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The Effects of Social Networking Sites (SNS) Utilization on the Academic Performance
of Business Students of Iligan City in Relation to Their Study Habits

Brief description of the research

This research aims to analyze the effects of the utilization of social networking sites to
business students of Iligan City in relation to their study habits. Furthermore, it intends to
analyze the utilization frequency of the social networking sites to the student’s study habits.

Background of the study

For the past few decades, technology grew rapidly and brought many changes in the
distribution of information and communication technologies (ICT) (UNICEF, 2011). It
becomes an essential tool to better access to knowledge for development and enables
individuals to more opportunities and to learn new ways of the modern (Awoleye, Siyanbola
and Oladapo, 2008). To avail these benefits, social media was introduced in the global
audiences.

Social media became a trend (Hasnain, Nasreen, and Ijaz, 2015) and almost every person of
the world has its own access . It employs mobile and web based technology to create highly
interactive platforms via which individuals and community share, co-create, discuss and
modify user generated content (Jeong, 2005). Social media serves as an avenue through
which students are connected by one or more interdependency relationship such as
friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, love, sexual relationship, beliefs,
knowledge or prestige (Asemah & Edego, 2012; Kumar, 2014). Moreover, Al-Rahimi &
Othman (2012) defines social media as one of the vital means of communication in recent
times and it has become the most important tool among students especially adolescents. It
creates an avenue of interactions among adolescents in which they create, share, and/or
exchange information and ideas (Hammond, 2000). As it becomes more and more popular, it
brought major concerns especially on the study habits and academic performance of students.

Numerous research studies conducted internationally in determining the effects of social

media on the study habits and academic performance of students. In the Philippine setting,
there are only few published studies that have been carried out. A study done by Alsaqri and
Hernandez (2016) on Hail University revealed that the more the use of social media by the
nursing students, the better the students’ study habits are. Another research by Judilla (2015)
was conducted based on the 235 graduating students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in
Information Technology (BS InfoTech) program of West Visayas State University System
for school year 2012 – 2013. The study focused on the influence of social networking on the
study habits and academic performance. The results showed a positive relationship.
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Recently, it remains a debate among educators and scholars as to the effects of social
networking sites on academic performance. Many researchers such as Choney (2010), San
Miguel (2009), Enriquez (2010) and Egedegbe (2014) concluded that social networking sites
has a negative effect on the academic performance of students. However, Kulidtod and
Pasagui (2017) viewed that these sites can increase the knowledge of the students because of
its easy access for available information and means of gathering materials for school
assignments. Whether SNS improves the academic performance is a primary question which
needs to be answered. Therefore, this study will be carried out to determine the effects of
SNS utilization on the academic performance of business students of Iligan City.

Research Problem/Objective

For the last 10 years, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become
common to most people. These websites turned into instruments of communication and gave
people a new way of interacting with each other (Schneider, 2010).

In a thesis conducted by Tess in 2013, she said that others, especially those in higher
education, have made SNS a tool to mediate and improve instructions and promote active
learning for students, boosting their resourcefulness. It may also enhance study habits of a
student as SNS makes the learning experience convenient.

With the increase use of the internet, it is now considered as a material factor that can affect a
student’s academic performance (Choney, 2010; Mehmood & Taswir, 2013; Kist, 2008;
Jacobsen & Forste, 2011). Thus, the researchers conducted this kind of study to be able to
give the readers insight whether utilization of SNS will be beneficial or detrimental to the
study habits of the students. For this research, the researchers chose the business students of
Iligan City.

The researchers conducted this research as it can be a learning paradigm to the involved
schools, students, the society itself and readers as a whole. This research can also be a very
helpful tool for the mentors, in knowing the impact of the social networking sites to the
students.

These objectives are all in agreement with the following research problems that the
researchers would want to answer:

1. What is the student’s frequency of utilization of social networking sites?

2. What is the relationship of the utilization frequency to the academic performance of

the business students of Iligan City?
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3. What is the relationship between the frequency of the utilization of social networking
sites to the student’s study habits?

