Perceived Impact of Internet Usage on Academic Performance of Students in Foso College of Education

Perceived Impact of Internet Usage on Academic Performance of Students in Foso College of Education

Regina Sally Maison, Kennedy Boe-Doe, Mabel Anane, Sylvester Tenkorang

Foso College of Education

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.807059

Received: 03 June 2024; Revised: 21 June 2024; Accepted: 26 June 2024; Published: 01 August 2024

ABSTRACT

In modern times, internet usage has become a norm and a necessity for students. This study therefore examined the perceived impact of internet usage on academic performance of students in Foso College of Education. The study adopted the quantitative approach and cross-sectional descriptive survey design. A sample of 300 students from the Foso College of Education were selected using proportional stratified random sampling procedure for the study. Data were collected using questionnaire and analysed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The results showed that most of the students classified their internet usage to be normal or moderate. Also, the students used the internet mostly for entertainment purposes while educational usage was considered after the entertainment usage. Finally, the study revealed that the respondents perceived internet usage to have an impact on their academic work and that the times that they used the internet for academic work, it made their academic work easier. It is recommended that college authorities organise workshops focused on the appropriate usage of the internet. Through these workshops, students can be encouraged by facilitators to use the internet mainly for academic purposes instead of using the internet mainly for entertainment purposes.

Keywords: Internet, Perceived Impact, Academic Performance

INTRODUCTION

The 21st century has seen a rapid growth in technological innovation, and as such its influence on human activities cannot be overstated. The relentless pull of technological innovation has caused the old order to give way to the new in many areas of human life (Dubow, 2005). One key advancement in technology that has transcended every aspect of life is the internet. According to Shahibi and Rusli (2017), the internet initially emerged in the 1990s and was greatly admired in terms of capability and sophistication. The beginning of the internet was as a tool for communication but has now become a tool for social interaction, education, business and many other activities.

The internet has proven to be a substantial resource that humans need in order to improve and develop themselves as well as the society within where they are settled in (Akin-Adaramola, 2014). Societies have been modernized, communication processes have been elevated, learning processes have changed, and innovations increased because of the internet. The internet has created a platform for millions of computers at numerous sites in various countries, belonging to different businesses, governments, research institutions, educational institutions and other organizations to link up with one another. This has provided a very rich medium for information dissemination, exchange and collaborative interaction among individuals and institutions in spite of geographical location (Emeka & Nyeche, 2016). The internet has also provided a wide range of opportunities, conveniently available for self-development (Ceyhan, 2011). This is because the use of the internet makes it easier for people to obtain lots of information quickly and without much difficulty.

For students, the internet has become a major part of their lives in terms of their academic, social, and recreational activities (Jafari & Dayani, 2010). Thus, according to Austin and Totaro (2011), internet usage has become a normal daily activity for students. Shahibi and Rusli (2017) also argued that in recent times, the internet has become an important tool that can be helpful in achieving success in education. Most students use the internet for carrying out their research activities, finding the specialized information and obtaining the information that may not be found in printed resources (Asemi, Rajaeepour, Oraee, & Mirzaee, 2013; Islami, 2007).

Globally, there have been several studies about the importance of internet usage for students. For instance, Sampath-Kumar and Manjunath (2011) in a quantitative study found that the internet has been used to support teaching and learning. They asserted that internet usage had a positive impact on the academic performance of students. Suhail and Bargees (2006) also reported some benefits of the internet access for students. They indicated that the internet usage impacts education in a positive way by increasing communication with classmates and professors, increasing access to libraries and educational databases, and improving study hours and study habits.

The use of the internet by students is not without problems. Network traffic, low speed of internet, improper quality and quantity of the hardware and software facilities and the lack of the access to the original documents have been the main problems of the students in using the internet (Wales, 2000). Aside these, Soleymani, Garivani, and Zare-Farashbandi (2016) have argued that increased excessive use of the internet has been associated with some problems for the users. Some of the major problems include drop in performance, reduced time for study, anxiety, reduced interpersonal relationships and reduced physical activities.

