Abstract

PERCEPTION OF UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS STUDENTS TOWARDS THE UTILIZATION OF SOCIAL NETWORK AND IT?S IMPACT ON THEIR PERFORMANCE IN RIVERS STATE

Amadi, J. C. Rowland Ekpenyong, L. & Umedo, M.

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Abstract This study investigated the perception of undergraduate mathematics students in the utilization of social media and how it can contribute to their performance in tertiary institutions within Rivers State. Survey research design was adopted in carrying out this study. The population of the study consisted of 246 students from the department of mathematics in Rivers State University (RSU) and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rivers State. A simple random sampling technique was used to get a sample of 128 students, consisting of 72 male and 56 female. Three research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The instrument used for data collection is a questionnaire named ?Mathematics Students? Social Networking Perception Questionnaire (MSSNPQ)? which was structured by the researchers. The instrument was face validated by three experts, while the reliability coefficient index of 0.81 was obtained using Cronbach alpha. The research questions were answered using frequency and simple percentage, pie chart and mean score while the hypothesis was tested using independent t-test at 0.05 level of significance. Findings among others showed that social networking plays a vital role in the academic performance of undergraduate students. Based on the findings, it was recommended that schools should have internet accessibility so information can be shared through social network in the mathematics classrooms. Keywords: perception, social network, undergraduate mathematics students

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