The Relationship between Social Media Usage and Academic Performance among Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College, Air University, Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Social media applications and their use among students have increased in the last decade. However, their impact on academic performance remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social media usage and the academic performance of medical students at Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study pertaining to 200 medical students’ viewpoints of 2nd to 4th-year medical students of Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College in 2023. A research-made online questionnaire consisting of four demographic questions and three main components was designed to gather data. The data was collected from January to February 2023, and all 300 participants were asked to fill out an informed consent before participating in the study. Finally, 200 participants filled out the questionnaires completely. The Microsoft Office Excel software kit and SPSS Version 24 were used for data analyses.
Results: The students’ most commonly used applications were YouTube, LMS (Moodle, etc.), Osmosis, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, respectively, with an average of 4 to 5 hours using these applications for educational purposes. The survey also revealed that 54% of participants prefer e-learning, while 46% still value traditional books for comprehension. Using social media for educational activities showed a positive relation with academic performance (P=0.024).
Conclusion: It appears that the practical use of social media could significantly influence students’ academic performance. According to the findings of this study, YouTube is the most crucial social media platform for students. This suggests that students prefer video-based platforms, and it would be advantageous to consider this for future educational planning and virtual learning.

Highlights

Rimsha Khalid (Google Scholar) 

Saera Suhail Kidwai (Google Scholar) 

Keywords

References

  1. Ahmed YA, Ahmad MN, Ahmad N, Zakaria NH. Social media for knowledge-sharing: A systematic literature review. Telemat Inform. 2019 Apr 1; 37:72-112. doi: 10.1016/j.tele.
  2. Golenhofen N, Heindl F, Grab‐Kroll C, Messerer DAC, Backers TM, Böckers A. The use of a mobile learning tool by medical students in undergraduate anatomy and its effects on assessment outcomes. Anat Sci Educ. 2019; 13(1):8–18. doi:10.1002/ase.1878. PubMed PMID: 30913369.
  3. Junco, R. Student Class Standing, Facebook Use, and Academic Performance. J Appl Dev Psychol. 2015; 36, 18-29. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2014.11.001.
  4. Cox D, McLeod S. Social Media Strategies for School Principals. NASSP Bull. 2013; 98(1):5–25. doi:10.1177/0192636513510596.
  5. May AM. On networking the writing center: Social media usage and non-usage. Writ Cent J. 2022; 40(2). doi:10.7771/2832-9414.1022.
  6. Azizi SM, Soroush A, Khatony A. The relationship between social networking addiction and academic performance in Iranian students of medical sciences: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychol. 2019;7:1–8. doi: 10.1186/ s40359-019-0305-0. PubMed PMID: 31053171; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6500070
  7. Al-Rahmi W, Othman M. The impact of social media use on academic performance among university students: a pilot study. J Inf Syst Res Innov. 2013;4(12):1–0. doi: 10.1080/20450249.2013.11873868.
  8. Dumpit, D., & Fernandez, C. Analysis of the use of social media in higher education institutions (HEIs) using the technology acceptance model. Int J Educ Technol High Educ,14(1)10. doi: 10.1186/s41239-017-0045-2.
  9. Ali Elsayed Mansour et al. The impact of using social media on the academic performance of Qassim University students, Unaizah, Saudi ArabiaInt J Med Dev Ctries. 2020;4(12):2085–2093. doi: 10.24911/IJMDC.51-1600133225.
  10. Takieddin SZ, Alghamdi FS, Fida HL, Alghamdi MK, Kamfar RA, Alsaidlani RH, Khojah IM. Effects of social networking services on academic performance and self-esteem: A cross-sectional study among medical students. J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Oct; 11(10):6221-6226. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc. PubMed PMID: 36618167. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9810851.
  11. Dilawar S, Liang G, Elahi MZ, Abbasi AZ, Shahani R, Gonlepa Interpreting the impact of extraversion and neuroticism on social media addiction among university students of Pakistan: A mediated and moderated model. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2022 Oct; 230:103764. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103764. PubMed PMID: 36270141.
  12. Gormley GJ, Collins K, Boohan M, Bickle IC, Stevenson Is there a place for e-learning in clinical skills? A survey of undergraduate medical students’ experiences and attitudes. Med Teach. 2009; 31(1). doi:10.1080/01421590802334317. PubMed PMID: 19253150.
  13. Bernik A, Radosevic D, Bubas G. Introducing gamification into e-learning university courses. 2017 40th International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO). 2017; doi:10.23919/mipro.2017.7973515.
  14. Ashraf MA, Khan MN, Chohan SR, Khan M, Rafique W, Farid MF, et al. Social media improves students’ academic performance: Exploring the role of social media adoption in the open learning environment among international medical students in China. Healthcare (Basel). 2021; 9(10):1272. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9101272. PMID: 34682952 PMCID: PMC8535783
  15. Mohammed AT. Patterns and motives of the use of Iraqi university students to social networks. Al-Mustansiriya J Arts. 2015; 0(68):1-40.
  16. Helou AM. The influence of social networking sites on students’ academic performance in Malaysia. Int J Electron Commerce Stud 2014; 5(2):247–54. doi:10.7903/ijecs.1114.
  17. León SA, Fontelo P, Green L, Ackerman M, Liu F. Evidence-based medicine among internal medicine residents in a community hospital program using smartphones. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2007; 7(1). doi:10.1186/1472-6947-7-5. PubMed PMID: 17313680; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1805745.
  18. Khan T, Kend M, Robertson S. Use of social media by university accounting students and its impact on learning outcomes. Account Educ. 2016; 25(6):534–67. doi:10.1080/09639284.2016.1230880.
  19. Alahmar AT. The impact of social media on the academic performance of second-year medical students at College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Iraq. J Med Allied Sci. 2016; 6: 77–83. doi: 10.5455/jmas.236927.
  20. Latif MZ, Hussain I, Saeed R, Qureshi MA, Maqsood U. Use of smartphones and social media in medical education: trends, advantages, challenges, and barriers. Acta Inform Med. 2019 Jun; 27(2):133. doi:10.5455/aim.2019.27.133-138. PubMed PMID: 31452573; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6688444.
  21. Michikyan M, Subrahmanyam K, Dennis J. Facebook use and academic performance among college students: A mixed-methods study with a multi-ethnic Comput Human Behav. 2015; 45:265–72. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.12.033.
  22. Chatterley T, Chojecki Personal digital assistant usage among undergraduate medical students: Exploring trends, barriers, and the advent of smartphones. J Med Libr Assoc. 2010; 98(2):157–60. doi:10.3163/1536-5050.98.2.008. PubMed PMID: 20428281; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2859274.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics