INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue IV, April 2025
www.ijltemas. Page 105
Internet Usage and Academic Performance of Students in the
Faculty of Education, University of Uyo
Asukwo, Victor Edet
Department of Sociological Foundations of Education, University of Uyo
DOI : https://doi.org/10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2025.140400013
Received: 31 March 2025; Accepted: 10 April 2025; Published: 29 April 2025
Abstract: The study examined Internet usage and academic performance of students in the Faculty of Education, University of
Uyo. Two research questions and hypotheses guided that study. The correlational research design was adopted for the study and
the population of the study consisted of 4,292 students in the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo during the 2024/2025
academic session. The sample for the study was 385. A structured questionnaire titled Internet Usage and Academic Performance
Questionnaire (IUAPQ) was used as instrument for data collection. The instrument was subjected to a face validation and a
reliability coefficient index of 0.84 was obtained using Alpha Cronbach statistics. Path analysis was used to answer the research
question as well as to test the null hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The results showed that there is a significant
relationship between WhatsApp usage, Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the University of Uyo. It
was recommended among others that government should show commitment towards effective integration of Information and
Communication Technology into the mainstream of the teaching and learning process.
Keywords: Internet Usage Whatsapp Usage, Facebook Usage, Academic Performance
I. Introduction
The internet has become popular among youths considering the fact that internet sites allow people to stay connected with friends
and family, make new friends, share pictures and exchange ideas. According to Ugwulebo and Okoro (2016) the internet is
defined as a large computer network linking together millions of smaller computers at numerous sites in various countries
belonging to thousands of business, government, research, educational and other organisations. Undiyaundeye (2014) has noted
that internet engagement can offer adolescents deeper benefits that extend into their view of self, community and the world. Thus,
engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that has shown to benefit children and adolescents by enhancing
communication, social connection and even technical skills.
Today, the internet does not only serve social purposes, the internet provides huge platform for commerce and educational
activities. According to Tayo, Adebola and Yahya (2019) internet platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, MySpace,
Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google Plus help students and educators to access information and educational-related materials. Pardo
(2013) averred that internet allows students to interact with one another, their teachers and communities that share in their
education and related activities. Despite the advantages of internet utilization to students’ academic performance, Karim, Zamzuri
and Nor cited in Soegoto and Tjokroadiponto (2018) noted that the widespread use of the Internet and the convenient mechanism
it provides, such as easy access, easy downloads, and easy copy and paste functions have made many types of unethical
behaviours easier, particularly those involving students in academic settings. Among the issues in ethics within the academic
environment that can be triggered by the Internet are fraudulence, plagiarism, falsification, delinquency, unauthorized help, and
facility misuse.
Whatsapp, one of the internet platforms is a mobile application used for instant messaging purposes to replace the normal phone
short messages (SMS) because of its capacity to send large volume of messages and media files unlike the SMS. Eberechukwu
and Nwaizugbu (2018) reported that Whatsapp came into existence in the year 2009 and has become the most popular social
media applications used by mostly the young people for communication (Fawzi, 2015). There are many literatures that highlight
the impact of Whatsapp in teaching/learning. For instance, Etim, Idongesit and Ema (2016) revealed a significant influence of
WhatsApp module utilization on geography students’ academic performance. Also, Izyani and Mohamed (2016) noted that
WhatsApp utilization is important since it enhances students’ proficiency in the use of English language and help them learn the
language better. Kumar, Lian and Vasudevan (2016) found that using whatsapp both within and out of classroom environment
improved the learning performance of students since students can use it anywhere- anytime.
Internet usage of students also involves the use of Facebook. Although Ahmed (2010) observed that Facebook cannot be
considered merely a tool to entertain, amuse and communicate with friends, but can be considered an effective learning tool if
properly functioned and used. Karpinski and Duberstein (2009) are of the opinion that, Facebook users had significantly lower
GPAs than non-users (3.0-3.5 versus 3.5-4.0). They also found that Facebook users spent significantly less time studying weekly
than non-users (1-5 hours versus 11-15 hours) which influence their academic performance negatively.
According to Frommer (2010) Instagram is an internet, photo-sharing, video sharing and social networking services that allow
users to take pictures and videos and share them on the internet in their social media platforms. Akram and Kumar (2017) noted
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue IV, April 2025
www.ijltemas. Page 106
that Instagram as internet technology allows students to share educational thoughts with another. It helps students to release
education information with other students to relate educational information with other students in other countries. Students can
easily communicate or share information quickly with each other. The availability of smart phones to university students coupled
with government plans on integration of ICT into the mainstream of the teaching and learning process, students’ exposure to
internet usage has increased profoundly. This issue therefore has triggered the need to examine how students’ exposure to the
internet has affected their academic performance. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between internet usage and
students’ academic performance in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo.
