INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN KADUNA STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION GIDAN WAYA, NIGERIA

The study examined the Influence of Social Media on Students’ Academic Performance in Kaduna State College of Education Gidan Waya, Nigeria. Three objectives were set for the study, among which were to: examine the effect of social media usage on the academic performance of students in Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, Nigeria and assess the various activities students engage in on social media in Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design with a population of 995 and sample size of 280 were used for the study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to arrive at the sample for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a well-structured questionnaire. The scores obtained from the pilot study were analysed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and a reliability co-efficient of 0.65 was obtained. Data collected from the respondents were analyzed using frequency and mean to analyse the research questions and Chi-square (x2) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed among others that; The use of social media has a significant effect on the academic performance of students in Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, Nigeria with a calculated chi-square(x2) value of 3.9 and Students have access to various social media platform in Kaduna State College of Education Gidan waya, Nigeria with a calculated chi-square(x2) value of 3.76. The study concluded that social media if used judiciously has a significant effect on the academic performance of students in Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, Nigeria. The study recommended among others that; The management of Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya should integrate social media platforms into teaching and learning activities. Lecturers can create academic groups or pages to share materials, assignments, and facilitate discussions, thereby channeling students’ social media usage toward academic enrichment.