4. Do study habits moderate the relationship between the utilization frequency of social
networking sites and academic performance?

Expected Output

The researchers will expect a positive relationship between the utilization of SNS and
academic performance in relation to the student’s study habits.

How do you plan to do your research?

In this study, the researchers will be gathering information from six groups of respondents
which compose of Iligan Capitol College, Iligan Medical Center College, Masters
Technological Institute of Mindanao, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of
Technology, St. Michael’s College, and St. Peter’s College business students.The
independent variable used will be the utilization of social networking sites of the business
students. The moderator variable will be the influence on study habits and the dependent
variable will be the academic performance level of the respondents.

The researchers will be administering the descriptive survey to retrieve the data from the
respondents. This means of gathering of data will aid the researchers in identifying where
majority stands – whether the use of social networking sites will permit a student to excel or
will lead a student to get mediocre grades.

The data that will be gathered will be quantitative in nature as it deals with the number of
people who have the similar answers to a question. The data being gathered will be primary
data. The researchers believe that the results will be accurate, and that it will help in
interpreting data.
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Schedule for research activities:

References

AlRahmi, O. (2012). The Impact of social media use on academic performance among
university students: A Pilot study. ​Journal of Information System Research and
Innovation.​ 48.
Alsaqri, S., & Hernandez, J. (2015). Influence of utilization of social networking sites (SNS)
on study habits among Saudi nursing students in Ha'il University.
Asemah, E. (2012). Social media and insecurity in Nigeria: A critical appraisal. ​Journal of
Research and Contemporary Issues. Vol. 7(1 and 2)​, 154 167.
Awoleye, O., Siyanbola, W., & Oladipo, O. (2008). Adoption assessment of internet usage
amongst undergraduates in Nigeria universities—A case study approach. ​Journal of
Technology Management and Innovation 3​, 84-89.
Choney, S. (2010). ​Facebook use can lower grades by 20 percent, study says​. Retrieved
January 31, 2018, from
http://www.msnbc.com/id/39038581/ns.technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
Egedegbe, N. (2014). Academic performance in Girne American University. ​North Cyprus​,
1-11.
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Enriquez, J. (2010). ​Facebook and other online social networking sites can lower grades,
study says​. Retrieved January 31, 2018, from Seer Press:
http://seerpress.com/facebook-and-other-online-social-networking-sites-can-lower-gra
des-studysays/6935/
Hammod, M. (2000). Communications within online forums: the opportunities, the
constraints and the value of communicative approach. ​Computers and Education​, 251.
Hasnain, H., Nasreen, A., & Ijaz, H. (2015). Impact of social media usage on academic
performance of university students.
Jacobsen, W. C., & Forste, R. (2011). The wired generation: Academic and social outcomes
of electronic media use among university students. ​Cyber Psychology Behaviour &
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Jeong, T. (2005). The effect of internet addiction and self control on achievement of
elementary school children. ​Korean Journal of Yeolin Education​, 76.
Judilla, A. G. (2015). Influence of social networking on the study habits and performance of
students in a state university. ​Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities Research​.
Kist, W. (2008). I gave up MySpace for lent: New teachers and social networking sites.
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52 (3)​, 245-247.
Kulidtod, R., & Pasagui, N. (2017). Effects of social networking media to the academic
performance of the students. ​Atlantis Press​.
Kumar, K. N. (2014). The effects of social networking sites on the academic performance of
students in college.
MehMood, S., & Taswir, T. (2013). The effect of social networking site on the Academic
Performance on students in college of applied sciences, Nizwa, Oman. ​International
Journal of Arts and Commerce Vol. 2 No. 1​, 111-123.
San Miguel, R. (2010). ​Study on Facebook and grades becomes learning experience for
researcher​. Retrieved January 31, 2018, from TechNews World:
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Schneider, N. (2010). Retrieved from Associated Content:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article.1650000/facebook_other_social_network_s
ites.html?cat=4.
Tess, P. (2015). The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual) – A
literature review.
UNICEF. (2010). ​The states of the world’s children​. Retrieved January 31, 2018, from
UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org
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