Social Media Usage Patterns and Academic Performance among Advanced-Level Students in Western Province, Sri Lanka

This study investigates the relationship between social media usage patterns and academic performance of Advanced Level students in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. The study employed a quantitative research design and data was collected from 307 respondents using structured questionnaire. SPSS was used to analyze the data, with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The results revealed a very weak relationship between social media use and academic performance. The correlation analysis showed a weak negative correlation between time spent on social media and academic performance. The nature of social media use showed a weak and non-significant relationship. However, the multiple regression analysis showed that nature of social media use and time spent on social media did not significantly predict academic performance (R = 0.071, R 2 = 0.005, p > 0.05). This suggests that the social media usage patterns have little explanatory power in students’ academic performance. The study concludes that academic performance seems likely to be influenced by other academic, psychological and environmental factors, rather than by social media use alone. These results highlight the importance of promoting a balanced and responsible use of social media among students and also of promoting additional research on other determinants of academic achievement.

Social media usage, academic performance, Advanced Level, Sri Lanka

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