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SOCIAL STUDIES CSEC SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT 2021 SOCIAL MEDIA

References

Cite with Mendeley

Name of Student: Khagel Brown & Jummaine Thomas

Name of School: Winston Jones High School

Teacher’s Name: Ms. Shand

Territory: Jamaica

Subject: Social Studies

Topic: Social Media

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
Acknowledgment
Problem Statemen
Reason for Choosing the Topic
Method of Investigation
Instrument Used to Collect Data
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Procedures for Data Collection

Presentation of Data
Analysis and Interpretation of Data
Statement of Findings
Recommendations and Implementation Strategy
Appendix

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Firstly, I would like to thank god for carrying me through this assignment, one step at a time.
This assignment could not have been written without the insights and helping hands of my
teacher Ms. Norman, who granted me permission to choose this topic. She encouraged and
challenged me along the way as also accepted only my best efforts.
I would also like to thank my mother for her utmost support and help with this research study.
Lastly and by no means least, I thank my classmates for encouraging me to get this done.
Special thanks to the authours referenced.
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STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
What are the effects of social media on teenage girls at a prominent high school in the
Constant Spring area?
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REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS TOPIC

Social media is becoming part of our society,changing social norms and culture (Al-
Sharq,Hashim & Kutbi, 2015). Information and contents sharing is now a social desire (Wolf
etal., 2015). It has changedhow many peopleincluding students especiallyfemales students
interact, communicate and socialise in the learning institutions. The new media as mostly
called provides robust connectivity, communication and content sharing amongstudents and
rest of the society. Students can now participate on social discussions, posting comments,
pictures, images, share ideas and many more. At this point, one can say that SM influences
youth daily life path and particularly the students (Rajeev, 2015
Social media is becoming part of our society’s, changing social norms and culture (Al-Sharq,
Hashim & Kutbi, 2015). Information and contents sharing is now a social desire (Wolf et al.,
2015). It has changed how many people including students especially female students
interact, communicate and socialize in the learning institutions. It provides robust
connectivity, communication and content sharing among students and rest of the society.
Students can now participate on social discussions, posting comments, pictures, images, share
ideas and many more. At this point, one can say that social media influences youths’ daily
life path and particularly the students (Rajeev, 2015).
A prominent school in the parish of St Andrew, Jamaica will be selected to investigate on the
impact of social media on teen girls. It was observed that most of the students have been
accustomed to at least one social media platform and is spending a lot of time on these
networks. The researcher perceived that teens are sharing explicit content, such as nudity and
semi-nudity whether publicly or privately and overspending their time on social media. This
problem can affect a person’s mental health, education, religious and moral values.
Therefore, the researcher has been driven to conduct an inquiry into this issue.
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METHOD OF INVESTIGATION
The method of investigation that the researcher used to collect data is questionnaire.
According to journalist, Daniel Ndukwu, a questionnaire is a research device or instrument
that is made up of a series of questions which are closed-ended or open-ended. The researcher
chose this method because: (a) it can be carried out by the researcher or by any number of
people with limited effect to its validity and reliability; (b) it is confidential; anonymity
increases the rate of response and may increase the likelihood that responses reflect genuinely
held opinions; (c) it is cost efficient to administer; and (d) it saves time, that is, data can be
collected in a short time span as several persons can be tested at the same time..
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Data Collection Instrument

PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTION

The researcher carried out an investigation at a high school in the Constant Spring area with a
population of approximately 1600 students. Approximately 1.25% of the school’s population
was sampled to investigate the effects of social media on teenage girls.
The data was collected virtually by a questionnaire which was distributed via Google Docs to
females between the ages of 11-19 years only, using the random sampling method. A total of
fifteen (15) questions were organized and twenty-three (23) questionnaires issued, however
only the first twenty (20) questionnaires received was selected for this research. They were
distributed on January 28, 2021, and the respondents were given one (1) day to answer all
questions.
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The research study was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and as such, challenges
arose as to going into a public space to administer the questionnaires face to face, thus, the
researcher had to resort to administering in the virtual space. Albeit the data collection tool
maintained anonymity, without an identification tool it was impossible to know if the sample
providing answers was the right person.

PRESENTATION OF DATA
All twenty (20) or 100% of respondents were females and attended the same high school.

Figure 1: Pie Chart Showing the Number of Hours in a Day Respondents Used Social Media
Of the total respondents, and as seen in figure 2 above, eleven (11) or 55% used social media
for 7 or more hours; six (6) or 30% used social media from 4-6 hours and three (3) or 15%
used social media for 1-3 hour.

Figure 2: Pie Chart Showing the Number of Respondents who Social Media Distracted from
Studying
A total of twelve (12) of 60% of respondents said that social media distracted them form
studying while eight (8) or 40% said social media was not a distraction.
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Figure 3: Bar Graph Showing Respondents' Average Grade

Fourteen (14) or 70% of the respondents obtains the grade 80% and above and six (6) or 30%
obtains grades 60-79%. No respondent has an average grade of 59% and below.

