CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The innovation of communication has made information dissemination easy

and accessible. Social media has been the new platform in communication wherein

people can share information and converse without limitations. “The power lies in the

hands of the user, because the individual can, through a simple click, spread their

ideas and opinions through social media to the whole world” (Talpau, 2014) . News,

updates, and other information are easy to access via social media, the vastness of

coverage in this platform made the users dependent in terms of information gathering.

“Today more and more people use the Internet instead of any other written

publications, finding all the information they need online” (Talpau, 2014). Due to the

evident modernization of information dissemination, information found on social

media channels is susceptible to fake news or misinformation. Information literacy

must be developed for people to acquire skills in evaluating information that is present

on social media channels. The advancement of technology enhanced our information

sources, shifting from the old forms (e.g. newspapers, magazines, radio, and

television) since social media offers a wide variety of selection in terms of information.

The evaluation of the data posted in the new medium of communication, now poses a

challenge in our present society.

“I believe digital literacy can elevate the educational competencies of our

students and economic competitiveness of our country, but the key is to start them

1
young. We need to institutionalize advanced digital literacy training in our schools

from an early age,” Gatchalian (2018). Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urges the demand

on digital literacy to be adapted at an early stage. Information modernization as it

shifted towards social media as its new platform, students must be knowledgeable

enough in terms of evaluating information in this digital era wherein people use social

media as its primary “source of information.

Information literacy is important for today’s learners, it promotes problem

solving approaches and thinking skills, asking questions and seeking answers, finding

information, forming opinions, evaluating sources and making decisions fostering

successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals and responsible

citizens.

Social media evaluation is a process that resulted from the components of

information literacy. Everyone has an innate ability, which is information literacy, thus

this research tends to know the impact of its components, most especially in terms of

social media evaluation, the information that is presented to the said platform.

Nowadays, information literacy and its components play a role in evaluating the

usability of information due to the fact that students use social media more often

compared to traditional information gathering. Information in social media is either fact

or tampered by other users thus, students must know the credibility of information by

analyzing it with the components of information literacy, most especially, Evaluate

Information.

2
 Therefore, the study purports to probe into the relationship of information

literacy and social media channels of JHS students in Escuela Catolica De San

Sebastian. This ascertains the reason of the students’ treatment to the information

they found in social media.

Significance of the Study

The study aims to discover the relationship of information literacy and social

media channels of the JHS students in Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian.

Additionally, the study will be able to benefit the following people:

Students, The research may empower the students to be more knowledgeable on

how to evaluate information found in their social media channels.

Teachers, The research may help them further understand that the generation today

relies on social media as a source of information. This will further enlighten them that

some of the information from the student is influenced by the contents in their specific

social media platform and will give them an idea in terms of adding some topics that

suits the use of social media as a source of information by their students.

Administrators, The research may help them to understand that most of the

students today rely on social media as their preferred source of information thus, will

provide their students guidelines in terms of evaluating the information found in social

media.

3
Readers. The research may influence the readers on how to evaluate information

found online. This may create awareness on people to further validate the materials

(e.g. photos, announcements, news articles) posted on the their social media

channels

Future Researchers. This research may serve as a basis for future studies on how

to evaluate information through social media.

Statement of the Problem

The research aimed to find the relationship of information literacy and social

media channels of the JHS of Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian. It sought to

answer the following questions:

1. What is the respondent’s usage of social media in terms of?

1.1 Facebook

1.2 Twitter

1.3 Instagram

2. What is the level of information literacy do students possess in terms of??

2.1 Access Information

2.2 Evaluate Information

3. What is the level of social media evaluation in terms of?

3.1 Awareness

3.2 Validity and Reliability of sources

3.3 Credibility

4
 4. What is the relationship of information literacy and social media evaluation?

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. Illustration of the Study’s Proposed Conceptual Framework

The diagram above is used to illustrate the research paradigm of the study.

The independent variable consists of the components of information literacy

that students possess, which comprises of the Access and Evaluate Information. The

components of which are essential in terms of using the information that is being

presented in social media by accessing the information and evaluating the data that is

found in social media channels by the students.

While the dependent variable focuses on the relationship of information literacy

to social media evaluation as it may cause awareness towards information within the

platform; users that will evaluate the validity, reliability, and the credibility of the data

sources. As the students possess the said components, it will have a huge impact on

how the students treat the data within their social media channel.

5
 The components of information literacy affect the social media evaluation of

the participant. The information presented in social media shall be determined by the

JHS students in terms of validity, reliability and credibility of its sources. In addition,

information literacy will also affect the awareness in terms of the data that is being

presented in the platform.

The relationship of information literacy to the usage of information presented in

the social media feeds will be determined upon finding how do users evaluate the

data in their social media accounts.

With all the data gathered, the researcher can determine the implications that

may be drawn from the result of the study.

Scope and Delimitation

The extent of the study mainly focuses on the Grade 9 and 10 students of the

Junior High of Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian and the relationship of information

literacy and social media channels to them. This study will be conducted during the

academic year 2018-2019.