Statement of Problem
The use of internet provides students with the ability to get more useful information, to connect with learning groups and other
educational systems that make education convenient. It also affords students and institutions with multiple opportunities to
improve learning methods. However, frequent engagement in various internet platforms has turned most students into addicts
which affect students’ ability to manage time for academic activities. In this regard, Bawa and Suleiman (2017) reported that
students become distracted from academic engagement when they spend much time on Instagram or Facebook checking his/her
profile to have a hint on the number of “likes” and “comments” their latest post got from viewers. This off-task behaviour results
in poor performance in examinations and assignments because of less academic commitments. Tayo, Adebola and Yahya (2019)
also documented that some students have diverted internet usage towards non-educational, unethical and inappropriate actions
and behaviours. This situation has resulted in the proliferation of cybercrime tendency, sexual harassment and other anti-social
behaviours among University students. From the aforementioned problems the study attempts to examine the relationship
between Internet usage and academic performance of students in Faculty of Education, University of Uyo.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study was to examine Internet usage and academic performance of students in the Faculty of Education,
University of Uyo. Specifically, the study examined:
i) The relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of Education,
University of Uyo.
ii) The relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of Education,
University of Uyo.
Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study
i) What is the relationship WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of Education,
University of Uyo?
ii) What is the relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of Education,
University of Uyo?
Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated for the study
i) There is no significant relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of
Education, University of Uyo.
ii) There is no significant relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of
Education, University of Uyo.
II. Research Methods
Correlational research design was adopted for the study. The design allowed the researcher to uncover the magnitude of the
relationship between internet usage and academic performance of University of Uyo. The population of the study consisted of
4,292 students in the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo during the 2024/2024 academic session. The sample for the study
consisted 385 students were selected using simple random sampling technique was used in selecting the sample for the study.
“Internet Usage and Academic Performance Questionnaire (IUAPQ) was used as instrument for data collection. The instrument
had a four-point Likert scale of: Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD). A face validation
method was adopted to establish the validity of the instrument. Path analysis was used to analysis data collected from the field at
.05 level of significance.
III. Result and Discussion
Research Question 1: What is the relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the
faculty of Education, University of Uyo?
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue IV, April 2025
www.ijltemas. Page 107
Hypothesis 1: There is no significant relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the
faculty of Education, University of Uyo.
Table 1: Summary of Path analysis of relationship WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of
Education, University of Uyo
WhatsApp usage
Model 1 Variables
β
SE
R
t
Sig
Constant
.795
.395
2.013
.046
Academic Performance
.939
.032
.908
29.177
.000
R2.825
Adj. R2.824
F 851.280
N = 385; SE = Standard Error; *P<0.05
Regression results from Table 1 revealed that the analysis yielded a path coefficient of .939, which shows that there is a high
relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo.
At the same time, WhatsApp usage independently predicted academic performance, F (1, 383) = 851.280, (β = 939; t = 29.177;
P<0.05).
Therefore, the first hypothesis which stated that there is no significant relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic
performance of students in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo was rejected at 0.05 level of significance. This means that
There is a significant relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of
Education, University of Uyo.
Research Question 2: What is the relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty
of Education, University of Uyo.
Hypothesis 2: There is no significant relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the
faculty of Education, University of Uyo.
Table 2: Summary of Path analysis of relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the
faculty of Education, University of Uyo
Model 1 Variables
β
SE
R
t
p-value
Constant
4.270
.411
2.013
.001
Academic performance
.658
.034
.747
29.147
.000
R2.558
Adj. R2.557
F 376.77
N = 385; SE = Standard Error; *P<0.05
Results from Table 2 revealed that the analysis yielded a path coefficient of.658 which implies a moderate correlation between
Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo
Therefore, the second hypothesis which stated that there is no significant relationship between Facebook usage and the academic
performance of students in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo was rejected. This means that there is a significant
relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance of students in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo.
IV. Discussion of Findings
The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between WhatsApp usage and the academic performance
of students in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo. This implies that, the use of WhatsApp could facilitate academic
performance among students. This finding aligns with Barhoumi (2015) who found that WhatsApp facilitates online collaboration
and communication and promotes students’ school performance. Johnson and George, (2014) averred that WhatsApp provide
access to learning material anywhere, anytime, and in various formats has potential to enhance deep student learning capabilities.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue IV, April 2025
www.ijltemas. Page 108
The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between Facebook usage and the academic performance
of students in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo. This finding is supported by Ahmed (2010) further observed that
facebook provide students with flexibility in obtaining and sharing educational information. Through feeds and pages Facebook
provides students with real time educational experiences which may have significant influence on students’ academic
performance.
V. Conclusion
Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that WhatsApp, Facebook and Instgram usage are significant internet
platforms that facilitate academic performance of students in public the faculty of Education, University of Uyo.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that:
i) Government should show commitment towards effective integration of Information and Communication Technology
into the mainstream of the teaching and learning process.
ii) Students’ exposure to internet should be moderated to ensure that they are using useful educational contents that would
facilitate their academic performance.
iii) Students should be flexible in the quality of time in the internet. This would help them in avoiding addictive tendency
towards internet usage.
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