Social Media Usage And Its Effects On The Teaching Learning Process In Secondary Schools In Nyamira North, Nyamira County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this project was to investigate social media effects on the teaching learning process in secondary schools in Nyamira North, Nyamira County, Kenya. This is due to the revolutionizing aspect of social media on organizational performance. Many people including education stakeholders are using the social networking sites than ever before. In educational institutions, social media usage is influencing the students‟ examination performance. The objectives of this study were: to determine the pattern of social media usage in secondary schools in Nyamira North, to describe how social media usage influenced the teaching learning process, to find out challenges encountered while using social media and suggested possible remedies. Social Information processing theory provided the theoretical framework on how social media usage influences the teaching and learning process in secondary schools. The target population comprised of 567 respondents. The respondents included principals, deputy principals, teachers and parents‟ representatives. The sample size was 131 (23.2%) respondents. The researcher used descriptive survey design while the data were collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Validity was established by discarding ambiguities and re scaling difficult questions after carrying out a pilot test. Reliability was determined by splitting them into two. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. The findings were presented in tables and graphs showing frequency distributions, percentages and cross tabulation for the closed ended questions while the open ended questions were analyzed qualitatively in by first identifying themes and sub themes, then reporting in narratives. The study revealed a strong positive relationship between the use of social media in secondary schools and the teaching learning process in Nyamira North Sub County. Majority of the respondents have social media accounts which they check at least once daily. Limited access to the internet was found out to be the major hindrance to the social media use in schools. From the findings it is clear that teachers are spending much of their time on social media instead of facilitating the teaching and learning process. This directly affects the candidates‟ preparation for examinations. The study concludes that social media can be used in schools to improve teaching learning process. It should be embraced as an alternative of reaching out with the education stakeholders. The research recommends for strict regulation of social media usage in schools for it is addictive and thus can be a waste of time. There should be sound policies to regulate their usage and also curb its abuse.