With regard to the social media channels that is relevant to the study,

applications that are available and is mainly used in our country will be included,

namely, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Definition of Terms

For the common understanding and convenience of the readers, the

researcher defined the terms according on how they were used in this research.

Fake News. Information that is meant to cause confusion among the target audience

causing the users to be misinformed.

Information. This refers to the date that is being sent or posted online and is being

used as a source by people today.

Information Literacy. This refers to the evaluation skills in terms of information

found online.

Internet Forums. This refers to a group conversation that has a certain topic and

agenda.

Media Literacy. This refers to the information using media accounts (e.g. social

apps).

Networks. This refers to the connections being established through social media.

Social Media. A communication platform that is set online. The number of individuals

that can interact isn’t limited.

Social Networking Sites (SNS). Form of social media wherein applications that is

meant for communicating (facebook, twitter, instagram) or sharing is under the

umbrella of social networking sites.

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Social Apps. This refers to the applications for socializing via social networking

applications (e.g facebook, twitter, instagram).

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 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the related literature and studies that were found to have

a direct bearing to the present study.

Information Literacy

Information literacy is the hyper ability to know when there is a need for

information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that

information for the issue or problem at hand. It is an innate skill that every individual

possess.

“A second area of difference between media and information literacy is in their

approach to the concept of information. Traditionally, media literacy has emphasized

the range of forms in which information is “packaged,” whereas information literacy

has focused on static texts (electronic or print). As indicated previously, advances in

technology are increasingly blurring this distinction and may eventually render this

difference redundant” (Fraillon, Schulz, and Ainley 2013).

As stated in the excerpt from a study from U.S, the difference between media

and information literacy has been blurred due to the advancement of technology. The

thin line separating the two will soon diminish due to the fact that the advancement of

technology is slowly combining those differences, thus becoming into one. The study

shows that information and media literacy has impact in terms of social media usage.

9
The excerpt above shows the difference of media literacy and information literacy,

due to the advancement of technology which will inevitably lead to the usage of social

media as the new platform for information gathering that shall be preferred compared

to traditional forms (i.e. radio, TV, newspaper). Information literacy tackles about the

static text either electronic or print, therefore social media evaluation will help us

evaluate its contents and if it will be personalized and opted to be used.

“Information-seeking and use have become complex processes for college and

university students due to the proliferation of information technologies and resources

in all types and formats” (Franklin, 2005).

The advancement of technology, as information shifted its platform from

traditional to today’s digital age, resulted to social media serving as the source of

communication and information. Information gathering and communication, especially

to the students, turn to social media as it is the result of the advancement of

information technology where they now heavily rely on it when it comes to getting

info’s.

Social Media

“Social media has exploded as a category of online discourse where people

create content, share it, and bookmark it and network at a prodigious rate. Examples

include Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Twitter and JISC listservs on the academic side.

Because of its ease of use, speed and reach, social media is fast changing the public

discourse in society and setting trends and agendas in topics that range from the

10
environment and politics to technology and the entertainment industry”(Asur &

Huberman, 2014).

Innovation towards communication has now made it easy for us to share

anything in a fast and much more reliable compared to the traditional means before.

The study of Asur and Huberman (2014) tackles the expansion of social media in

terms of content sharing among its users since it gives its users many categories to

choose from. Information literacy and contents from social media are correlated to

further know the relationship between the two. Therefore, social media has made

communication efficient, sending or sharing information fast and in a larger scale

since social media caters millions of users via different apps (e.g. Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram). Social media caters the users with topics in which they prefer to be

inclined with due to an array of users engaging in different agendas, issues, and

topics via online discourse. The expansion of social media means that users are

presented by wide-arrays of information and evaluating the usability depends on its

users.

“Social media treats all users the same: trusted friend or total stranger, with

little or nothing in between. In reality, relationships fall everywhere along this

spectrum, a topic social science has investigated for decades under the theme of tie

strength” (Gilbert & Karahlios, 2009).

People whom are random to each other can interact freely and without no

restrictions in social media since it treats users the same: friend or stranger. The fact

that it is not regulated that much, users are susceptible to be misinformed due to the

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freedom of speech online. Person can connect to strangers, thus forming ties via

online communication. There are no limitations on the locations, topics, issues,

agendas that can be discussed using social media channels. Information that is

present in social media has not been verified, clarified, and deemed to be trustworthy.

The fairness of the platform and its credibility lies within its users on how they will

evaluate that information that is present and its usability to their endeavors.

“The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile

technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Social media takes

on many different forms including magazines, Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs,

microblogging, wikis, podcasts, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social

bookmarking” (Baruah,2012).

