INFLUENCE OF THE USE OF MOBILE PHONE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY, NIGERIA

This study examined the influence of the use of mobile phones on the academic performance of vocational and technical education students in Ekiti State University, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population of this study comprises the 580 vocational and technical education students in Ekiti State University, Nigeria. The sample size of 200 students was selected using a random sampling technique. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability method was used to obtain a reliability coefficient of 0.879, which validates the acceptability and reliability for this study. Data collected were analyzed statistically using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. From the analysis, it was revealed that there is a high level of mobile phone usage among the students of vocational and technical education in the university. Also, it was unveiled there is an insignificant positive impact of mobile phone usage on students' academic performance in vocational and technical education programs at Ekiti State University, Nigeria. It was also revealed that the factors that influence students' mobile phone usage among vocational and technical education students at Ekiti State University are free access to internet facilities, peer pressure, functionalities of social media platforms, product advertisements and promotions and the fear of missing out trending information. It was recommended that students should be encouraged to use a smartphone with the purposeful intentions and strong motivation to use it positively to enhance their productivity.