Influence of Social Media Platforms and Students Perspectives on Secondary School Students' Academic Performances in Foods and Nutrition in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the influence of social media platforms and students’ perspectives on the academic performance of secondary school students in foods and nutrition in Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 1,200 SSII students from 59 secondary schools in Ebonyi North Education Zone, out of which a sample of 500 students were selected using simple random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire containing 25 items was used for data collection. Findings: The findings revealed that students moderately use social media for learning foods and nutrition and generally hold positive attitude towards its use. However, the study found that the frequency of social media usage does not significantly influence academic performances. Rather, the results indicated that strategic and purposeful use of social media significantly enhances students’ academic performance. The study also identified both positive influence such as improved access to leering resources and collaboration, and negative influence such as distraction and time wastage associated with social media use. Based on the findings, it was concluded that social media can serve as an effective educational tool when used purposefully and under proper guidance. The study recommended that teachers should integrate social media into teaching, students should adopt structured learning strategies and policymakers should promote digital literacy to enhance students’ academic performance in foods and nutrition in Ebonyi State. Conclusion: Teachers of Foods and Nutrition will benefit from the findings by gaining insight into how social media platforms such as Google, WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter can be integrated into instructional practices.