A new platform for communications, social media has been effective in terms

of connecting to the masses. The study of Baruah (2012) shows that social media has

no exemptions in terms of content sharing among its users. Social media and its

content, the value of the information within the platform, depends on how its users

evaluate the usability of the data. Information literacy and its components, social

media as the new platform wherein applications used in communicating treats its

users the same, but the quality of the information depends on how the users value

what is presented. People can now share information to many audiences with issues,

articles, and topics with now supporting videos or photos. According to Baruah

(2012), Social media can be seen in different forms including magazines, Internet

forums, weblogs, social blogs, microblogging, wikis, podcasts, photographs or

12
pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking. In social media, one can amass

followers by catering their preferred topics by posting what is ideal to its target

audience.

“In recent years, social media has become ubiquitous and important for social

networking and content sharing” (Asur & Huberman, 2014).

According to Asur and Huberman (2014), this implies social media has been

vital on content sharing in today’s age. News channels adopted the use of social

media, since it is much faster and people today opt to use their smartphones most of

the time. Content sharing by different users, to friends or even strangers is one way of

communicating and sharing information to the world. It has been quite evident that in

today’s age of smartphones, information are being passed, shared, and cascaded via

online channels (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) due to the fact that people tend to

rely on their social media accounts. Social media has been a preferential platform in

terms of content sharing; the information within the said platform is used by people

today. The advancement of technology in terms of information and communication,

the evaluating and credibility of the data depends on how the user perceives it.

“We find that people use microblogging to talk about their daily activities and to

seek or share information.” (Nusayba Kawsar, 2014).

Social media has been the new platform in terms of content sharing. The study

of Kawsar (2014), shows that there is indeed a purpose in which people use their

social media. The information loaded in the platform that is intended for users either

for entertainment or basically to add up some information to be personalized.

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Evaluating and assessing the usability of the information must be observed to know

how the data being presented online is to be used.

Social Media in the Philippines

“For the third year in a row, the Philippines emerged as the country that spent

the most time on social media, according to a report by creative agency We Are

Social and social media management platform Hootsuite. An average Filipino social

media user spends almost 4 hours on different platforms daily followed by Brazilians

and Indonesians, respectively, the report said.” (ABS-CBN, 2018).

Filipinos as stated by ABS-CBN (2018), spend almost 4 hours using different

platforms online. People have been dependent on social media due to the fact that

almost everything that is ought to be known are posted online. Person-to-person

exchange of information in social media has been the new trend in communicating to

others. The high number of Filipino users in social media apps shows how the nation

and its citizens uses SNS (Social networking sites) heavily compared to other

countries. Its use varies from communicating, and information gathering thus users

are ought to evaluate the information, regardless of the source, before the use of the

data. Therefore, social media usage in the Philippines is higher compared to other

countries, information in terms of content sharing, updates, news, and other form of

information is presented in the platform which is social media. The number of hours

spend in using social media networks means that people today gather information

14
through applications mainly Facebook and Twitter as it is accessible, thus, evaluating

it depends on how the users take the information.

“It said there were 67 million accounts on Facebook in the Philippines,

matching the total number of internet users in the county. Another 10 million Filipinos

were on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.” (Inquirer, 2015).

The number of Filipino users on Facebook according to Business-Inquirer

(2015), 67 million accounts in Facebook and another 10 million on Instagram. The

number of Filipino users in the said two social networking sites clearly tells that we

communicate to others using online media channels. Philippines topped the world in

terms of social media usage, be it by news, social events. Filipinos spend most time

in their social apps, thus information disseminated comes from social media channels

(e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Therefore, social media usage has been quite

rampant, thus many people tend to use social media as their preferential source of

information rather than by communicating to other people.

Social Media to the Teenagers

“Teenagers are among the most prolific users of social network sites (SNS).

Emerging studies find that youth spend a considerable portion of their daily life

interacting through social media” (Ahn, 2011).

According to June Ahn (2011), most of the prolific users of social networking

sites are teenagers. In that case, teens often share information, by means of videos,

15
photos, or posts that is viewed by a wide array of audience. They are most

susceptible in information that may cause confusion to them. This implies that

unregulated information that is being shared or posted online, teenagers are most

likely to be affected. Teenagers of today use social media more often depending on

their usage, but mainly in communicating or cascading information towards their

peers. Sharing information or getting information are the primarily use of teenagers

especially to those who are in schools. The research of June Ahn (2011) tackles

about teenagers as they use social media much more frequent compared to the

adults. The study shows the relationship of teenagers as they use social media, as

with my study, which tackles on the social media evaluation of the Junior High

Students. As teenagers engaged themselves in social media usage, the information

and its content are being presented to them. The evaluation of data, shared by its

users or peers are of the same age, as teens are prolific users of social media is

being valued by them.

“Many studies have examined the relationship between social network sites

(SNS) and the development of social capital” (Ahn, 2011).

The network of relationships among people who live and work in a particular

society, enabling that society to function effectively has made social media play a big

role in this social capital. The study of Ahn (2011) shows how social media affects the

function of the development of social capital. Social relationship and information

literacy affects the evaluation of the users in terms of data gathering in social media.

