INFLUENCE OF SMARTPHONE ON THE READING HABITS OF STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       Introduction

1.1             Background of the Study

1.2             Statement of the Problem

1.3             Purpose of the Study

1.4             Significance of the Study

1.5            Scope of the Study

1.6             Limitation of the Study

1.7             Definition of Terms

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

CHAPTER THREE

METHOD AND PROCEDURE

3.1       Design of the Study

Population

3.2       Sample and Sampling Technique

3.3       The Research Instrument

3.4       Validity and Reliability of Instrument

Date collection procedure

Date Analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1       Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of date

CHAPTER FIVE    

5.1       Conclusion

5.2       Recommendation

5.3       Suggestions for further Research

REFERENCES       

QUESTIONNAIRES 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

A mobile phone is a device that can basically make and receive calls over a radio link while moving around a wide geographic area. (Pew Research center, 2010). It does so by connecting to a cellular networkprovided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network. The ancient types of Mobile phones support limited services and examples were shown in Fig. 1.1. Such as, calling, sending messages and very few for taking pictures. However, the modern phones support very wide range variety of other services apart from making and receive calls and examples were shown in Fig. 1.2. These include; text messaging, MMS, e-mail, internet access, short range wireless communications [(Infrared, Bluetooth, File Transfer Protocol, (FTP)] , business applications, gaming and photography

Mobile phone is one of the most rapidly growing new technologies in the world (Rebello, 2010). In 2001, cell phone users were less than a billion worldwide with the majority of the users from the developed countries. By the end of 2010, however, mobile phone users had reached five billion worldwide with subscriptions from developing countries outnumbering that of the developed countries (Kelly, 2009; Rebello, 2010). Obviously, this increase includes a sharp increase in the number of cell phones used by the younger generations. This area of interest was chosen because of the unregulated usage and over dependent attitude on these devices especially among our secondary school students. Interestingly, this is obviously imperative as Geser & Junco (2006); and Merson & Salter  (2010)  had  observed  that  the  youth  have  consistently  displayed  higher  level  of attachment to their mobile phones which could serve as distractions to them because of the time channeled to the phones.

However, in recent years, different types of mobile phones have been produced by different phone manufacturers. Each comes with different features for different/ specific function(s). We have different variety of mobile phones as named by their manufacturers, they include, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sagem, Sendo, Siemens,T-mobile, Thuraya, Vodafone, Sony ericsson, Bluebird, alcatel,  Blackberry, and so on. We now have those that can make video calling, ping, take clearer pictures/photographs, surf the internet and lots more. They are also built/ installed in/ with different capacities, mode of operation and features/applications. For example, 17mega Pixel phones normally will produce clearer pictures/photographs, Skype is an application for video calling, Blackberry and other android enabled devices can ping. Some are android enabled; examples are, HTC, Tecno, and so on which are basically the latest of all kinds of mobile phones widely used by both young and old, especially among students (Olanrewaju, 2015).

The internet plays a fundamental role in organizations and societies. The basic fact  justifies  the  information  revolution  that  has  been  taking  place  across  the  globe  in  recent  times. The  term  internet, according  to  Cawkell  in  Ogedegbe (2006, p.152)  is  a  large computer  network  formed  out  of  some  thousands  of  interconnected  networks,  and it  supports  a  whole range  of  services such  as  electronic,  file  transfer  protocol,  data  base access  and  many  others.  It  is  therefore  not  surprising  the  success  story  behind  the  advent  of  the  internet.  It  is  also  known  as  a  network  that  links  computers all  over  the  world  by  satellite  and  telephone,  connecting  users  with  service  networks  such  as Email  and  the  world wide  web. Today  the  internet  has  linked  thousands  of nations  and  enterprises across  the  world.  Hence  the  world  which  appears  physically  large  has  been  made  small  by  the  internet  and  justifies  the   reference  to  the  world  as  a  global  village.  

The   internet   gave  rise  to  the  birth  of  social  networking  sites,  which,  according  to  Okenwa (2008, p. 15)  are  web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.   What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This can result in connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made, but that is often not the goal, and these meetings are frequently between "existing ties" who share some offline connection (Hawthorn, 2005). On many of the large social networking sites, participants are not necessarily "networking" or looking to meet new people; instead, they are primarily communicating with people who are already a part of their extended social network.  

Social networking began in 1978 with the Bulletin Board System (or BBS.) The BBS was hosted on personal computers, requiring that users dial in through the modem of the host computer, exchanging information over phone lines with other users. This was the first system that allowed users to sign in and interact with each other; it was quite slow since only one user could be logged in at a time. Later in the year, the very first copies of web browsers were distributed using the bulletin board, Usenet. Usenet was created by Jim Ellis and Tom Truscott, and it allowed users to post news articles or posts, which were referred to as ―news‖. The difference between Usenet and other BBS and forums was that it didn‘t have a dedicated administrator or central server. There are modern forums that use the same idea as Usenet today, including Yahoo Groups and Google Groups.

The first version of instant messaging came about in 1988 with Internet Relay Chat (IRC). IRC was Unix-based, limiting access for most people. It was used for link and file sharing, and generally keeping in touch with one another.  Geocities was among the first social networking sites on the internet, launching its website in 1994. Its intent was to allow users to create their own websites, dividing them into groups based on the website‘s content. In 1995, TheGlobe.com was launched, offering users the ability to interact with people who held the same interests and publish their own content. Two years later, in 1997, AOL Instant Messenger and SixDegrees.com were launched. This was the year instant messaging became popular and it was the first time internet users were able to create a profile and be-friend each other.

