Authors : A.A. Adebiyi, S.R. Okuboyejo, M. Akinbode, M. Agboola and A.A. Oni
Abstract: The subscription to Online Social Networking Services (OSNs) and the frequency of usage by the student population group continue to be on the increase. There are contrasting opinions in literature by researchers on the impact of OSNs on students’ academic performance. Some argued that there is a statistically significant negative relationship between OSNs and academic performance and vice-versa. The focus of this study is to validate the different opinions expressed in literature on the impact of OSNs and academic performance. A survey of students of a large private university was conducted. The survey results were analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach. The findings revealed negative effect of OSN services on students’ academic performance. Students who spend considerable amount of time in OSNs on average usually have lower Grade Point Average (GPA) than non-users of OSNs during academic session. The implication of the findings is for policy makers to find a way of mitigating the impact of OSNs on students’ academic performance.
A.A. Adebiyi, S.R. Okuboyejo, M. Akinbode, M. Agboola and A.A. Oni, 2015. Exploring Social Networking and University Students Academic Performance. Asian Journal of Information Technology, 14: 253-259.