The data presented in social media, content sharing either verified or unverified, and

16
evaluating it depends on what is the relationship of the user who created that specific

content. Relationships via online networks make its users share information based on

their emotions, thus stating facts that are not fully verified, resulting in a hoax or

information based on opinions. The rampant usage of social media today, as it

became a new source of information and the relationships made through social media

play a big role in determining or evaluating the information that is being presented via

online discourse, thus, components of information literacy are exercised and are

dependent among the relationship between its users.

Synthesis

Information literacy is the ability that is innate in every individual. The ability to

know the worthiness of information that is being presented in different platforms. In

today’s generation wherein information is accessible in different platforms,

misinformation is susceptible towards the public due to its accessibility. Determining

the value of data presented, information literacy plays a vital role to everyone.

Students today rely heavily on social media in terms of information gathering.

School works, most especially research activities, students tend to use social media

(I,e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) as its source due to the fact that it is accessible

and it has a wide-array of topics to choose from. In social media, information

gathering is a result of users sharing data via posting in pages online having it shared

by millions of users. It is not rare to find information that is purely made up by another

user either to cause misinformation to confuse the masses or simply by mistake. As

17
the number of users in different platforms rise, the higher the possibility of information

being tampered or false information are being cascaded and is being viewed by other

users, most especially to the students who are using a certain platform in terms of

information gathering.

Social media usage in the Philippines is high compared to other countries (as

of 2018) as stated in a news excerpt by ABS-CBN. It implies that the number of users

in the Philippines is greater compared to others. As the number of users kept on

adding up, it is safe to say that most of the students in our country tend to use social

media in their everyday endeavors. In addition, as teenagers are the most prolific

users of social media (Ahn, 2011), Junior High Students tend to use social

networking sites more often due to its accessibility and also to the various information

present on their preferred social media platform. Research works are often made

easy due to social media platforms which offer a wide range of topics that may help

them in information gathering. Information literacy now plays a role in determining the

value of data presented in their social media channels. The users, especially the

students who will partake in this study, will determine, evaluate and know the usability

of information found in their online social media outlets.

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 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research method and design, respondents, the

instrumentation used, data gathering procedure and the statistical method to be used

in the study.

Research Design

The researcher will use a descriptive research method wherein it will focus on

the relationship of information literacy and social media channels to the JHS students

in Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian.

According to Leuterio (2006), descriptive research design describes and

interprets what is. It is concerned with conditions or relationships that exist, opinions

that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are evident, or trends that are

developing. It is primarily concerned with present, although it often considers past

events and influences as they relate to current conditions.

Specifically, the researcher will use a descriptive correlational that will know

the relationship of information literacy to the social media channels, which gives an

indication of how one can predict another.

Correlating the relationship of information literacy to the social media channels

of the JHS students in Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian aims to find how the

19
components of information literacy is related on the use of social media by the

students from the aforementioned school.

Population and Sample

The set of participants of the study were the Junior High Students of Escuela

Catolica De San Sebastian during the school year 2018-2019 with the population of

95.

Since the Grade 9 and 10 of the said school has a small number of students,

the researcher decided to include the entire population.

Table 1. Number of Junior High Students in Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian

Proportional Allocation

Grade Total Percentage

Grade 9 50 52.63

Grade 10 45 47.37

Total 95 100%

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Instrumentation

To determine the relationship of information literacy and social media channels

of JHS students in Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian, the researcher will use survey

questionnaire, having close-ended statements that are answerable by scaling and a

follow up interview to further support the answers of the participants. This will help the

participants to answer the questions in a precise manner.

To ensure the credibility of the answers, the researcher divided the survey

questionnaire into four (4) parts: (1) the demographic profile of the respondents, (2)

Access Information, (3) Evaluate Information; and lastly (4) the relationship of

information literacy to social media evaluation.

Table 2. Range, Scale and Interpretation on the Questionnaire on the

Components of Information Literacy, Access Information, which

Students Possess

Scale / Rate Verbal Interpretation Normative Interpretation

They have total access of

4 (3.26 – 4.00) Strongly Agree
information in social media.

They have access of

3 (2.51 – 3.25) Agree information in social media.

21
 They don’t have access of
2 (1.76 – 2.50) Disagree
information in social media.

They have no access

1 (1.00 – 1.75) Strongly Disagree information at all in social

media.

Table 3. Range, Scale and Interpretation on the Questionnaire on the

Components of Information Literacy, Evaluate Information, which

Students Possess

Scale / Rate Verbal Interpretation Normative Interpretation

They can totally evaluate

4 (3.26 – 4.00) Strongly Agree
information in social media.

They can evaluate

3 (2.51 – 3.25) Agree
information in social media.

They can’t evaluate

2 (1.76 – 2.50) Disagree
information in social media.

They can’t evaluate

1 (1.00 – 1.75) Strongly Disagree information at all in social

media.

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Validation Procedure

The researcher intends to validate the questionnaires that will be administered

to the participants with the help of the thesis adviser, media practitioners, and experts

that are related to the study to come up with a substantial questionnaire.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researcher will follow certain procedures in conducting the study. The

researcher wrote a letter to the school administration of Escuela Catolica De San

Sebastian and secured an approval to conduct the study. Upon approval, the

researcher went to the Registrar’s Office and asked for the total number of students

enrolled in the school year 2018-2019.