Figure 4: Bar Graph showing the Reasons Respondent Used social Media
Of the total respondents, as seen in figure 3, eight (8) or 40% used social media because of
curiosity; six (6) or 30% used social media because it was the popular platform at the time;
three (3) or 15% used social media because their peers had it; as also, three (3) or 15% used
social media because they wanted to meet new people.
Social Media Platforms Number of Respondents Frequency of Use (%)
Facebook 0 0
Instagram 10 50
Snapchat 0 0
WhatsApp 10 50
Total 20 100
Figure 1: Table Showing the Frequency of Use of Various Social Media Platforms
Instagram and WhatsApp were the most frequent social media used by respondents. Both
Media accounted for ten (10) or 50% each.
Most Common Delinquent
Number of Respondents Percentage (%)
Behaviours Exposed to
Use of Expletives 5 25
Sharing / Posting of explicit
13 65
contents
Fighting 0 0
The use of illicit Drugs 2 10
None 0 0
Total 20 100
Figure 6: Table showing the Most Common Delinquent Behaviours Respondents were
Exposed to when They Used social Media
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Of the total number of respondents, as seen in Figure 6, thirteen (13) or 65% of respondents
were exposed to the Sharing/Posting of explicit contents; five (5) or 25% to the use of
expletives; and two (2) or 10% to the use of illicit drugs. No respondent was exposed to
fighting.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF

DATA
The researcher’s aim was to figure out the effects of social media amongst the student
population of a high school in the Constant Spring area. All respondents were 100% female
because of the population chosen.
Among the commonly used Social Media platforms in the public’s sphere are WhatsApp,
Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. From the data collected, WhatsApp and Instagram were
the most popular platforms used by respondents, as they accounted for 50% each of the
number of respondents. It can be concluded therefore that no one uses Facebook and snapchat
at a high rate. This finding is in keeping with a study conducted collaboratively by the North-
West University in Nigeria and South Africa entitled, “The Impact of Social Media on Social
Lifestyle: A Case Study of University Female Students.”
Of the total number of respondents, more than half or fifty-five per cent (55%) spent 7 hours
or more daily on Social Media. In a U-Report, Jamaica Poll, published August 27, 2018, it
was found that, approximately 71% of the respondents spent at least 105 hours weekly on
social media and themselves believe that social media is a toxic environment. The varying
reasons as outlined in Figure 4, that respondents gave as to why they used social media in the
first place included: curiosity, which accounted for the majority, or forty-four per cent (44%)
of the responses; and popularity of the platform, which accounted for twenty-six (26%). Less
popular reasons such as, wanting to meet new friends and because their peers had it,
accounted for seventeen per cent (17%) and thirteen per cent (13%) respectively
It is a known fact that nowadays Social Media provide the main source of information and
entertainment, and as a result tend to be a distraction for many; sixty per cent (60%) of
respondents agree that it distracted them from their studies while forty per cent (40%) begs to
differ. Gross (2004) stated that the use of social media has seen girls spending most of their
time engaged in chatting and time wasting on the internet.
Social media if utilised wisely however, can serve as an effective avenue for collaborative
learning for students. The access of information for learning is easier and cheaper as opposed
to accessing from other sources e.g., from the library. According to Chukwuere &
Onyebukwa, 2017, “The adoption of Social Media into education and in life at large is
attributed to its user-oriented features, cheap and easy to use etc.”
It was worthy of note that all respondents were performing above average, as, seventy per
cent (70%) of respondents obtained average grades of 80% and above, which is excellent;
and thirty per cent (30%) obtained between 60-79% which is known to be particularly good.
No one obtained an average grade of 59% and below. There is no doubt that students used the
easy access of information to their benefit. The level of changes brought by social media has
somehow motivated tutors, students, education institutions and other stakeholders to improve
their interactions and teaching and learning delivery technique.
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With the improvement in technology, research

