AN INVESTIGATION ON  PREVALENCE OF INTERNET USAGE AND ITS IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE USING  SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE AS CASE STUDY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

The recognized potential of technology to improve education has led to several initiatives to foster effective use and integration in the curriculum. As a new technology, the Internet offers the greatest promise for learning and universal access to high-quality education that humanity has ever known. The internet is a vital information and communication technology that has ushered in a worldwide information revolution (Siraj, et al., 2015). The internet is a knowledge pool, and any country that does not give its children with access to it is dethroning itself from its throne of dignity among other nations. It's being created to serve as a hub for a variety of activities for people of all ages (Akin-Adaeamola, 2014). The internet has become a huge part of people's everyday life. The internet was introduced to academic institutions as a tool to enhance student's academic experience in the mid-1990s because of its potential to operate as a support medium for many tasks for which people utilize it. According to Türel and Muhammet (2015), internet access has greatly increased over the previous several decades and is now available in a variety of locations, including homes, businesses, travel, and schools. Access to information can impact students' academic performance, according to empirical studies (e.g. Adedotun, 2015; Akende & Bamise, 2017). For academic research, the utilization of reliable online resources is more important, especially in high-level courses that need a literature review (Sahin et al., 2010).

The usage of the Internet for educational purposes, on the other hand, has been discovered to be at the core of teenage academic success. According to Ellore, Niranjan, and Brown (2014), internet access is nearly ubiquitous, and the majority of students have online access on their cellphones. This allows students to increase their academic knowledge, do research, and complete projects by gaining access to material from around the world, as well as improve contact with their peers.        According to Yesilyurt et al. (2014), having a home computer and internet connection helps kids' academic achievement as well as their self-learning abilities. The surveys also found that the internet provides a number of advantages for the academic cycle, including 24-hour access to a broad variety of global information sources and the opportunity to debate and exchange experiences with colleagues in order to get the most out of ICT's features. Olatokun (2008) found that most pupils considered the internet was far better and more convenient than their school libraries, based on their access and usage of the internet by secondary school students in Nigeria. They viewed it as a source of general information, and as a result, it has aided them in improving their reading habits as well as their academic achievement.

1.2       Statement of the problem

            Despite the importance of internet usage to students' academic success, it has a variety of negative consequences. Some students use the internet for non-academic activities like gaming and social networking, causing them to miss class (Singh et al., 2013). Furthermore, students utilize the internet for entertainment rather than study, which might result in lowered academic standards. Charting, downloading, viewing movies online, playing online games, and online shopping are the most popular uses of the internet among secondary students (Akin-Adramola, 2014). This shows that some secondary students do not receive adequate instruction on how to utilize the internet for academic purposes. If its use is not supervised, the internet may be a terrible instrument for improved academic attainment. According to recent research, children who use the internet in a balanced way are more likely to succeed academically. According to studies conducted by Siraj, Salam, Hasan, Jin, Roslan, and Othman (2015), University student who have control over their internet usage do better academically. However, studies on negative effect internet usage prevalence among Secondary School Students are limited, therefor  in other to fill the perceived gap This study is therefore on prevalence of internet usage and its impact on academic performance of secondary school students using  secondary schools in Awka, Anambra State.

1.3       Objective of the study

The broad objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of internet usage and its impact on academic performance of secondary school students using  secondary schools in Awka, Anambra State. Specifically, the study seeks:

1. To identify the sources of internet use among Secondary School Students.

2. To examine the effect of internet use on academic performance of Senior High School Students.

3. To examine the level of student  internet usage during teaching and learning  process in secondary schools.

4. To ascertain the demerit of internet usage in secondary schools in Anambra State.

1.4       Research Hypothesis

HO1: The prevalent level of internet usage among secondary school student is low

HO2: There is no significant  impact of internet usage on academic achievement in secondary school in Akwa.

1.5       Significance of the study

Findings from the study will provide a framework for government, private school management, curriculum planner, stakeholders in education to come up with strategies on how to guide secondary school student  on internet usage such that their usage behavior is guided in other not to disrupt the learning outcome. Empirically, the study will contribute to the general body of knowledge and serve as a reference material to both scholars and student who wishes to conduct further studies in related field.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The scope of this study borders on the prevalence of internet usage and its impact on academic performance of secondary school students using  secondary schools in Awka, Anambra State.  The study will  identify the sources of internet use among Secondary School Students. It will examine the effect of internet use on academic performance of Senior High School Students. It will ascertain  the level of student  internet usage during teaching and learning  process in secondary schools. And investigate the demerit of internet usage in secondary schools in Anambra State.

1.7       Limitation of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing to the nature of the discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. More so, the choice of the sample size was limited  to selected secondary schools in Anambra State as few respondent were selected to answer the research instrument hence cannot be generalize to other secondary schools in other State. However, despite the constraint  encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.8       Definition of terms

Internet: The Internet is a vast network that connects computers all over the world. Through the Internet, people can share information and communicate from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Academic Performance: Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals.

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