For the purpose of this research, close ended survey questionnaire will be

used. This questionnaire aims to identify the relationship of information literacy and

social media evaluation of JHS. The researcher will ask for a room where he will give

the questionnaire. This was distributed according to the availability of the students.

All answers of the students to the questionnaire will be retrieved and collected.

Using the statistical tools, the data will be tabulated, analyzed, interpreted and

presented in tabular and textual form. After the data were finalized, the researcher will

start to formulate the conclusions and recommendations of the study.

23
Statistical Treatment of the Data

The data gathered will be tallied, tabulated, analyzed and interpreted using the

following statistical tool:

Percentage

The frequency of the population of the study was computed in percentage.

Moreover, this was used to identify the profile of the respondent students.

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 CHAPTER 4

PRESENTATION, ANAYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA

In this chapter, the researcher presented the findings of the data by using a

tabular presentation in presenting the frequencies, percentages, scores, verbal and

normative interpretation. Another way that the researcher used in presenting the data

is the textual presentation to make detailed information of what is in the table.

Part 1. Respondents Usage of Social Media

Table 4. Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents According

to their Usage of Social Media

Daily Weekly Monthly Rarely Never

Facebook 83.16 8.42 2.10 6.31 0

Twitter 47.37 12.63 1.05 12.63 26.32

Instagram 44.21 13.69 4.21 16.84 21.05

The table presented above shows the social media platforms that are used in

the study (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). Facebook, as shown in the table,

has been used more frequently compared to Twitter and Instagram, having 83.16%

daily usage response from the participants. Twitter and Instagram ranking next to

Facebook as shown above. Therefore, Facebook is the social media platform that

students from Grade 9 and 10 are using mostly on a daily basis. Additionally, in a

25
report by the Business-Inquirer (2015), there are 67 million accounts on Facebook in

the Philippines and it is acceptable that the said platform tops the list in which the

participants use more frequently. As evidenced by the table above, it shows the

preferred social media the students use more often to communicate, share or gather

information.

Also it was shown in the population and sample on Chapter 3, page 20 that the

total number of students enrolled were 95. The participants were all present and the

researcher was able to conduct the study with a 100% response from the said total

population.

26
Part 2. Level of Information Literacy of Students

Table 5. Social Media Access, Score, and Normative Interpretation of

Components of Information Literacy which Students Possess

Social Media Access Weighted Normative

Mean Interpretation

I often check my Twitter account for announcements by the 3.37 Strongly Agree

government which is related to school.

I use social media to share and gather information. 3.26 Strongly Agree

I regularly log in to several social media sites (i.e. Facebook, 3.20 Agree

Twitter, Instagram).

I prefer social media as a source due to its accessibility in 3.12 Agree

terms of gathering information.

I use Instagram to look for photos and videos that are 3.09 Agree

substantial to research work in school.

I use Facebook as my preferred source for daily updates. 3.06 Agree

I use social media as my reference for some school works. 3.04 Agree

Total Weighted Mean 3.19 Agree

27
 In table 5, it shows that most of the participants strongly agree on using Twitter

for checking announcements made by the government which is school related and

that they also strongly agree on the use of social media to share and gather

information. These prove that the students’ preferred source of information is the

social media, either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram due to its accessibility, ease of

use and fast info dissemination. Ranked lowest with a 3.04 Weighted Mean, is the

statement on the use of social media as reference for some school work since most

info gathered needs to be validated first by making sure that the source is highly

credible and trustworthy to be used as a reference. And that, social media is generally

regarded by students as a medium for socializing, connecting with people and

entertaining; and not used directly for school work purposes.

Lastly, and most importantly, information access via social media shows how

the participants relies heavily on the said platform by having a remarkably 3.37 as its

Weighted Mean which implies that students tend to use social media, especially

Twitter, in gathering information in terms of announcements that is school related.

This shows how the students prefer social media compared to other information

sources. Moreover, according to Asur & Huberman (2010), Because of the ease in

terms of usage and reach, the participants tend to access information via their

respective social media platforms.

28
Table 6. Evaluate Information Score, and Normative Interpretation of

Components of Information Literacy which Students Possess

Media Evaluation Weighted Normative

Mean Interpretation

I have the ability to evaluate another person’s 3.36 Strongly Agree

media skill/competence in terms of sharing

content online.

I feel confident in my ability to determine if online 3.27 Strongly Agree

information is biased.

I prefer Twitter as it provides accurate and up to 3.20 Agree

date information.

I find the information in my social media feed 3.20 Agree

substantial.

I feel confident in using Facebook as a source for 3.12 Agree

information.

