Ghana school students talk about their social media addiction, and how it affects their use of English – The Conversation Indonesia
Social media networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, YouTube and Instagram have been shown to have significantly transformed student behaviour. But the focus has been on students social behaviour. And on how the English language is being spoken because of social media use.
The relationship between social media and students English language writing has been largely ignored.
Our team of four researchers who specialise in language studies set out to study the relationship between social media use and English language performance. We studied one English as a Second Language class at Fiaseman Senior High School in Tarkwa, western Ghana.
English is Ghanas official language and is the medium of instruction for all levels of education.
We learnt from the students that they spend significantly long periods of time on various social media platforms. Some even described their use as an addiction. We also found that their social media use had resulted in their adoption of shortened forms of English words in their writing, including in their English examinations.
We concluded from our findings that the significantly long periods of time spent on social media platforms was worrying, considering that most of the sites they visited are not pro-learning. This means that they are sites where most activities are not academically oriented.
In our view as language and communication experts, this situation could culminate in poor performances in the English language, as the valuable time students need to study to improve their proficiency is channelled into unproductive exploits on social media.
Our findings are important because in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, English language is a core subject that students need to pass before gaining entry into institutions of higher learning like universities and training colleges.
In Ghana, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination is taken by students after completing their high school coursework. It is primarily a written examination.
Our research targeted a Form 2 class (students who are a year away from writing their final high school exams), made up of 47 students aged 17 and 18 on average. They were one of the largest classes in the school, which offers English as a general subject and Literature-in-English as an elective subject.
All the students in the class volunteered to take part in our study.
We divided the students into seven groups. Our rationale was to obtain diverse in-depth knowledge from them.
The study found that the students were exposed to most social media platforms, especially WhatsApp and Facebook. We also found that participants paid regular visits to social networking sites and spent significantly long periods of time there. One respondent said:
I visit social media twice in a day. Sir, I visit there every day. I cant count. Im always there.
In addition, participants had been active on social media platforms for significant periods, even before their enrolment into the school. Most participants admitted that they were addicted to social media.
Please, yes. That is very true. I am hundred percent addicted. I can see that Im very addicted because it is very difficult to control my presence there.
Based on this experience we argue that there are two critical consequences here: the participants are likely not to give their studies the needed time and attention, and their English language performances will be negatively affected, culminating in poor academic progression.
Exacerbating this is the finding that the students frequently use short forms in their academic writings.
Short forms are the unacceptable written forms of English such as 4 in place of for, u in place of you and d in place of the that students transfer from their informal social media interactions into their formal English language examination writing.
Our research indicates that it is a frequent student practice. Interestingly, we found that the participants know that such deviant practices affect their English language performances.
For my side, I use short hands doing chats on social media, and I forget myself and use them in my compositions. I sometimes find myself using short hands in my notes and also in exams.
We concluded that the way in which English is being used in examinations by students is being undermined by their use of the English language on social media. This is a growing trend that will see students struggle to get ahead in the subject, as more formal English language writing is needed for examinations and for further studies.
We recommend that those involved in education should consider integrating teaching practices that take advantage of social media to engage students. This would allow students to learn during their time on social media platforms. Online dictionaries with pronunciation buttons and websites that offer free educational materials to students, for instance, could come in handy.
Also, teachers should assist students in selecting appropriate social media sites. The academic counselling units of high schools should engage students to sensitise them on social media sites, their importance, dangers and how best to use social media, especially for academic purposes.
All those involved in education should be taking students use of social media seriously. Until innovative approaches are implemented, Ghana risks recording mass failures in the English language component of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
If so, youll be interested in our free daily newsletter. Its filled with the insights of academic experts, written so that everyone can understand whats going on in the world. With the latest scientific discoveries, thoughtful analysis on political issues and research-based life tips, each email is filled with articles that will inform you and often intrigue you.
Get our newsletters
Editor and General Manager
Get news thats free, independent and based on evidence.
