Effect of Facebook Social Networking Platform on Academic Achievement in Computer Programming Among Learners in Public Secondary Schools, Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

The Facebook Social networking platform (FSNP) has gained popularity among users of all ages. However, it is seldom used for academic purposes among 21st-century learners. Its effect on academic achievement in computer programming among learners in public secondary schools in Kenya has not been studied and documented. The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of FSNP on academic achievement in computer programming among learners in public secondary schools, in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study targeted Computer Studies students and the subject teachers. The objectives of the study aimed at establishing the differences in academic achievement between learners who were exposed to learner-interface interactions, participated in collaborative learning and spent different amounts of time on FSNP; the relationship between learners’ attitude and teachers’ perception of the use of FSNP as a learning and an instructional resource respectively and academic achievement. The study was guided by the social constructivism and connectivism learning theories advanced by Vygotsky (1978) and Siemens & Downes (2005) respectively. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design involving control and treatment groups. Quantitative data was obtained from pre-test and post-test scores, while qualitative data was collected using students’ and teachers’ questionnaires, lesson observation, and teachers’ interview schedules. The study employed a purposive sampling technique to obtain two hundred and fifty (250) students from three boys’ and three girls’ public secondary schools in Nairobi City County which offer Computer Studies as an examinable subject by the Kenya National Examinations Council and thirty-two subject teachers. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20 and Microsoft Excel version 2016 tools. Descriptive statistics computed included frequencies, means, and variances, while inferential statistics included T-test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s product-moment coefficient. The key findings of the study were that there were statistically significant differences in learner academic achievements between learners who were exposed to FSNP learner-interface interactions, participated in collaborative learning on FSNP, and spent different amounts of time on FSNP and those who did not. The study findings also established that there was a statistically significant relationship between academic achievement and learners’ attitudes towards the use of FSNP as a learning resource and teachers’ perception of the use of FSNP as an instructional tool. The study concluded that the use of FSNP as a learning resource and an instructional tool had a significant positive effect on academic achievement in Computer Studies among students in public secondary schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study recommends the integration of FSNP in teaching and learning in schools in Kenya, engaging learners in collaborative learning on FSNP, regulating time learners spend on FSNP, review of the existing educational policy framework for adoption of ICT-based curriculum delivery and assessment techniques to allow learners and teachers to use SNPs such as FSNP in schools. The study recommends further studies to establish; the effect of FSNP on learner academic achievement in other subjects at all levels of learning across the country; the effect of FSNP on other dependent variables such as learner self-efficacy, motivation, mental health, and the effect of other social networking platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram on academic achievement in different subjects among learners in all levels of education in Kenya.