Total Weighted Mean 3.23 Agree

Table 6 shows how the participants evaluate their social media platform and

the information within. The participants strongly agree that they can evaluate another

person’s media skill / competence in terms of sharing content online as evidenced by

29
the generated Weighted Mean of 3.36. This means that the participants are capable

of assessing an individual’s ability to discern credible or fake news / information

based on their shared or uploaded posts online. It can also be noted in the data

presented above with a Weighted Mean of 3.27, that the participants are highly

confident that they can evaluate the data if it was biased. It clearly shows that the

participants know how to evaluate the information presented on their social media

platform which is one of the components of information literacy, thus, ultimately can

determine the usability of the data online.

Lastly, the participants have a positive response of evaluating information in

social media since the lowest Weighted Mean of 3.12 was generated, in terms of

being confident in using Facebook as a source for information. As Facebook is open

to millions of users, the flow of information is not all accurate and some of the

information is well biased or simple hoaxes. With a Total Weighted Mean of 3.23, it

clearly states that the participants agree that they can evaluate information posted

online in social media. As stated by Baruah (2012), social media is the use of web

based and mobile technology to turn communication into an interactive dialogue,

thus, users must tend to evaluate information thoroughly.

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Part 3. Level of Social Media Evaluation

Table 7. Awareness on Information in Social Media, Score, and Normative

Interpretation of Relationship of Information Literacy to Social Media

Evaluation

Awareness on Information in Social Media Weighted Normative

Mean Interpretation

I am familiar with post that is useful to be 3.34 Strongly Agree

personalized.

I am confident in my ability to distinguish information 3.27 Strongly Agree

that is useful in Facebook.

I like to learn new things about other cultures from 3.22 Agree

social media activities (i.e. surfing, Facebook,

playing online games, participating in online

communities or forums etc.)

I am confident in my ability to personalize the 3.19 Agree

information I receive through online news site

I am confident in my ability to evaluate information 3.16 Agree

found online for credibility.

Total Weighted Mean 3.24 Agree

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 In table 7, it shows how aware the participants are on the information

presented in social media. The participants are familiar with post that is useful to be

personalized as it has a Weighted Mean of 3.34, meaning they strongly agree on the

statement. This implies that the participants can determine which of the information

presented online are opt to be used and personalized and that they can evaluate the

data found in their preferred social media platform. The results had a positive output

as most of the answers gave a Weighted Mean that shows how aware the

participants are on the information available online. Aside from being cognizant on the

information online, the participants also use social media to learn new things from

other cultures either through surfing or participating in online communities, as the

statement had a 3.22 Weighted Mean.

Evaluation of online information for its credibility came in last with a 3.16

Weighted Mean. This still signify a positive result of the participants’ average ability to

discern the info and deduce its value of use. With a Total Weighted Mean of 3.24, the

participants agree that they have awareness in terms of the information presented in

their respective social media platforms. In an excerpt of Asur & Huberman (2014),

social media in recent years has been an important platform for social networking and

content sharing, thus the results show that the participants are aware on the data

within their preferred social media platforms.

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Table 8. Validity and Reliability of Sources in Social Media, Score, and

Normative Interpretation of Relationship of Information Literacy to

Social Media Evaluation

Validity and Reliability of Sources in Social Weighted Normative

Media Mean Interpretation

The accuracy of information posted in 3.33 Strongly Agree

Facebook is reliable due to its consistency.

The pages found in Facebook provide up to 3.32 Strongly Agree

date information.

The announcements over Twitter in terms of 3.27 Strongly Agree

school related updates are reliable.

The information in my Facebook feed me with 3.26 Strongly Agree

accurate and substantial materials.

The information in my social media feeds is 3.16 Agree

accurate.

The news updates posted in Facebook with 3.12 Agree

regards to school is reliable.

Total Weighted Mean 3.26 Strongly Agree

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 Table 8 shows how the participants deal with the validity and reliability of

source in social media. The accuracy of information posted in Facebook had a

Weighted Mean of 3.33, meaning that the participants strongly agree that the

information presented in their social media platform is reliable especially if the same

information is shared or posted more than a few times by trustworthy individuals over

a given period of time. This assessment also supports the reliability of news updates

concerning schools posted in Facebook with a 3.12 Weighted Mean. Although, it

ranked last, the participants still agree that the evaluation of the source of information

is vital in the determination of its integrity prior to making sound judgment of sharing

or reposting online the information at hand.

As it can be seen on the table above, the participants strongly agree on

evaluating the validity and reliability of sources found in their social media application

as it shows a high Weighted Mean as is most of the questions used in this research.

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Table 9. Credibility of Information in Social Media, Score, Verbal and Normative

Interpretation of Relationship of Information Literacy to Social Media

Evaluation

Credibility of Information in Social Weighted Normative

Media Mean Interpretation

I think information on Facebook page is 3.17 Agree

trustworthy.

I think information posted in Twitter is 3.15 Agree

believable.

I think information on Twitter is credible. 3.07 Agree

I think information on this Facebook page 3.06 Agree

is credible.

I think information on Facebook page is 3.03 Agree

factual.

I think information on Facebook is 3.00 Agree

believable.

