American International Journal of Available online at http://www.iasir.

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Research in Humanities, Arts
and Social Sciences
ISSN (Print): 2328-3734, ISSN (Online): 2328-3696, ISSN (CD-ROM): 2328-3688
AIJRHASS is a refereed, indexed, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary and open access journal published by
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Use of Mass Media and its impacts on Academic Performance of

Universities Students: A study of University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania
Gabagambi, Jovin Peter, Professor Song Wei
School of Public Affairs,
University of Science and Technology of China,
Hefei, Anhui (230026) People Republic of China (P.RC.)

Abstract: The main focus of this study was to assess the use of mass media and its impact on Academic
Performance of University Students in Tanzania, where the study shows how the contribution of social media
on Academic performance of University students in Tanzania.
In this study the researcher was used qualitative and quantitative method as an instrument of data collection
in which questionnaire observation and interview has been used, also the researcher was used a total number
of 300 respondents from different Universities in Tanzania as a sample size to be conducted, finally both
primary and secondary data has been applied in the data collection process.
Results reveals that social media is widely used by students of University of Dar es salaam in Tanzania. At
least every student makes use of one social media. Moreover, data revealed that, participant are in support
of the idea that social media contribute a significant quota to the development of their academic life in the
University of Dar es salaam. Apart from social media to have positive impacts on Students performance also
has negative impacts as well, the study recommends among others that, students with mobile phones having
internet facility should be encouraged to use it to supplement their research in the library rather than the
usual charting with friends all the time.

Key words: Mass media, Academic performance, Universities, Technology, Tanzania

I. Introduction
According to (Junco, Heiberger et al. 2011) social media are a collection of internet websites, services, and
practices that support collaboration, community building, participation, and sharing”.
Currently years technology has tried to play its role in assisting community leading to the substantial medium of
interaction in the social world as well as in teaching and learning aspect.
Social media has exploded as a category of online discourse where people create content, share it, bookmark it
and network at a prodigious rate. Because of its ease of use, speed and reach, social media is fast changing the
public discourse in society and setting trends and agenda in topics that range from the environment and politics to
technology and the entertainment industry (Asur and Huberman 2010).
Since the independent in 1961, Tanzania has made significant progress in ensuring that the majority of educational
institutions have access to quality education. This has been made possible through the implementation of several
policies reforms in education and different
adverts done by various social media and other institutions in ensuring the quality education in the country
(Ministry of Education and Culture [MOEC], 2001).
According to (Wandela 2014) Tanzania has realized that quality education is the pillar of national development,
and therefore it is through education that the nation obtains skilled manpower to serve in various sectors of the
nation’s economy.
In the last ten years, the online world has changed dramatically, thanks to the invention of social media, young
men and women now exchange ideas, feelings, personal information, pictures and videos at a truly astonishing
rate. Seventy-three percent of wired American teens now use social media websites (Wang, Chen et al. 2011).
In the past years, social media websites have become common; giving young people a new way to interact with
each other and communicate with the world. Social networking became popular between 2004 and 2006, after
Facebook and MySpace were created. Facebook, for example has over 500 million members and it is still growing
and approximately 85% of undergraduate students are Facebook users (Schneider, 2009).
In Tanzania technology has altering the way people interact and has given about the existence of an open social
platform such as social media that allows the students in educational institutions to connect with each other. Social

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Jovin Peter et al., American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 24(1), September-November, 2018,
pp. 92-94

media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Blogs, and Flickr, are being used in learning for the purpose of
convenient communication with other students and potentially with others outside the class such as students of
the same topic and subject experts from different educational institutions.
According to (Hess 2014)description of a technology enhanced new culture of Learning that says, learning is
based around principles of collective exploration, play and innovation rather than individualized instruction, it
could be argued that social media supports the aspect of knowledge consumption and construction that are very
different to the epistemological principle of formal education and individual instruction as well as sounding with
currently fashionable constructivist and socio cultural learning theories.
The main focus of this study was to assess the effect of social media on education institutions in Tanzania, where
the study shows how the contribution of social media on education institutions in Tanzania

A. Statement of the problem

The rapid advancement of media technology has had a great impact on the way people communicate on a daily
basis(Moran, Hawkes et al. 2010), (Owusu-Acheaw and Larson 2015), (Mehmood and Taswir 2013), (Jacobsen
and Forste 2011), believe that the use of technology such as internet is one of the most important factors that can
influence educational performance of students positively or adversely.Regard with the explosive increase in the
number and use of social media in everyday communication method for individuals and organizations in Tanzania,
there has been a corresponding increase of its incorporation in teaching and learning in higher institution. In regard
to this, this study analyze and assess the use and impacts social media has on teaching and learning in Universities
in Tanzania either be it positive or negative impacts.

