Social Networking and its influence on Academic Performance of Upper Basic Social Studies Students in Delta State, Nigeria

This study examined the influence of social networking regarding the academic performance of upper basic Social Studies students in Delta State. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The sample size of the study comprised 1023 basic 9 students randomly drawn from 11 schools. The stratified random sampling technique was used to select students for the study. The instruments for data collection were questionnaire and Social Studies students’ academic performance scores. Cronbach’s alpha analysis was used for estimating the internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire. The questionnaire items were analyzed and tested for significant level of P<0.5. Pearson coefficient of determination was used to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 significant level. According to the study's findings, students' academic performance in Social Studies was significantly impacted by their use of social networking sites like Facebook and WhatsApp. Based on the results, it was suggested that in order to increase academic performance, students should be encouraged to utilize Facebook and WhatsApp for academic purposes. Keywords: Social Studies, Social Networking, Facebook, WhatsApp, Academic Performance.