Friendster, created in 2002 was the pioneer of social networking. In its first three months, the social networking website acquired 3 million users, amounting to 1 in 126 internet users being members at the time. Friendster served as the launching point for the widely popular MySpace, which cloned Friendster and launched after just 10 days of coding. In the following years, other social networking websites like Classmates.com, LinkedIn and Tribe.net started to come up, including what was to be the most popular social networking website in internet history, Facebook.com was launched in 2004 with the intent to connect U.S. college students, starting with Harvard College. In its first month, over half of the 19,500 students signed up. After gaining popularity, Facebook opened its registration to non-college students, and in 2008, Facebook surpassed MySpace as the leading social networking website. Social networking has come a long way since 1978, and we will all witness its evolution for years to come, forever changing the way people connect with one another.

While social network sites have implemented a wide variety of technical features, their backbone consists of visible profiles that display an articulated list of Friends who are also users of the system. Profiles are unique pages where one can "type oneself into being" Sunder (2003, p. 3). After joining a social network site, an individual is asked to fill out forms containing a series of questions. The profile is generated using the answers to these questions, which typically include descriptors such as age, location, interests, and an "about me" section. Most sites also encourage users to upload a profile photo. Some sites allow users to enhance their profiles by adding multimedia content or modifying their profile's look and feel. Others, such as Facebook, allow users to add modules ("Applications") that enhance their profile.

After joining a social network site, users are asked to identify others in the system with which they have a relationship. Most social network sites require bi-directional confirmation for

Friendship, but some do not. These one-directional ties are sometimes labelled as "Fans" or "Followers," but many sites call these Friends as well. The term "Friends" can be misleading, because the connection does not necessarily mean friendship in the everyday vernacular sense, and the reasons people connect are varied (Boyd, 2006).

These sites also provide a mechanism for users to leave messages on their Friends' profiles. This feature typically involves leaving "comments," although sites employ various labels for this feature. In addition, social networks often have a private messaging feature similar to webmail. While both private messages and comments are popular on most of the major networking sites, they are not universally available.

Beyond profiles, Friends, comments, and private messaging, network sites vary greatly in their features and user base. Some have photo-sharing or video-sharing capabilities; others have built-in blogging and instant messaging technology. There are mobile-specific social network sites (e.g., Dodgeball), but some web-based sites also support limited mobile interactions (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, and Cyworld). Many networking sites target people from specific geographical regions or linguistic groups, although this does not always determine the site's consistency. Orkut, for example, was launched in the United States with an English-only interface, but Portuguese-speaking Brazilians quickly became the dominant user group (Kopytoff, 2004). Some sites are designed with specific ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, political, or other identity-driven categories in mind. There are even sites for dogs (Dogster) and cats (Catster), although their owners must manage their profiles. This then brings to mind the fact that everyone needs to interact both humans and animals alike.

1.2   Statement  of  the  Problem

The  introduction  of  information  technology  in  Nigeria  is  a  welcome  development.  The  use  of  internet  for  educational  purposes  is  also  of  immense  benefit  especially  in  the  area  of  being  globally  relevant  and  current.  However,  when  it  becomes  a  substitute  for  good  means  of  social  interactions  and   academic study among  young  people,  it  should  give  cause  for  concern.

Students nowadays  spend  the  better  part  of  their  time  in  school  on  information  technology  devices  such  as  palmtops,  iPods  and  blackberry.  On   close   enquiry,   one   usually   finds   out   that  they  are  social  networking  with  friends  and  rarely  getting  information  on  their  various  school  courses.  Often times,  information  sought  is  subject  to  the  use  of  technological  media  especially  for  pleasure,  to  while  away  time  and  to  interrelate  with  friends  and  pals  on  Facebook,  twitter  e.t.c. The question this research seeks to answer is; how has social networking influenced students with regards to their academic performance?

 

1.3  Objectives  of  the  Study

1. To determine  the  influence  of social networking  on  the  academic performance  of

University of Ibadan Students.

2. To ascertain  the  amount  of  time  students  spend  on  social  networking sites.
3. To determine  the  impact  of  social  networking  on  the  grade  points  of  students  of

University of Ibadan.

1.4    Research   Questions.

1. How has   social networking influenced   the   academic   performance   of   Caritas   University   students?   
2. How much  time  do  students  of  University of Ibadan  spend  on  social  networking  sites?   
3. How has  social  networking  impacted  on  the  grade points of  University of Ibadan  students? 

 

1.5     Scope  of  the  Study

   A particular  focus  is  given  to  the academic  behaviour  of  emerging  university  students. An overview  was  provided  of  the  recent  transformation  of  institutions  into  providers  of  information  Centres.  This also  seems  to  have  taken  a  negative  impact  on  reading  habits and social interaction as  they  would  rather  listen  to  people  talk  on  YouTube and chat with friends on Facebook, Twitter  e.t.c.  so  they  do  not  feel  the  need  to  read  any  longer. The study is centred on the students of University of Ibadan. This research seeks to show how social networking influences the academic performance of University of Ibadan students.

1.6  Significance  of  the  Study

This study will help students to discover how much social networking influences their academic performance; it will also enlighten academic personnel on both the good and bad aspects of social networking to ensure academic growth for their students. The study will benefit students in their usage of these networking sites and also institutions to create a more conducive environment for learning.

1.7 Operational  Definition  of  Terms

  Internet -   is a collection of computers and computer networks located all over the world, all of which share information by agreed upon protocols.

Social  Networking  Service - this  is  an  online  site  that  focuses  on  facilitating  the  building  of  social   networks  or  social  relations  among  people  who  share  activities,  interests,  background  thus  allowing  them  share  ideas, events  among  themselves.

Academic Performance - refers to how students deal with their studies and how they cope with or accomplish different tasks given to them by their teachers.

Student – a person who studies at a school, college or university.

INFLUENCE OF SMARTPHONE ON THE READING HABITS OF STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

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