Social networks and students’ performance in secondary schools: lessons from an open learning centre, Kenya

Abstract

Given the known positive and negative effects of un controlled social networking among secondary school students worldwide, it is necessary to establish th e relationship between social network sites and aca demic performances among secondary school students. This study, therefore, aimed at establishing the relatio nship between secondary school students’ access to and us e of social network sites at an Open Learning Centr e in Kenya. The centre was located about 30km South West of Nairobi, the capital city. This site was select ed because information technology was the designed mod e of delivery of the courses at the school, hence, high exposure of the students to quantitative social net working among the young, knowledge and information- thirsty population. The study sought opinions of key inform ants, parents, teachers and policy-makers in Kenya at the school compound. In addition, it investigated the b ehaviour of the students to generate both quantitat ive and qualitative data. Findings in this study showed tha t secondary school students in Kenya were much more vulnerable to the adverse effects of social network s in a manner consistently and concurrently similar to that found elsewhere in the worldwide. This included con version of academic into recreational sessions and subsequent poor academic performances among the maj ority of the secondary school students in Kenya. It is, therefore, necessary for the schools to vet, supervise, monitor, control, censor and restrict s econdary school students’ access to available information on the SN S in Kenya to enable the students to concentrate on academic excellence. The government, on the other hand, shou ld develop a learner-friendly policy to curb the do wnward spiraling of academic performances in secondary sch ools in Kenya attributable to uncensored access to social network sites