Assessment on the Utilization of Social Media Platforms in Teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba

Assessment on the Utilization of Social Media Platforms in Teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to assess the utilization of social media for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Four (4) research questions guided the conduct of the study. The population of the study comprised of all the 216 Business Education students, (Degree) in 2022/2023 session and 73 Business Educators in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State. One hundred and fifty (150) Business Education students and fifty (50) Business Educators in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State was used for the study were selected through simple random sampling technique to represent the entire population. The instrument for data collection is a structured questionnaire, tiled: Assessment of the utilization of social media platforms in teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba. The questionnaire has two sections; section “A” comprised of the respondent’s The instrument was validated by two lecturers; one in School of Secondary Education (Business) and the other in Educational Measurement and Evaluation, Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba. The validated questionnaire was subjected to reliability test. hundred (200) copies of the validated questionnaire were administered to the respondents personally by the researcher and 197 were retrieved and analyzed.  The data collected was analyzed using frequency count and mean statistics. The decision rule was such that any mean score of 2.50 and above were regarded as high extent and mean scores less than 2.50 were regarded as low extent. Itt was found that Google, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram are used in Business Education Courses to a low extent. Based on the findings, It was recommended among others that Business educators should ensure the effective utilization of google for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The 21st Century has been characterized with unprecedented increase in the

technological advancement around the world. Among these are advances in Internet facilities, establishment of libraries, development of information technology, improvements in communications multimedia and social interaction. Adeniyi (2020) established that everybody needs information to reach his or her potential and that the more information that is available to a system about itself and about its environment the more reliable it becomes and the greater its chances of survival. One of the ways through which communication and information dissemination is made easy is through social media.

Basically, social media is a collection of interactive web-based applications integrated on Web 2.0 technology that enable active interactions between web multiple users to create and share information (Boyd & Ellison, 2020). Social media has become pervasive, playing a dominant role in the social structure of the society and changing the nature of social relationships (Osatuyi, 2018). It has revolutionized the way we communicate, interact and socialize. This new approach to consuming and creating information is in particular attractive to youths as a platform and space for activities not possible in the face-to-face context (Urista, 2018). Social media plays a vital role in the sharing of information and is used to convey different types of information (i.e. sensitive, sensational, political and casual information) (Osatuyi, 2018).

Social media is becoming the most important tools for interaction among people, where everybody can share, exchange, comment, discuss and create information and knowledge in a collaborative way. Social media tools are rapidly changing the communications landscape, their emergence has impacted significantly how students learn and the way instructors teach. In today in educational settings, instructors, students and others collaborate on the tasks of knowledge construction. Social media tools created a platform for the improvement of the educational process. To enrich the learning and teaching process with text, videos, and audio materials, the social media tools are useful, also it supports learning process of students and supports teachers in addition to the evaluation process (Urista, 2018). College students have great interest in social media. For the purpose of the study, social media was defined as Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, Twitter, MySpace, or LinkedIn (Urista. 2018).

Many current studies suggest that the high take up of social media applications as an addition to formal educational settings offers new opportunities for innovating and modernizing education institutions and for preparing learners for the 21st century (Redecker, 2019); Qualman,  2019). A primary reason to adopt social media in the classroom is because it is familiar to almost everybody and also because it doesn’t cost and requires minimal training. One of the largest surveys of social media in higher education to date shows that universities can lever social media into the classroom and ensure its used more than it is now (Qualman, 2019).

Some academic experts believe that social media can be used as an effective teaching tool in higher education because of its ease of use, ready availability, and individual affordability and network effects. Facebook has been used in university courses to facilitate teacher/student discussion, and wikis and blogs have been used to collaborate on projects and receive rapid feedback (Alexander, 2018). Some courses have also used in YouTube as a platform for students to create and share videos for their course (Johnson, 2018). In other courses, students have used Twitter to discuss course topics during class, with Tweets being displayed on a large screen to encourage cross group communication (Kurnia, 2021).

Several scholars have theorized the pedagogical potential of using social media, such as social network sites, for learning (Greenhow, 2020, Halverson 2021; Crook, 2018; Halverson, 2021). They have emphasized the technology’s potential for supporting collaborative knowledge construction; accessing specialized just-in-time information, contributing to the hybridization of expertise; relational development and peer/alumni support especially in times of transition; academic help-seeking; social and civic benefits; and for blurring the boundaries between learning spaces, social spaces and leisure spaces which can also pose challenges to learning (Halverson, 2021).