Total Weighted Mean 3.08 Agree

In table 10, the credibility of information in social media shows fair results in

terms of the statements used in the said topic of this research. The trustworthiness of

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Facebook, and Twitter feeds only gave a fair result as the Weighted Mean only had a

normative interpretation of agree. The question in terms of information in Facebook is

believable has the lowest Weighted Mean but still has a positive normative

interpretation. Information in Facebook being trustworthy implies that the student can

evaluate the credibility of information in their respective social media platform.

Lastly, the result shows the participants’ ability in terms of finding the credibility

of information in their social media feed as its Weighted Mean does not exceed 3.17

and not below 3.00. With the Total Weighted Mean of 3.08, the participants agree that

they can know the credibility of the data presented in their platforms.

Part 4. Relationship of Information Literacy and Social Media Evaluation

Correlational Coefficient

The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient is a measure of the

strength of the linear relationship between two variables. The symbol for Pearson’s

Correlation is “p” when it is measured in the population, “r” when it is measured in a

sample. (David Lane)

In this study, wherein 0.64159 is the value of “r”, it shows that there is a

relatively strong correlation between information literacy to the social media

evaluation of the JHS students. According to Prof Timothy Shortell (2001),

correlations above 0.4 is considered to be relatively strong, meaning that information

36
literacy has an impact to the social media evaluation of students due to its relatively

strong correlational value.

Information literacy and its components affect the usage of JHS students on

their social media by evaluating information, validating its sources, being aware of the

students in terms of social media usage, and by identifying the credibility of

information within their respective social media platforms. One affects the other

components as students access information in social media and as they evaluate its

contents signifying a relatively strong connection as per the results above.

Therefore, based on the answers of the participants, there is indeed a

relationship between information literacy and social media channels of the JHS

students. Facebook has the high percentage of frequency meaning that it is more

preferred to be a source of information by the participants. Components of information

literacy (i.e. Access Information and Evaluate Information) have an impact on how the

Junior High Students from Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian evaluate the

information found in their social media feeds / channels. News updates and school

related information or substantial materials that can be personalized are one of the

things that the participants strongly agreed on. They use social media either to create

content to be shared or to get information that will be helpful into their daily

endeavors.

37
 CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary of findings based on the data gathered,

conclusions and the possible recommendations drawn from the results shown in the

previous chapter.

Summary of Findings

1. Level of Information Literacy which Students Possess

1.1 The participants agree that they have access of information by

having a Weighted Mean of 3.19. It means that the participants can

access information in their social media accounts, and that they prefer

the said platform in terms of gathering information as they access it via

online social networking sites.

1.2 The participants agree that they can evaluate information by having

a Weighted Mean of 3.23. As the results showed, the participants can

evaluate information in their social media channels. Information found

within the said platform and any data presented online in their social

media feeds can be evaluated by the students.

2. Level of Social Media Evaluation

2.1 The participants agree that they are aware of the information in

social media by having a Weighted Mean of 3.24. It means that they are

aware on the value of information in their social media feeds. As the

38
 results showed, they agree on how aware they are on the information

presented in online social media networks.

2.2 The participants strongly agree that they know the validity and

reliability of sources in social media by having a Weighted Mean of 3.26.

It means that they know the validity and reliability of information. As the

results gave us, it clearly states that the participants can evaluate

information online in terms of its validity and reliability.

2.3 The participants agree that they know the credibility of information in

social media by having a Weighted Mean of 3.08. It means that the

students know that a certain information in their social media feed is

credible, as they can evaluate the source of data well. As they use their

social media channels, information to be personalized has been

evaluated by the students by knowing the credibility of both the source

and the information itself.

3. Relationship of Information Literacy and Social Media Evaluation

3.1 The correlational value is 0.6, meaning that it has a relatively strong

relationship. Information literacy has an effect on how students

evaluate their social media feeds. As the participants uses their

preferred social media application, they are fully aware on how to

determine which information is usable, accurate, reliable and factual,

as the components of information literacy helps them filter

thoroughly the data presented in the said platform.

39
Conclusions

After treating the data statistically, the researcher came up with the

following conclusions:

1. The participants preferred social media as the platform in terms of

gathering and sharing information.

2. Information and data found in social media platform are being evaluated

well by the participants prior to usage of the said information or data.

3. The participants are aware on the value of information being presented in

their social media platform.

4. In terms of social media usage, the participants know how to evaluate the

validity and reliability of information within their respective social media

platform.

5. The participants can determine the credibility of information and its sources

by evaluating the data presented in their social media platform.

6. Information literacy and its components greatly affect the social media

usage of the participants, with high correlational value of 0.6. It clearly

states that there is indeed a relatively strong relationship as the

components of information literacy helps the participants in determining the

information in their social media platform as to how they will use the

information.

40
Recommendations

The recommendations of the study will be applied to the following beneficiaries:

1. Junior High Students tend to use social media as its preferred source for

information gathering and dissemination, therefore, information literacy skills must be

taught to the students so that information found in their respective social media

platforms are well evaluated.

