"A Qualitative Study on the Influence of Social Media Usage on the Academic Engagement and Performance of D.El.Ed. Students in Selected Teacher Training Colleges of Bhagalpur District, Bihar"

Abstract Social media has become an integral part of students’ daily lives, especially among teacher education students who actively engage with digital platforms for academic, professional, and personal purposes. While social media offers opportunities for collaborative learning, access to educational resources, and professional networking, excessive and unregulated usage may adversely affect academic focus and performance. The present qualitative study aims to explore the influence of social media usage on the academic engagement and performance of teacher training college students in Bhagalpur district of Bihar. The study adopts a qualitative research design using interviews, focus group discussions, and classroom observations as tools for data collection. The findings reveal that social media plays a dual role—acting as both a facilitator and a barrier to academic performance. The study concludes with suggestions for responsible social media usage and highlights the need for digital literacy among teacher education students.