B. Research question
The following research question was raised based on the background of the study
i. To what extent has social media support student’s academic life in Universities in Tanzania?
ii. Does the use of social media sites have any impact on student’s academic performance?

C. Purpose of the study

The main purpose of this study was to assess the use and impacts of social media in Academic performance for
Universities students in Tanzania.

D. Significance of the study

The study will help understanding of social media, it usage and how it is influencing students learning environment
in Universities in Tanzania. The study would have great contribution to students, researcher, student’s affairs
practitioners and all the various bodies that comes to play when talking of social media and University life. The
result of the study will help to strategize and reconstruct their attitude regarding the use of social media.

II. Methodology
A. Research design
Sampling design is a design, is a working plan that specifies the population frame, sample size, sample selection,
and estimation method in detail. Objective of the sampling design is to know the characteristic of the population
and present the best conducts for the research to be done.
B. Population
Information was collected from different respondents within various educational institutions in Tanzania such has
high secondaryschools, colleges and universities in Tanzania.
C. Data collection method
The study was used various scientific data collection methods which include primary and secondary data source.
In the primary data information were extracted from respondents through questionnaires and interview. In the
secondary data the researcher was collect information from files, books, journals, newspaper and other documents.
D. Validity and Reliability of the instruments
The instrument (questioner) was first checked through the feasibility study to test the applicability and examine
the validity and reliability of the instrument before starting the data collection process.
E. Organization of data collection
Data was collected personally through well designed and managed questionnaire from the respondents. The
questions were into two forms open and closed ended. The respondent were given the questionnaire for three days
and collected for further step of data analysis. The total numbers of respondent were 300 from different
educational institutions in Tanzania.
F. Data analysis
Data was analyzed by using SPSS trough simple regression analysis based on the answers of the participants.

III. Empirical result and discussion

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Jovin Peter et al., American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 24(1), September-November, 2018,
pp. 92-94

The total number of the respondents was 300 equivalents to 100% of the targeted sample female respondent were
107 equivalents to 35.7% and male respondents were 193 equivalents to 64.3%. In terms of age 47% of respondent
were between age 35-45 and 30% were between age 46 and above and others were 23%. In terms of the level of
education all respondents were university level. When respondents were asked if mass media have negative
impacts on Students performance in university the 153 (51%) agree, 67 (22.3%) were strongly agree, 73 (24.3%)
of the respondent said they don’t know, 4 (1.3%) disagree while the remaining respondents 3 (1.1%) strongly
disagree.
The finding revealed that social media have more positive impacts on students academic performance in
University if are well used by the students but also the finding reveal mass media has negative impacts as well to
students academic performance in University if are not well monitored by the students.

IV. Conclusion
This study focused on the use and impacts of mass media in Student’s performance in Universities of Dar es
salaamin Tanzania. Results reveals that social media is widely used by students of university of Dar es salaam in
Tanzania. At least every student makes use of one social media. Moreover, data revealed that, participant are in
support of the idea that social media contribute a significant quota to the development of their academic life in
their university. However social media should well bemonitored to avoid negative impacts to affect student
academic life such as some of the students used most of their time in social media by chatting and surfing the
internet foe non-educative information.

V. Recommendations
Apart from having negative impacts on student academic life in university of Dar es salaam but also social media
also has positive impacts on student academic life in university of Dar es salaam ,social media has increased the
rate and quality of collaboration for students. They are able to communicate meeting times or share information
quickly, which can increase productivity and help them learn how to work well in groups. Social media should be
monitored by students in Universities in Tanzania to ensure don’t have negative effects on their academic life by
giving attention to their academic progress in the university.

References
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Acknowledgement
I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me in my work, special thank for my supervisor for his aspiring
guidance and commitment.

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