In addition, some studies carried out on students have shown that with the increasing the internet use, prevalence of internet addiction increases (Sepehrian & Jokar, 2011; Siomos, Dafouli, Braimiotis, Mouzas, & Angelopoulos, 2008). In the view of Sushma, Peter, Natalya, Gregory and Donald (2014), the more time students spent with the internet, the higher a student was likely to get addicted to the internet. As such, it has been indicated that despite the positive impact of the internet on academic performance, excessive internet usage adversely affects one’s physical health, family life and academic performance (Akhter, 2013). Some of these academic challenges include decline in study habits, drastic drop in grades, missing classes and poor integration in extracurricular activities.

It is abundantly clear that despite the fact that the internet is beneficial to offer, the internet itself can also be a source of distraction to students who do not know how to effectively use the internet (Luppicini, 2010). This is because, much as educationally beneficial information are available on the internet, pornography, endless chats, games, music videos and other entertainment activities are also available on the internet (Goldsmith & Wu, 2006; White, 2006). Furthermore, the internet also accommodates the phenomenon of using the internet facility for all sorts of criminal and immoral activities (Langford, 2000; Jenkins, 2001). All of these are what have informed the view of Akin-Adaramola (2014) that the internet is seen as a blessing or a curse, a distraction or a solution, a saviour and a disease. Thus, it works in a double-edged role.

In Ghana, there have been some studies similar to the current study. For instance, Yebowaah (2018) investigated internet use and its impact on senior high school students in the Wa Municipality and found that different uses of the internet among students did not influence their academic performance. Bruce-Ennin (2013) also investigated internet usage among senior high school students in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region and found that majority of the students spent more time on the internet watching movies, chatting, surfing, and playing games, rather than on academic related issues. These studies were carried out in senior high schools. However, it appears that such a study has not been carried out in the Colleges of Education.

Foso College of Education began in November 1965 as a Teacher Training College. The College was established with the aim of training teachers to become useful citizens in the development of the country. Currently, there are two main programmes run in the college. These are Bachelor of Education (JHS) and Diploma in Basic Education. At the core of these programmes is to train professional teachers who would teach in basic schools in Ghana. The desire for academic excellence is a major drive for activities in the school. In this sense, any factor which can impact academic performance demands attention. The focus is on internet usage because, no such study has been conducted in the Foso College of Education to examine the extent to which internet usage affects academic performance.

In the Foso College of Education, the researchers have observed that students spend a lot of study time particularly in the evenings using the internet at lecture halls. The observation made was that the usage of the internet is mostly for social media chats and interactions and not necessarily for academic work. Aside this, there have been times during lectures, when students are seen using their phones to access the internet mostly for entertainment reasons. When this happens, the students become distracted and are not able to contribute to academic work in the lecture hall. It is against this background that the study investigated the perceived impact of internet usage on academic performance of students. Three research questions were answered in the study. They are as follows:

1. What is the amount of time spent by students in using the internet?
2. What are the specific uses of the internet by students?
3. What is the perceived impact of internet usage on the academic performance of students?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Theoretical Framework

The theory underlying the study is the Time Displacement Theory. The time displacement theory comes from the time displacement hypothesis which also stems from the reduction hypothesis. The time displacement theory assumes that young people have a limited amount of time at their disposal (Mutz, Roberts, & van Vuuren, 1993). This means that students do not have too much time to use for the varied activities they are faced that they have to undertake. When a great portion of the time is spent on less productive activities, students may suffer. Therefore, increased amounts of time in non-educational use of the internet may hinder adolescents’ academic achievement. According to Neuman (1991), when adolescents increase the time that they spend online engaging in social and/or recreational activities, time sacrifices will have to be made in other areas, such as time spent on studying, reading, and doing research and assignments.

This displacement may happen because the Internet, which entertains students with stimulating images as well as visual and auditory effects, is more attractive and immediately gratifying than are school-related activities (Kim, 2011). Using the Internet will therefore result in the displacement of academic activities and eventually bringing about a decrease in the academic performance of students (Aderson, Huston, Schmitt, Linebarger, Wright, & Larson, 2001; Shejwal & Purayidathil, 2006; Shin, 2004).

