The Impact of Social Media Internet on the Academic Performance of Students The Case of Debre Tabor University

Abstract

Using Internet in the academic arena empowers students to sharpen their skills and communication capabilities. However, internet Addiction (IA), characterized by an excessive use of time and resources affects their activities. This study uses mixed research design capturing data from students to access the impact of social media on academic achievement with particular emphasis on SMS usage, Internet addiction and the effect on their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Key informant interviews and a questionnaire was designed and distributed to 422 randomly selected students. Descriptive and Inferential statistics (Multiple hierarchical regressions) were used to analyze the results. Results revealed that, 44.5% male and 27% female students are Internet Addicted. 65% of the students have Face book accounts, registered to more than one SMS’s. The highest majority, (82.8%) of students are using the internet at night time. However, 65% replied as they can balance their studies and Internet usage. The study discovered that students’ waste much of their time on SMS and expected that the more time they spent online the more addicted they become, and the lower is the time they spent on studying and achieving a good CGPA. However, the study found that Internet addiction does not significantly contributed beyond and above other factors on academic performance. Improvement in their CGPA may lay on other factors within the overall quality of education, the teaching-learning environment or other hidden attributes. Thus, students’ academic achievement is not highly attributed to the use of Internet and social media addiction.