Types of Social-Media and Academic Performance of Students in Primary School Teachers' Training Colleges in Vihiga County, Kenya

Abstract

The study examined the influence of types of social media on academic performance of students in primary school teachers’ training colleges in Vihiga County in Kenya. The Technological determinism theory by McLuhan Marshall (1964) guided the study. Correlation survey research design was utilized with the aid of mixed method approach. It involved 6 Teachers’ Training Colleges. The target population of 1584 consisted of 6 principals, 1478 students and 100 tutors. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample the 6 colleges and the 6 principals. Simple random sampling technique was used to sample 306 students and 80 tutors giving a total sample size of 392. Questionnaires and interview guide were used to gather data. Piloting was done in 2 teachers’ training colleges in Kakamega County to test validity and reliability. Validity of the tools was also tested using experts at Kisii University. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to test the reliability of the tools. The questionnaires issued to tutors and students gave acceptable values of 0.78 and 0.80 respectively. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze quantitative data descriptively. It was also analyzed inferentially using Regression, ANOVA and Pearson Product Moment Correlation to test the existence of a correlation. The findings showed that a positive correlation which was statistically significant existed between the variables in the firsts null hypothesis since the p-value got (0.000) was less than 0.05. The rejection of this hypothesis concluded that types of social media affected students' academic performance. The study recommended that students should use the various types of social media positively to bolster their academic performance.