In the context of this study, it can be inferred that improper internet usage can affect the academic work of students negatively. In this sense, the time displacement theory is considered relevant to the study.

Conceptual Review

Concept of Internet Usage

The word Internet emanates from the words “Internet Connection Network” (Greenfield, 1999), connecting computers around the world by the use of a standard protocol. The internet is a massive, computer-linked network system used globally to access and convey information, either by personal or business computer users and also used for communication, research, entertainment, education and business transactions (Schneider, Evans, & Pinard, 2006).

Since the Internet was established in the early 1960s, it has grown to become a mainstream communication vehicle (Moschovitis, Polle, Schuyler, & Senft, 1999; Schneider et al., 2006). There has been remarkable growth in the internet’s functionality, capacity, accessibility and convenience. These improvements have encouraged more people to use it more often, and it has become a powerful application in modern society.

It is believed that the distinctive features of the Internet, such as speed, accessibility, intensity and stimulation of its content, contribute to its usage (Greenfield, 1999). Chou (2001) indicated that the most appreciated internet features included interactivity, simplicity, availability, and abundant and updated information. In fact, the internet’s attractiveness has increased as a result of its availability, accessibility, and affordability. The development of friendlier interfaces also provides users with easier and more comfortable access. Chou, Chou, and Tyan (1999) found that internet users experienced more personal satisfaction in escaping through online communications. It has also been documented that internet users report that the internet is a relaxing, exciting, and enjoyable avenue for social exchange (Morahan-Martin & Schumacher, 2000).

General Benefits of Internet Use in Education

The internet seems to influence quality of life through individuals’ social, consumer, leisure, economic, and community well-being (DiMaggio, Hargitti, Neuman, & Robinson, 2001; Israel, 2000). Internet’s influence stems from the ease and convenience it provides to access many benefits in the context of many life domains such as social life, work life, leisure life, and education life. Some researchers have suggested that the internet provides positive effects on socialization as it stimulates the closeness of existing interpersonal relationships by reducing restrictions of time and location (Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005; Lenhart, Rainie, & Lewis, 2001).

Other researchers have opined that the internet has positive effects on academic achievement through the use of educational software, and the provision of useful information (Borzekowski & Robinson, 2005; Jackson, von Eye, Biocca, Barbatsis, Zhao, & Fitzgerald, 2006).

Chifwepa (2003) specified the benefits of internet to academic community as including the following:

1. Quick, global and convenient access and exchange of information with experienced and expert in any field;
2. Easy dissemination of research findings
3. Enhanced collaborative research and other activities
4. Ability to use some software and expand the capability of one’s competences.

Contrasting these views, the Internet can have direct negative effects (Choi, 2007; Sirgy, Lee, & Bae, 2006), such as psychological problems including social isolation, depression, loneliness, and difficulties with time management as a result of excessive internet use (Kraut, Patterson, Lundmark, Kiesler, Mukhopadhyay, & Scherlis, 1998; Young, & Rodgers, 1998). Other challenges associated with excessive usage of the internet include lowered concentration, lack of sleep, poor school attendance and performance, vision problems and a wide range of behavioral problems (Block, 2008; Choi, 2007).

In addition, adolescents are at high risk of being approached by online predators since they are relatively new to online activities, actively seeking attention, isolated, easily tricked by adults, and confused regarding their sexual identity (Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell, & Ybarra, 2008). Further, excessive use of the internet has been seen to be precursor to Internet Addiction Disorder, which included problems with daily routines, school performance, and family relationships (Rickert, 2001).

Empirical Review

Time and Nature of Internet usage

Several studies have sought to identify the time and nature of internet usage among students. Bruce-Ennin (2013) investigated internet usage among students. Data were gathered from 370 students from four senior high schools in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region. The study found out that students have very high general knowledge of the internet. It was also found that the level of internet use among students was very high. At least 80% of the students used the internet. However, what engaged the attention of students was more of things that had little or no direct positive impact on their academic work. Majority of the students indicated that they spent more time on watching movies, chatting, surfing, playing games, rather than on academic related issues.

