Social Media Use Influence on Learning Behaviour of Secondary School Students in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of social media on learning behaviour among secondary school students in Moshi Municipality in Tanzania. The study specifically sought to establish effects of social media on learning behaviour of secondary school students in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania. The study adopted Banduras’ Social Learning Theory and Katz’s User Gratification Theory to inform both the methodology and analysis.  The study used the convergent parallel design and correlation design. The target population was 1480 students from 45 secondary schools in Moshi Municipality in Tanzania. The sample size was 5 schools from Moshi Municipality from which 148 participants were selected (125 students, 6 teachers, 10 parents, 5 principals and 3 Municipal Education Officers). The study used structured questionnaire and interview schedule to collect data. The questionnaires were administered on the students and the teachers and interview schedule for principals, parents and education officers. The quantitative data was analyzed using tables and frequencies while qualitative data was coded in narration form, and both were interpreted to answer the questions of the study. Qualitative data findings showed that: the accessibility of the social media influences the learning behaviour of secondary students; wasting of learning time among the students; poor class attendance and potential frauds among students. It also confirmed that poor parenting influences the learning behaviour of students. The research concludes that both teacher and parents should collaborate in monitoring the behaviour of their students. The research recommends the introduction of guidance and counselling at the school to help in the mitigation of the social media issues affecting students learning behaviour.