has proven that social media plays a huge role
in the economy growth, uniting of friends and
allow making of new friends. While it
consequences includes; terrorist attack,
cyberbullying, poaching for sexual
exploitation and
The experience of using social media, however, is not always wholesome and favourable and
comes with its many maladies. The frequent and uncensored use of social media by
respondents inculcates obsessive maladaptive patterns as is evidenced in respondents
spending more time on social media platforms and engaging in the transfer and/or access of
inappropriate content.
As seen in Figure 6, while using social media, sixty-five percent (65%) of respondents were
exposed to explicit contents; twenty-five per cent (25%) to use of expletives; and ten per cent
(10%) to use of illicit drugs. This result is not exhaustive of and is not to be construed that
respondents are only exposed to one of these delinquent or negative behaviours, as
respondents were only given the option to choose one answer and therefore would have
chosen the behaviour they experienced the most while using the platforms.
It is unfortunate that notwithstanding the findings above, students are spending more time on
social media. On the question as to whether respondents used social media more than
studying (appended on page 20), ninety per cent (90%) of respondents chose to use social
media instead of studying. This fact could be deduced as, respondents spent most of their
valuable time on social media which as a result had an addictive or obsessive effect, thereby
causing them to want to spend even more time being exposed to more negative or
inappropriate content. In the Jamaican Poll 2018, approximately forty-seven per cent (47%)
of respondents said that social media has the greatest effect on youth mental health.
Gross (2004), stated that the use of social media leads to adolescent depression and isolation.
Furthermore, the use of social media can lead to addictive behaviours and dependence among
students can cause problems of self-esteem, depression, and sleeplessness which are all cause
for concern.
In concluding, notwithstanding social media platforms do have their benefits, including most
notably the increased levels of communication and connectivity they provide; there are also
drawbacks such as cyber-bulling, misrepresentation and false advertising or the promotion by
individuals of lifestyles which do not comport with certain realities and are largely
unattainable for many people.
Exposure to these pitfalls of social media use can seriously affect the mental health of young
people and, in some cases, even cause them to experience suicidal ideation and, beyond that,
attempt to take their own lives. As young people are at a particularly formative stage of their
development, and while they cannot be shielded entirely from the pitfalls of social media
access and use, it is important to provide a space in which they can be adequately sensitised
about the benefits and pitfalls of social media, which is fast becoming the principal mode of
engagement between youth and their peers as well as the wider world.
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STATEMENT OF FINDINGS
 1) Sixty per cent (60%) of respondents agreed that social media is a great distraction,
and most students are choosing to be on social media rather than studying.
 2) Fifty-five per cent (55%) of respondents spent 7 hours or more, on social media
platforms.
 3) One hundred (100%) of respondents are exposed to and are engaged in the transfer
and/or access of inappropriate content.

RECOMMENDATION AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIES
Recommendation:
 1. The researcher recommended that students should be taught not to take vile
comments directed towards them on the social media personally, because it will have
an impact on their emotions and actions.
 2. The researcher also recommended that students should be more involved in
interactive extra curricula activities.
Implementation:
To implement recommendation two, The Queens School should have more interactive clubs -
this will allow for students to be a part of meaningful activity in the school, curb time spent
on social media and meet new friends. At least once a week. these activities should be held
and monitored by teachers along with the Student Council and assisted by fifth form students
on a regular basis.

REFERENCES
Chukwuere, J. E., & Onyebukwa, C. F. (2017, July). New media and politics: An assessment
of 2016 South African local government elections. In Proceedings of International Academic
Conferences (No. 607534). International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
Retrieved from www.researchgate.net/publication
Gross. E. F. (2004). Adolescent internet use: what we expect, what teen report. Applied
developmental psychology. Vol. 25. Pg. 633-649. Retrieved from
www.researchgate.net/publication
Chukwuere, J. E., & Chibuike Chukwuere, P. (2017, December) The impact of social media
on social lifestyle: A case study of university female students. Retrieved from
www.researchgate.net/publication
Powell, J. (2018) Social media and youth mental health: Jamaica Observer, Retrieved from,
www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/social-media-and-youth-mental-health
APPENDIX (i)
Letter to Participants
This survey is being carried out among the students at The Queens School and is conducted
in partial fulfilment for my course of study in Social studies. The aim of study is to
investigate the impacts of social media on teenage girls. You are advised to answer all
questions truthfully. You will be anonymous. There is no correct or incorrect answer, so
select what you please.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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Appendix (ii)
(Note the most popular responses highlighted by Google Docs)

Social Studies Questionnaire

This survey is to obtain information on the impact of social media on teenage girls. *STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL* * Required

What is your gender? *

Female Male

Which age group do you belong? *

11-13
14-16 17-19

What is your average grade? *

80 and above 60-79 59 and below

What social media platform do you mostly use? *

WhatsAppInstagramFacebook Snapchat

How many hours a day are you on social media? *

1-3 hours 4-6 hours 7 or more

Does social media distract you from schoolwork? *

Yes No

What do you use social media for? (Select as many) *

Surfing the web Texting/callingWork Music School assignments

What is the most common delinquent behaviour teenagers are exposed to on social media? *
None The use of expletivesSharing/posting of explicit content FightingThe use of drugs

How do teens react when they are being bullied on social media? *
Suicidal thoughtsDevelop a low self-esteem Retaliate

Do you know of any person who went missing because of meeting with someone they met on
social media? *
Yes
No
Do you use social media more than studying? *
Yes No

If you went a day without social media, how would you feel? Find options below *
Motivated Fustrated Normal

How often do you see inappropriate videos/photos being shared among school aged children,
on social media? *
AlwaysSometimes Never

What made you use a social media platform? *

My peers had it Wanting to meet new peopleCuriosityPopularity of the platform

What kind of an impact do you believe Social Media have on teens? *

Positive Negative