Puspita and Rohedi (2017) conducted a study on internet usage among students. The study used a sample of 120 students. The study found that in terms of usage of the internet for social media, 68.33% answered always while 41.67% answered frequently. In terms of use for online gaming activity, 17% answered always while 41.67% answered frequently. In terms of utilizing the internet to watch Youtube videos, 46.67% answered frequently use while 51.67% indicated always use. Finally, in terms of using the internet to learn, majority (34.17%) answered rarely use the internet to learn and seek information.

Luambano and Nawe (2004) conducted a study on internet use by students of the University of Dares Salaam. The findings revealed that the students who had access to the internet were not using it effectively. They used it mainly for communication with friends and relatives more than for academic purposes. The cause of this was found to be lack of skills required for effective use of the internet.

Wanajak (2011) investigated internet addiction among Thai secondary school students. A mixed methods research design was employed. The study was conducted in three stages. The study found that internet addiction involved neglecting other activities to spend time on the internet, having relationship problems with family members, friends, or others because of internet usage and having academic problems, such as school absences, poor grades, or low performance due to internet use. Again, the study found that 3.7% of the respondents were classified as addictive internet. Internet addictive users spent significantly longer periods on the Internet than students who were classified as normal users. School problems, physical and mental health problems, and relationship problems were reported as being negative impacts of internet use.

Akin-Adaramola (2014) conducted a study to understand internet usage among secondary school students. The study used both a quantitative and qualitative survey to investigate the internet usage among Senior High Schools students in Labone High School, Accra, Ghana. The study found that 40% of the population spend most of their time chatting using the internet several times daily. However, 14.4% of the sample used the internet for academic purposes daily. The implication of the findings is that the use of the internet for academic purposes was minimal.

Impact of Internet Usage on Academic Performance

Internet usage has been researched to identify how it influences academic performance. Agwi and Nonyelum (2018) assessed the impact of social media sites on student academic performance in Samuel Adegboyega University. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between time spent on social media sites and academic works. It was also revealed that the nature of social media activities which the students engaged in did not have any significant impact on the academic performance of students.

Yebowaah (2018) investigated the internet use and its impact on Senior High School students in the Wa Municipality. The results indicated that sources of internet to senior high school students included the school information communication laboratory, mobile phones, household internet facilities, and public internet cafes. Students’ access to internet was found to have a positive influence on their academic performance. However, different uses of the internet among students did not influence their academic performance. The study concluded that availability of different internet sources to students does not grant all of them immediate access.

Kim (2011) investigated the relationship between internet usage and academic performance in Korea. The findings indicated that internet use for educational purposes was associated with adolescent academic achievement. Social and recreational-internet use of the internet was associated with lower academic achievement.

Agyemang and Mereku (2015) investigated technology use among Ghanaian senior high school mathematics teachers and to also uncover the factors influencing their technology use. A cross-sectional survey design with mixed quantitative and qualitative data was gathered for the study. The population of the study comprised of all mathematics teachers in Ashanti region. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 80 mathematics teachers from both rural and urban districts in Ashanti region. The findings revealed that the extent to which SHS mathematics teachers use technology in teaching was very low.

Kubey, Lavin, and Barows (2001) conducted a study on internet use and academic performance among students. Kubey et al. (2001) used a survey that dealt with technology use among college students, the main focus being on internet use, television use, sleep, online shopping, and web browsing. Generally, the study found that “69% of students, and 69% of teachers, said that they have personally seen students’ grades improve through use of the Internet” (p.1). The researchers however expanded their study to internet dependency. Kubey et al. (2001) defined internet dependent as a person who spends roughly 11.18 hours per week on the Internet, while an individual who is not dependent is said to spend roughly 3.84 hours on the internet in a week. Based upon the results from 576 college students, Kubey et al. found that 9% reported to being psychologically dependent on the Internet. They also found that among students who were psychologically dependent on the internet “20% reported that they had occasionally, frequently, or very frequently missed class because of their internet use” (p. 374). Additionally, Kubey et al. reported that 50% of students who experienced academic failure stated that the use of internet dependency played a large part in the reason they failed.