Many teachers and teacher educators remain uncertain about how to meaningfully integrate this technology or assess its impacts (Crook, 2018). Assessing the processes and products of students’ thinking in projects involving the Internet or identifying how online applications could aid them in developing their capacity for such assessment, can be especially difficult even for experienced content- and technology-using teachers (Greenhow. 2020). Web-based social networks introduce tools, people, and materials to school culture that could help to break up established routines and assist teachers and students in getting feedback on their performances (Bransford, 2022). Leveraging social networking capabilities may give teachers and students access to a different culture that helps them clarify their beliefs about teaching with technology and revise their behaviours (Greenhow, 2020).

The social media has become one of the most important communication means in recent times. However, social networking exists so as to provide communication among people regardless of the distance, making it open to people easily share information, files and pictures and videos, create blogs and send messages, and conduct real-time conversations. These systems are referred to as social, simply because they allow communication with buddies and co-workers so easily and effectively. In today’s higher education settings, instructors, students and others collaborate on the task of knowledge construction. The favourites in the realm of internet sites are Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Instagram, google doc and others. These websites and social forums are way of communication directly with other people socially and in the media. They are playing a large and influential role decision-making in the occasions from the global world economically, politically, socially and educationally. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. connect people around the world in ways Marshall McLuhan could not have dreamed of when he popularized the term “global village” back in the 1960‟s.

Social media enable students to easily contact with each other with regard to their projects and assignments. Students also can work on group assignments from their home. When social media is used in pedagogy students who have difficulty in expressing their thoughts in the classroom can get involved in the learning process, it helps to build their confidence level as well. Any doubts can be clarified by posting a message through the social media. A site like Facebook, etc. help teachers to stay in touch with the parents or so to know the progress of their children. Students are learning the skill sets required for successful social networking. Social media also brings with it the freedom for learners to connect and collaborate outside of institutional boundaries as well as to gain practical experience for the workforce (Aghazamani, 2018). Students are also being taught new concepts like online privacy.

The foundation of social media is based on User Generated Content (UGC), that is, various forms of media content created by internet users and available on the web based on Web 2.0 technology (Aghazamani, 2018). Social media applications include blogs and micro blogs (logger & twitter), wikis (Wikipedia), social networking (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn), multimedia sharing services (YouTube), content syndication, podcasting and content tagging services (Aghazamani, 2018).

Social media has increasingly influenced the information behavior of students over the past decade. Social media is a broad concept covering a wide range of the Internet applications that support social communication between individuals (whether direct or indirect, synchronous or asynchronous), with an emphasis on interaction between users (i.e. conversation or dialogue), user-generated content, and building of online relationships and communities (Aghazamani, 2018). Social media is centered on enhancing the progress of communication in the society i.e. sharing of ideas, thoughts, and opinions among people. Among the vast variety of online tools which are available for communication, social networking sites have become the most modern and attractive tools for connecting people throughout the world (Aghazamani, 2018). It is also about allowing people to connect with others just as it has been for many years. According to Khoo (2018), social media applications have influenced all areas of our lives and are having a major impact on how we live, work, play, learn and socialize. Social media in its various manifestations present a golden opportunity and rich environment to study information behaviour, as much of the information (in text, image and video format) are recorded and stored in publicly accessible repositories and on personal devices (Khoo, 2018).

Social media technologies are enjoying a phenomenal success, for example, Facebook, a social networking website, claims that its active users reached 1.8 billion worldwide, more than 50% of which log in every day. In the same vein, Twitter, micro-blogging website hosts 317 million users who post on average 500 million tweets per day. More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month, watching more than 6 billion hours of video and at the same time it is estimated that there are over 181 million blogs worldwide (Nielsen 2019). Among the users of social media are students who use social media tools for many purposes such as access to information, group discussion, resource sharing and entertainment (Wang, Chen & Liang, 2018).

Social media platforms have increased their popularity in recent years attracting millions of users, who spend on them an increasingly amount of time-sharing personal information and interacting with other users. For example, sites like Flickr, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter allow users to create content, publish photos, comment on content other users have shared, tag content, and socially connect with other users.