2. The contents found within social media channels must be evaluated well by its

audience due to some information that may tend to mislead thus confuse the users.

Literacy in terms of information gathering should always be exercised most especially

of the students, so that they can determine which data gives an accurate and useful

to become a source of information.

3. Due to the openness of social media, users are susceptible towards

misinformation, therefore, students who are the most prolific users of social media,

with the guide from their teachers and respective school administrators, should be

aware in terms of what information are they getting with and must always evaluate the

trustworthiness of its source to avoid misleading contexts within the said platform.

4. Information literacy is a component that helps the users to determine which data is

credible, reliable and sources that are trustworthy. Junior High students as the

participants of this study show that there is indeed a strong relationship between

information literacy and social media usage. Administrators from every school must

teach its students on information literacy that will help them in using social media as

their preferred information source.

41
 REFERENCES

ABS-CBN (2018), Philippines is world’s top social media user: study. Retrieved from.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/02/01/18/philippines-is-worlds-top-social-

media-user-study

Ahn (2011), The effect of social network sites on adolescents' social and academic

development: Current theories and controversies. Retrieved from.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/asi.21540

Asur & Huberman (2014), Predicting the future with social media. Retrieved from.

www.hpl.hp.com/research/scl/papers/socialmedia/socialmedia.pdf

Baruah (2012) Effectiveness of social media as a tool of communication and its

potential for technology enabled connections: A micro level study. Retrieved

from. www.ijsrp.org/research_paper_may2012/ijsrp-may-2012-24.pdf

Business-Inquirer (2015), PH is world leader in social media usage. Retrieved from.

https://business.inquirer.net/246015/ph-world-leader-social-media-

usage?utm_expid=.XqNwTug2W6nwDVUSgFJXed.1

Fraillon, Schulz & Ainley (2013), International computer and information literacy

study. Retrieved from.

https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=ict_

literacy

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Franklin (2005), The importance of information literacy: Insights from the next

generation of scholars. Retrieved from.

http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/pdf/franklin0

5.pdf

Gatchalian (2018), Prioritize digital literacy. Retrieved from.

http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2018/0211_gatchalian1.asp

Gilbert & Karahalios (2009), Predicting tie strength with social media. Retrieved from.

http://eegilbert.org/papers/chi09.tie.gilbert.pdf

Nusayba Kawsar (2014), A survey on social media use, engagement and addiction as

predictors of academic performance. Retrieved from.

http://dspace.ewubd.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/2650/Nusayba_Kawsar.

pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Talpau (2014), Social media – a new way of communication. Retrieved from.

http://webbut.unitbv.ro/BU2014/Series%20V/BULETIN%20V/I-06_TALPAU-

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Timothy Shortell (2001), Correlational coefficient. Retrieved from.

http://www.shortell.org/book/chap18.html

43
 APPENDIX A

SURVERY QUESTIONNAIRE

44
 APPENDIX B

LETTER OF PERMISSION TO CONDUCT THE STUDY

45
 APPENDIX C

EDITING AND BOOKBINDING CLEARANCE

46
 CURRICULUM VITAE

Nicolai Alexis G. Garalde

Lot 6 Block 6 Greenwoods Phase 4 Pinagbuhatan

Pasig CIty
ganoalexis@gmail.com
+639952923194

OBJECTIVE

To enhance my educational and professional skills in a stable and dynamic

workplace.

SKILLS

Soft skills
 Adaptable
 Creative
 English proficient, both written and spoken
 Team player
 Attention to detail
 Multitasking
 Positive attitude
 Problem solving / conflict resolution

47
Technical skills
 Photography
 Photo Editing
 Illustrator
 Knowledgeable in MS Office 2016 and lower version

EDUCATION

Tertiary: Pasig Catholic College

Bachelor of Arts in Communication
2014 - present
Pasig Catholic College
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
2013 - 2014

Secondary: Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian

2008 - 2012
Pasig Catholic College
2006 - 2008

Primary: Escuela Catolica De San Sebastian

1999-2001

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Events Production - Café Communications Philippines: Safe Sex HIV awareness

Delegate – 13th EdukCircle Convention on Media Communication

48
U.P Diliman Quezon City
September 9, 2015

Dekegate – 14th EdukCircle Convention on Media Communication

AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City

AFFILIATIONS

 The College Crusader Mens Volleyball Team, Team Captain

2013–2014
 The College Crusader Mens Volleyball Team, Team Captain
2014–2015
 The College Crusader Mens Volleyball Team, Team Captain
2015–2016
 The College Crusader Mens Volleyball Team, Team Captain
2016–2017

PERSONAL DATA

Gender Male
Age 22
Birthdate May 17, 1996
Birthplace Pasig City
Civil Status Single
Citizenship Filipino
Religion Catholic
Height 5’10”

49
CHARACTER REFERENCE

Mr Nicholas Cunnew
Consultant
Another Solutions
09985528299

Maria Gina Bartolome

Chief Operations Officer
Karisma Ni Maria
09985561836

50