Shahibi and Rusli (2017) discussed the use of the Internet among final year students of the Faculty of Information Management, UiTM Puncak Perdana and the impact of its use on their academic achievement. The results obtained revealed that student interest in university among final year students of the faculty of information management was the most effective factor in improving student academic achievement. Besides, the researcher found that online media usage for education helped students in improving their academic achievement.

Dorji (2015) used the descriptive quantitative method to study the impact of the internet on academic performance of the Bhutanese students. In total 154 participants from three academic institutions took part in the study. Results indicated that only academic oriented internet utilization contributed to the better academic performance with the significance value 0.000 while social and recreational function of the internet would hinder the achievement of better academic result. Also, there were difference between internet use and gender and internet use and age groups.

METHODOLOGY

Research Approach and Design

The study adopted the quantitative approach and cross-sectional descriptive survey design. Leavy (2017) opined that quantitative research is characterized by deductive approaches to the research process aimed at proving, disproving, or lending credence to existing theories. This approach of research therefore involves measuring variables and testing relationships between variables in order to reveal patterns, correlations, or causal relationships. According to Burns and Grove (2003), descriptive survey research is designed to provide a picture of a situation as it naturally happens. The study was cross-sectional since the study gathered data at a specific point in time.

Population and Sampling

In this study, the population was made up of students in Foso College of Education. According to the official statistics from the College, the total population of the students at the time of the study was 1300. This comprised students in levels 100, 200, 300 and 400. A sample of 300 students were selected for the study. The sample of 300 was determined based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sample size table.

Proportional stratified random sampling was used in selecting the sample. According to Amedahe (2002), proportional stratified sampling involves dividing the population into a number of homogeneous groups or strata in which each group contains subjects with similar characteristics. The proportional stratified random sampling was selected because there was the need to represent the different groups of students in the study. In this study, stratification was done on the basis of levels and gender. Thus, levels 100, 200, 300 and 400 students as well as male and female students were adequately represented in the study on the basis of their sizes within the main population. After the stratification, the actual respondents were sampled using simple random sampling. Specifically, the lottery method was used in selecting the actual respondents from levels 100, 200, 300 and 400 and also for both males and females.

Data Collection Instrument, Procedure and Analysis

Data were collected by using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed after a thorough review of literature. The questionnaire was in four parts. The first part focused on the demographic data of the respondents. The second part of the questionnaire covered the amount of time spent by students in using the internet. The third part covered the purposes of internet usage by students while the final section covered the perceived impact of internet usage on the academic performance of students. The questionnaire was on a five-point likert-type scale with the scoring ranging from strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree.

Content validity of the questionnaire was established by research and assessments in the University of Cape Coast. Cronbach alpha coefficient was used in establishing the internal consistency of the instrument after piloting the instrument with 30 students at Komenda College of Education. The Cronbach alpha coefficient obtained was 0.77.

Data collection was done by the researchers after obtaining permission from the college authorities. Respondents needed an average of 20 minutes to respond to the items. All the completed questionnaires were retrieved from the respondents on the same day. Ethical issues such as informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity of participants were established.

Data were analysed with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Data for the first research question were analysed using frequency and percentage while data for research questions two and three were analysed using mean and standard deviation.

RESULTS

Rate of Internet Usage

The respondents were asked about the rate of their internet usage. The results are in Table 1.

Table 1: Rate of Internet Usage

Source: Field work (2023)

From Table 1, it can be seen that majority of the respondents (188, 65.7%) classified their internet usage to be normal. Thus, these respondents used the internet on average one to five hours a day.  Only 14 respondents representing 4.9% considered their rate of internet usage to be high. They used the internet for over five hours in a day. The results therefore show that most students use the internet moderately.

Specific Uses of the Internet by Students         

The respondents were asked to indicate their specific uses of the internet. The data were analysed using means and standard deviations. With a five-point scoring scale, cut-off point of 3.0 was set for interpretation of the results. Thus, mean scores above 3.0 indicated that the respondents mostly used the internet for such purposes while mean scores less than 3.0 indicated that the respondents did not use the internet for such purposes as much. The results are presented in Table 2.

