Influence of Social Media on Students' Academic Writing and Performance: A Study within Ghanaian Senior High Schools Setting

Abstract

The study explored the effects of social media on students' academic writing in the Agona-West Municipality of the Central Region of Ghana. This study is a qualitative and is underpinned by interpretive philosophical thought. The data for this study were collected through a semi-structured interview and documents. Three (3) senior high schools were selected through purposive sampling techniques and the snowball sampling strategy was used to select thirty (30) students for the study. The findings indicated that the new trends in writing on social media sites affect students' spellings in their school work. It was also found out that social media sites distract students from effectively engaging in their academic works, thereby negatively affecting their academic performances/results. This study will be of value to both English language teachers/learners, language planners and curriculum developers by exposing them to students' sources of writing errors and providing useful suggestions to overcome them. It will also contribute to the body of knowledge by drawing the attention of educators/planners on the integration of technology, particularly the social media, in the English curriculum to facilitate the effective teaching/learning.