Impact of social media on the academic performance of college students in Kashmir

Social networks in Iranian academic libraries: complementary or antagonistic tools?

Purpose

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of social networks on the use of academic libraries by university students.

Design/methodology/approach

The method used in the present study was a survey. The statistical population included 461 university students. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. The result of the Cronbach test was equal to 0.726 indicating the acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. For data analysis, descriptive statistical methods and inferential statistical methods using SPSS 21 software were employed.

Findings

The findings showed that 243 of the participants used social networks for 4–6 h a day, 192 students never used university libraries and 229 used the university library only once in a month. Communication with friends was also reported to be one of the main goals in using social networks. The results of regression analysis also indicated that four predictor variables including information retrieval, social influence, trust and attractiveness of social networking environment were statistically able to explain the variance of reluctance to use university libraries.

Originality/value

The present study is one of the few studies that has examined the negative impact of social networks on visiting university libraries.

Factors Influencing YouTube as a Learning Tool and Its Influence on Academic Achievement in a Bilingual Environment Using Extended Information Adoption Model (IAM) with ML Prediction—Jordan Case Study

YouTube usage as a learning tool is evident among students. Hence, the goal of this study is to examine the various factors that influence the use of YouTube as a learning tool, which influences academic achievement in a bilingual academic context. Using survey data from 704 YouTube users from Jordan’s bilingual academic institutes, the research model was empirically validated. Using Amos 20, structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to assess the study hypotheses. SEM permits concurrent checking of the direct and indirect effects of all hypotheses. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the instrument items’ properties in addition to machine learning methods: ANN, SMO, the bagging reduced error pruning tree (RepTree), and random forest. The empirical results offer several key findings: academic achievement (AA) is influenced by the information adoption (IA) of YouTube as a learning tool. Information adoption (IA) is influenced by information usefulness (IU). Source credibility (SC) and information quality (IQ) both influence information usefulness (IU), while information language (IL) does not. Information quality (IQ) is influenced by intrinsic, contextual, and accessibility information quality. This study adds to the literature by empirically testing and theorizing the effects of YouTube as a learning tool on the academic achievement of Jordanian university students who are studying in bilingual surroundings.

Social Media Use in E-Learning amid COVID 19 Pandemic: Indian Students' Perspective

As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, most educational institutions shifted to online education. Students and faculty members in many public institutions, particularly those in developing countries, are hampered by the absence of formal online learning management systems. Responding to COVID-19, many institutions in developing countries adopted social media sites to maintain e-learning and sustain education process. The distinction between online and real-world communities is becoming increasingly narrow, especially among the younger generations who have grown up with social media at their fingertips. This research explores perspectives of higher education students in India regarding the use of social media for e-learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, an online questionnaire was directed to a sample of higher education students in India via a personal network. The results showed that students were more satisfied with their use of social media because of their perceptions of its ease of use and usefulness. The majority of the students are active on social media for 1−2 h daily (p < 0.01). YouTube was the platform of choice among all the respondents (n = 154; 36%). The results confirmed that students feel that social media websites have a significant positive impact on their overall academic performance (p < 0.01). Novel methods of teaching and learning are constantly being sought out by educators. The present moment is an opportunity to examine and analyze the theoretical benefits of social media technologies and consider their relative advantages for education through the use of technology’s ability to enhance student learning.

Higher Education in and after COVID-19: The Impact of Using Social Network Applications for E-Learning on Students’ Academic Performance

The long-lasting pandemic has disrupted face–to–face education and has forced higher education institutions to adopt digital learning management systems, albeit many public universities in developing counties could not properly undertake this shift and adopted either free interactive platforms (e.g., zoom) or social network applications (SNAs) (e.g., Facebook and WhatsApp) due to their limited resources and infrastructure. Despite that the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the value of e-learning, some concerns were raised about the quality of learning outcomes and academic performance of students, using these SNAs for learning, compared to traditional face–to–face education. Therefore, examining the impact of SNAs as an e-learning platform on the academic performance students is inevitable, notwithstanding that this has not been sufficiently examined by researchers amid COVID-19. For this purpose, an online questionnaire was distributed to students via research teams’ personal networks, i.e., university lecturers at various public universities in Egypt. They were asked to distribute the survey link with their undergraduates via email or WhatsApp. A total of 600 valid questionnaires was obtained from students in nine public colleges that deliver tourism and hotel management courses in Egypt and adopted SNAs for e-learning at least one semester amid COVID-19. Unlike the results of previous arguments and research, the results of the structural equation modelling using AMOS showed a positive, significant impact of SNAs as e-learning platforms on students’ academic performance. The results have several implications for higher education policymakers, educators, and scholars, especially in relation to the future of use social media applications in higher education, particularly in developing countries’ contexts.

Do social networking sites enhance the research traits of college students?

Purpose

Social networking sites (SNS) have become popular destinations for college students all over the world. The minds of the college students have been steadily taking over by the influence of social networking, and this can impact their ability for doing research. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to investigate the role of SNS in enhancing the research activities of the degree college students in the Srinagar district of Kashmir, J&K, India.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey method was used to conduct the study, and Cochran’s sampling formula was applied to select the sampling size. Data were collected with the aid of a well-designed and structured questionnaire using Google forms. Besides, the focus group discussions were conducted to get varied opinions.

Findings

The findings revealed that the majority of the students agree or strongly agree that SNS help them in interacting with researchers, reading research content, keeping them abreast of research articles, knowing research trends, developing research aptitude and facilitating logical thinking and reasoning. The study confirmed that SNS help in enhancing the research traits of college students. However, students have been cautioned to make proper and judicious use of SNS.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to the college students of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (India), and the results cannot be generalised across regions and countries.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study, being a part of PhD programme, is the original work of great value. It investigates the role of SNS in enhancing the research traits of college students and brings into light various hidden facts.