also supports the most common finding of majority of well-structured

studies that use of social networking sites has no significantly negative impact on the

students’ academic performance. They further state that the possibility of some other

factors like social media addiction, more time on internet, chatting, cognitive absorption

etc. linked with the use of internet or specifically social networking sites may cause poor

academic performance. (Hamat, Embi, & Hassan, 2012)

Table 4. Health condition as one of the common determined causes of Social Media

Weighted

Mean

Verbal

Interpretation

16. I have eyesight complications because of too much

usage of social media.

2.4

Disagree

10. I get over fatigue because of too much use of social

media.

2.2

Disagree

15. I lack of exercise because I choose to scroll on my

accounts in social media.

2.3

Disagree

14. I am addicted to social media and I cannot live without

it. with

2.2

Disagree

Composite Mean

2.3

Disagree

The Table 4 exhibits the impacts of Social Media to a respondent’s health

condition. The majority of Senior High School students disagreed that they have eyesight

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

complications such as blurry eyesight because of usage of too much social media. This

means that they are not struggling of any eye complications at the weighted mean of 2.4.

In the statements 2, 3 and 4 with the weighted mean of 2.2, 2.3 and 2.2, the students

disagreed to get over fatigue, addicted to Social Media and forget a healthy lifestyle by

working out. This concludes that Social Media does not affect its user’s health condition

with the composite mean of 2.3.

The data gathered was not expected by the researchers because the researchers

thought that the respondents would be agreeing that social media affects their health

condition. However, based from the data obtained, social media, for students, is not a

factor of having an unhealthy lifestyle.

Rouis, Limayem, and Salehi-Sangari (2011) investigate the effects of using

Facebook on academic performance of undergraduate students at Lulea University of

Technology Sweden in relation to their personality traits. The proposed research model

tests how Facebook usage affects performance of students with different personality

traits. In addition the research tries to justify the relationship among the three i.e.

Facebook usage, personality traits and academic performance. Their analysis of 239

students’ data reveals very significant results. This research establishes that using

Facebook has strong negative impact on academic performance of students with extrovert

personalities. However, factor of self-regulation among students greatly reduces this

negative impact as they have high level of effective self-control while using social media

platforms. Cognitive absorption, which defines extent of deep involvement, is another

personality factor taken into consideration while undertaking this research.

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

2. Based on the identified effects, which is considered to be the most

apparent effect of social media on students' academic performance?

Table 5. Rank Percentage of the Effects of Social Media on the Students’ Academic

Performance

The table shown was the rank percentage on how the social media affects

students’ academic performance based from the identified effects namely: academic

improvement, self-beneficial, distraction, and health condition. This table presents the

ranking of the identified effects with self-beneficial as the first, gathering the composite

mean of 3.3. The academic improvement and distraction in the second and third ranking

with their composite mean of 3.2 and 3.0. And lastly, the health condition with the

composite mean of 2.3.

Researchers did not expect the result of the data since it was the academic

improvement was what they expected. However, it is the self-beneficial that is the most

apparent effect of social media on the students’ academic performance.

A study by Boniel-Nissim and Barak suggests that social media use can be

therapeutic. Their study examined the effect of blogging on adolescents with social-

emotional difficulties. The findings showed that generally open blogging had a greater

and significant effect on participants, irrespective of subject content, when compared

with blogs that were closed to readers’ comments. Their findings posited that Internet-

Effects of Social

Media on the

Students’

Academic

Performance

Composite

Mean

Verbal

Interpretation

Ranking

1. Academic

Improvement

3.2

Agree

2. Self-Beneficial

3.3

Agree

3. Distraction

3.0

Agree

4. Health Condition

2.3

Disagree

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

based blogging is a viable intervention to help adolescents with social-emotional

difficulties. The researchers also saw it as an enhanced form of writing diaries, since it

offers the writer not only text, but pictures, movies, and links to other web pages, while

expressing themselves, sometimes anonymously.

3. What are the purposes of social media to students?

Figure 1. Chart of the Percentage of the Purposes of the Social Media based on the

FCS Senior High School Students’ Perception

The figure above shows the percentage of the different purposes of the social

media based on the perception of the FCS Senior High School students. Socialization and

entertainment are the major purposes why students use social media, with the total

percentage of 27%. It is 23% for connection and 21% for source of information.

However, it was the advertisement that has the least percentage which is equivalent to

2%. This concludes that the respondents have their own way of using social media,

whether if it is for the good or the other way around.

27%

23%

21%

Purposes of Social Media to Students

Socialization

Entertainment

Connection

Source of Information

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PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN FAITH

CATHOLIC SHOOL

The researchers somehow expected this kind of result since, there are lots of

students who use their time on surfing on the internet, posting and tweeting. Based on the

researchers’ observation, students are more likely to use social media to entertain

themselves and to socialize with others.

Rouis, Limayem, and Salehi-Sangari (2011) investigate the effects of using

Facebook on academic performance of undergraduate students at Lulea University of

Technology Sweden in relation to their personality traits. The proposed research model

tests how Facebook usage effects performance of students with different personality