Table 2: Specific Uses of the Internet

Source: Field work (2023)

Table 2 that the respondents mostly used the internet to entertain themselves more than anything (M=4.35, SD=0.98). Also, the respondents indicated that they use the internet to chat with friends (M=4.25, SD=0.94). Next to this was using the internet for assignments (M=4.20, SD=0.98). They also used the internet to listen to music (M=4.17, SD=0.92), watch videos (M=4.15, SD=0.99) and be updated on current and trending issues (M=4.10, SD=0.95). Based on the results in table 2, it is clear that the respondents used the internet mostly for entertainment purposes. Educational usage was considered after the entertainment usage.

Perceived Impact of Internet Usage on Academic Performance of Students

The respondents were asked of the perceived impact of internet usage on their academic performance. Since the questionnaire was on a scale of 1 to 5, a cut-off of 3.0 was set. This implies that a mean above 3.0 is deemed to be high and vice versa. A higher mean denotes that most of the respondents agree to the statement. The results are presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Impact of Internet Usage on Academic Performance

Source: Field work (2023)

It is shown in table3 that the statement with the highest mean is ‘Information from the internet makes academic work easier for me’ (M=3.60, SD=0.95). This implies that for most of the respondents, their perception was that information from the internet makes academic work easier. The respondents also indicated that information from the internet improve their understanding of concepts taught in class (M=3.03, SD=0.99). The mean of means score obtained was 3.02. This implied that overall, the respondents perceived internet usage to have an impact on their academic work.

DISCUSSION

The results showed that most of the respondents classified their internet usage to be normal or moderate. These respondents used the internet on average one to five hours a day. These findings are in line with the findings of Kubey et al. (2001) that most students used the internet moderately. Similarly, Wanajak (2011) investigated internet addiction among Thai students and found that majority of students used the internet moderately.

Additionally, the current study found that the respondents used the internet mostly for entertainment purposes. Educational usage was considered after the entertainment usage. This finding could be attributed to the fact young people see internet as a means of entertaining themselves more than a means of educating themselves. The findings support the findings of Puspita and Rohedi (2017) that majority of students used the internet mostly for entertainment purposes including listening to music and watching videos rather than using the internet for learning. Similarly, the findings of the current study are in line with the findings of Luambano and Nawe (2004) that students of the University of Dares Salaam who had access to the internet were not using it effectively since they used it mainly for communication with friends and relatives more than for academic purposes. Akin-Adaramola (2014) also revealed that students mostly used the internet for chatting with friends and only small portion of their time for academic work.

Finally, the study revealed that the respondents perceived internet usage to have an impact on their academic work. They were of the view that the times that they used the internet for academic work, it made their academic easier since they were able to understand concepts easily. The results are in line with those of Kim (2011) that internet use for educational purposes was associated with academic achievement while social and recreational-internet use of the internet was associated with lower academic achievement. Kim argued therefore that the impact of internet usage on academic performance depends on how the internet is used. Also, Agwi and Nonyelum (2018) revealed that there was a significant relationship between time spent on social media sites and academic work.

CONCLUSIONS

Some conclusions are drawn based on the findings of the study. In the first place, it is concluded that college students were not abusing the internet since the rate at which they were using the internet was normal or moderate. Thus, it can be said that to a large extent internet usage was not interfering with the lives of the students. This conclusion could be because of how expensive it was to purchase internet bundle for constant use of the internet.

Secondly, it is concluded that college students preferred to use the internet commonly for entertainment purposes in comparison to educational purposes. Thus, the entertainment usage of the internet was predominant than educational usage of internet.

Finally, it is concluded that the educational usage of the internet was perceived to impact academic work. Essentially, using the internet to search for academic materials and doing assignments improved academic work.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are made based on the findings of the study:

1. College authorities should make technologies for internet accessibility such as Wifi easily accessible on campuses, particularly in the lecture halls. This can help ensure that students are using the internet mostly for academic work.
2. College authorities should organise workshops focused on the appropriate usage of the internet. Through these workshops, students can be encouraged by facilitators to use the internet mainly for academic purposes instead of using the internet mainly for entertainment purposes.
3. Tutors in colleges of education should incorporate internet usage in their teaching and learning activities. This can help ensure that students are using the internet mainly for academic purposes.

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