Accounting is the process of recording financial transactions pertaining to a business. The accounting process includes summarizing, analyzing, and reporting these transactions to oversight agencies, regulators, and tax collection entities. The financial statements used in accounting are a concise summary of financial transactions over an accounting period, summarizing a company’s operations, financial position, and cash flows (Robert, 2018). Accounting is the recording of financial transactions along with storing, sorting, retrieving, summarizing, and presenting the results in various reports and analyses. Accounting is also a field of study and profession dedicated to carrying out those tasks. The modern accounting can be taught using social media platforms. It makes it more interesting and easier for students because they are already familiar and some extent addicted to social media.

Business Education on the other hand is a programme that is by policy introduced at junior secondary school level. It is, however not continued at the senior secondary but continue at tertiary l0+evel of education. Scholars like Ahmadu and Idoko (2018) stated that business education is education for business or training in business skills, which are required for use in business offices and clerical occupation and business policy analysis; it is a deliberate intent of teachers to students about economics and business concepts and skills that might be used in later life. In the view of Udoh (2020), business education encompasses knowledge, attitude and skills needed by all citizens in order to effectively manage their personal materials and participate effectively in the economic world. Onu (2019) opines that Business Education is the field of training in business practices and in specifics skills such as accounting, information processing, keyboarding/typewriting and shorthand. Udoh (2020) asserts that Business Education covers a wide range of spectrum of economic activities in any society. It also refers to the desirable competencies necessary for self-employment, which is particularly important in the present depressed global economic situation by equipping individuals with life–like skills for self-employment. On his own part, Otamiri (2018) viewed business education as a fusion of pedagogical and entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and attitude.  He maintained that business education therefore involves the study of technologies and related sciences and the acquisition of practical skills (including teaching skills), attitudes, understanding and knowledge related to occupation in various sectors of the economy and social life. Based on the foregoing, one can deduce that business education is focused at training and preparing students for formal employment as well as having skills which permit self-employment, it also trains teachers who are to pass appropriate knowledge to the oncoming generation.

Considering the importance of social media in teaching and learning of accounting subjects, there is an imperious need for research aiming at assessing utilization of social media for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State.

Statement of the Problem

The use of social media by the students in higher institutions is very high. They spend most of their time on social media. This has become a lifestyle of most students because it seems like they cannot do without social media.

Students have so much interest in the use of social media which is evident everywhere. They use it both positively and negatively. However, the level at which social media used for academic purpose remains a big question. This is because most students use social media to chat with friends, watch movies and learn some kind of societally unacceptable behaviours. This has led to the question of if social media is used in teaching courses like Business Education. Have Business Educators been able to take advantage of the wide usage of social media by students by integrating it into the teaching of Business Education?

It is against the light of the above that this study is carried out to assess the extent of the utilization of social media platforms in teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba.

Research Questions

To effectively carry out the study, the following research questions were raised:

1. To what extent is google classroom as a social media platform used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba?
2. To what extent is WhatsApp as a social media platform used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba?
3. To what extent is YouTube as a social media platform used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba?
4. To what extent is Instagram as a social media platform used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba?

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to assess the extent of the utilization of social media platforms in teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba. Specifically, seeks to find out the extent to which:

1. Google as a social media platform is used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba.
2. WhatsApp as a social media platform is used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba.
3. YouTube as a social media platform is used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba.
4. Instagram as a social media platform is used for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba.

Significance of the Study

The study could be of great benefit to the students, teachers, school management, government, researcher and the field of Business Education.

Findings of the study could help to enlighten students on the various ways social media can be used to enhance the teaching and learning of Business Education Course which will help them to take advantage of it to enhance the academic performance instead of only using it for fun.

Teachers could find this study useful because it will help to educate them on the utilization of social media platforms such as WhatsApp, google classroom, YouTube and Instagram for teaching Business Education Courses. This could help to enhance their understanding of the strategies for using those platforms for enhanced academic achievement.

School management could utilize the findings of this study because it could help to call their attention on the utilization of social media splatforms for teaching accounting subjects. This could enable them sensitize, train and re-train Business Educators on the effective utilization of social media platforms for teaching Business Education Courses.

Researchers could find this study useful because it would serve as a reference material to those who may wish to carryout related studies which would form basis for further research in this field. The study could add to the literature in the field of Business education.

Scope of the Study

This study was carried out to assess the extent of utilization of social media for teaching Business Education Courses in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State. With particular emphasis on the utilization of google classroom, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram. Respondents of the study are both students and Business Educators in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba.

Pages:  60

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF               

Chapters: 1-5                                          

Source: Imsuinfo

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.