Get newsletter
Editor
Find peace of mind, and the facts, with experts. Add evidence-based articles to your news digest. No uninformed commentariat. Just experts. 90,000 of them have written for us. They trust us. Give it a go.
Get our newsletter
If you found the article you just read to be insightful, youll be interested in our free daily newsletter. Its filled with the insights of academic experts, written so that everyone can understand whats going on in the world. Each newsletter has articles that will inform and intrigue you.
Subscribe now
CEO | Editor-in-Chief
It helps you go deeper into key political issues and also introduces you to the diversity of research coming out of the continent. It's not about breaking news. It's not about unfounded opinions. The Europe newsletter is evidence-based expertise from European scholars, presented by myself in France, and two of my colleagues in Spain and the UK.
Get our newsletter
Head of English section, France edition
- Indonesian Blockchain Company, Kita Foundation, Unveils Groundbreaking Social-Fi Platform, Pioneering the Evolution of Social Networking - Coinspeaker - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Lens Network to Migrate to zkSync: Scaling Social Networking on the Blockchain - CryptoDaily - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- AI-generated spam is starting to fill social media. Here's why - NPR - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Exclusive Decentralization Unleashed: How Mask Network is Rethinking Social Media and Privacy - BeInCrypto - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- CanMar Health and Wellness Hub promises censorship-free social networking | GreenState - GreenState - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Introducing Wayve: The Revolutionary Social Media Platform Redefining Privacy and Security - PR Newswire - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- How AI-powered smart contracts shape the future of social networks - Cointelegraph - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Billionaire Frank McCourt's Project Liberty forms consortium to bid for TikTok's U.S. operations - The Globe and Mail - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Raising Voices, revelations and social networking in a teen drama on Netflix - Sortiraparis - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Of social media 'likes', fake friends and the true reflections on life - Nation - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Social Media Reacts to Oregon State, Washington State Playing Pac-12 Games on CW Network - Heartland College Sports - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Alia Bhatt lands on 'Blockout' list over Gaza crisis silence - NewsBytes - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- 3 reasons WhatsApp could be your next big social network - Android Police - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Happy 40, Zuckerberg! If You Invested $1000 In Meta Platforms Stock When Mark Zuckerberg Turned 30, Here' - Benzinga - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Why removing protections on social media in the name of free speech is bad for peacebuilding - The Conversation - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Can U.S. Soccer punish Korbin Albert for social media activity? The policies and guidance in play - The Athletic - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Does social media content creation impact the professional identity of preventive health professionals? - Sciencenorway - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Social Networking in Bangladesh: Navigating the Online World - Daily Sun - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- A photo taken on April 3, 2024 shows the logo of US online social media and social networking service Facebook on a ... - KTBS - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Trump sues two Trump Media co-founders, seeking to void their stock in the company - The Associated Press - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's net worth plunges $1 billion as his Truth Social stock tumbles - WLS-TV - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Q4 Earnings Roundup: Snap (NYSE:SNAP) And The Rest Of The Social Networking Segment - Yahoo Finance - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- TikTok says it helped SMBs make billions last year - TechRadar - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- A photo taken on April 3, 2024 shows the logo of US online social media and social networking service Facebook on a ... - Islander News.com - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- A photo taken on April 3, 2024 shows the logo of US online social media and social networking service Facebook on a ... - The Mountaineer - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- TikTok ban, social media rules for kids weighed in PA - Spotlight PA - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- In case you missed it: This week's Top 5 stories on social media - Mayo Clinic - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Social Media Driving Force Behind Increased Visits to National Parks | News Center - Georgia Tech News Center - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- 'The Social Network' Might Have Been a Very Different Movie Without This Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Cue - GQ - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Meta's Threads app: Instagram's text-based platform competing with X - Business Insider - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Meta asks a judge to throw out an FTC antitrust case - Yahoo Finance Australia - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- The link between smartphones and social media addiction - Computerworld - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Truth Social: why Donald Trump's social media 'meme stock' surged and fell by over US$1 billion within a week - The Conversation Indonesia - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- School board social media lawsuits: For too long we've sought individual solutions to a collective problem - The Conversation Indonesia - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Is social network X falling out of favour with Americans? - The Star Online - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Where Will Trump Media (Truth Social) Stock Be in 10 Years? - The Motley Fool - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Is the clock ticking for TikTok? Computerworld - Computerworld - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Let's be honest, social media isn't driving a teen mental health crisis - City A.M. - April 5th, 2024 [April 5th, 2024]
