Family Background and Social Media Usage as Correlates of Academic Performance in Physics among Secondary School Students in Abia State

Abstract

This study investigated family background and social media usage as correlates of academic performance in Physics among secondary school students in Abia State. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses which were tested at 0.05 level of significance. It adopted a correlational research design. The study population comprised 8,739 students in Senior Secondary II (SS II) in 263 public schools in Abia State, from which 874 students (10%) were selected as a working sample using a multi-stage sampling technique. A researcher developed questionnaire titled Family Background and Social Media Usage Questionnaire (FBSMUQ) was used for the study alongside students’ cumulative Physics results for the 2023/2024 academic session obtained from school records. The instrument was validated by three experts, one from Psychology, one from Guidance and Counselling and one from Measurement and Evaluation in Abia State University, Uturu, and yielded a reliability coefficient above 0.70. Data were analysed using multiple regression to answer the research questions, while the t-test associated with regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that family background especially parental education and social media usage significantly predicted students’ academic performance in Physics, with excessive social media usage predicting performance negatively. The study recommended among others increased parental involvement in students’ academic activities and responsible use of social media to enhance students’ academic performance in Physics.