SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND STUDENTS' DISCIPLINE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study focused on Social Medial Usage and Student Discipline Senior Secondary Schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. The main objective was to investigate the influence of social media usage on student discipline in senior secondary schools Lagos state, Nigeria. One research hypotheses was formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The Hypotheses was tested using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC) analysis with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26.0. Disproportionate and simple random sampling techniques were adopted in choosing the sample size of 1,800 altogether (that is, 1,200 students, 600 teachers) using simple random sampling techniques. The research design used was the descriptive research of survey type. Two categories of instruments titled: Social Media Usage Questionnaire (SMUQ) for students and Student Discipline Questionnaire (SDQ) for teachers and were used to collect data, after ensuring their validity and reliability with the coefficient of r=0.79 and r=0.80 respectively. From the 1,800 questionnaire copies administered 1,790 were retrieved (that is 1,196 SMUQ, 594 SDQ). Analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics of mean, frequent count and percentages and inferential statistics of Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC) Analysis. The findings indicated that that there is a negative, very strong and significant relationship between Social Media Usage and Student Discipline in  senior secondary schools in Lagos state, Nigeria, (r = -0.928, p < 0.05); It therefore means social media usage negatively influence the student discipline in senior secondary schools in Lagos state, Nigeria. Based on these findings, study recommended that, the school administration should set up internal rules and regulations on the proper use of technology in education so as to prevent any indiscipline case which can appear due to the use of social media among the senior secondary school students in the school, more so teachers should make close control of the students during teaching and learning process in order to prevent any external circumstance that can disturb the students discipline and also their academic achievement, the Parents should also take care of their children in whatever they do in their day to day activities. In addition to this, parents should take into consideration their involvement in their students’ discipline control by making effective communication with teachers and school administration. The ministry of education should set up the special policy which can guide the proper usage of social media platforms among the youths and teenagers so as to manage their discipline effectively. This should be attained when all educational stakeholders create a proper way of using technology among the students so as to control the students’ discipline.