- Social media use and health risk behaviours in young people: systematic review and meta-analysis - The BMJ - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Kids who use social media more prone to making dangerous decisions - Study Finds - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Social networking and fear of missing out (FOMO) among medical ... - BMC Psychology - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Meta warns that China is stepping up its online social media ... - NPR - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Q&A: What Is Social Media Doing to Our Kids and Our Sport? - Horse Network - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Both/And: Mixed methods analysis of network composition ... - BMC Public Health - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Attachment styles influence the tendency to form emotional bonds ... - PsyPost - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Executives On Social Media: The Value Of Social Leadership - Dataconomy - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- YouTube is the UK's favourite social media - The Star Online - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- How to Build Your LinkedIn Presence as a C-Suite Executive or ... - The Social Media Butterfly - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Rise of Social Media and its Impact on Global Communication - Daily Times - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Supreme Court to Hear Challenges to State Laws on Social Media - The New York Times - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Problem drinking linked to alcohol on social media - University of Queensland - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Fact Checkers Take Stock of Their Efforts: 'It's Not Getting Better' - The New York Times - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Threads still poses a threat to X despite slowed growth, analysis finds - Marketing Dive - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Supreme Court will look at new state laws that attempt to control ... - WREX.com - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- New York Bans Employers From Requiring Disclosure of Personal ... - Perkins Coie - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Passionate Horror Fan Now Earns Thousands Teaching Creepy ... - Good News Network - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- How The Social Network Turned a By the Numbers True Story Into a ... - MovieWeb - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Networking boosts Yugorithm's virtual and social media marketing ... - BusinessMirror - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Patrick Surtain Takes to Social Media To Express Discontent With ... - Pro Football Network - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- The dark side of AI on social media - asianews.network - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Reddit Is Removing Ability To Opt Out of Ad Personalization Based ... - Slashdot - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- FCC To Reintroduce Rules Protecting Net Neutrality - Slashdot - October 1st, 2023 [October 1st, 2023]
- Instagram's new Threads social network is live and growing fast - Android Central - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- The Power of Social Media for Mobilizing and Networking - YR Media - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- So where are we all supposed to go now? - The Verge - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Leaders don't need another social media platform - we need to use ... - HR Grapevine - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Adapting to the Changing Social Media Landscape - CMSWire - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Reddit News: One Million Dollar Bounty to Copy - ReadWrite - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Court rulings vary in cases of blackmail, privacy violation on social ... - Roya News English - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Enjoyed Celebrity on Netflix? 12 Movies and Shows About Social ... - Leisure Byte - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- In the year since I quit social media, my screen time has fallen, my mood is up even my resting heart rate is lower - The Guardian - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Virtual Business Cards: The Future of Networking - Eye On Annapolis - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Sex Offender Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor - Department of Justice - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Platform Powerplay: How to choose the ultimate social media ... - The Sanford Herald - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- LikeRE, A Leading EdTech And Social Network For Real Estate Professionals, Adds Muriel Williams-Thompson To - EIN News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Experts Say These Are the Best Social Media Platforms for Money Advice - GOBankingRates - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Students agree to give up social media during their exams to boost ... - Nottinghamshire Live - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Elon Musk Moves Twitter Closer To 'Super App' Status With Startup ... - Crunchbase News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- BJP leader's daughter to marry a Muslim, photo of wedding card goes viral on social media - Devdiscourse - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Survey Unveils Disturbing Prevalence of Sexual Harassment ... - Business Cheshire - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]