STUDENTS’ USE OF SEARCH ENGINES AS CORRELATE OF STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OGIDI EDUCATION ZONE

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between students’ use of search engines and academic performance of senior secondary school students in Ogidi Education Zone. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. The correlation research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 8,769 SS3 students in the 2023/2024 academic session. The sample of the study comprised 260 SS3 students in the 2023/2024 academic session. The instrument for data collection was a question titled “Students Use of Search Engine Questionnaire (SUSEQ)” It contains 10 items on students use of search engines and Students’ Academic Performance Scores (SAPS). The test of reliability of the instrument using Cronbach Alpha yielded reliability co-efficient of 0.86 for internal consistency. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and simple regression analysis were used to analyze data for the study. The findings of the study revealed that there is a very high positive relationship between use of search engines and academic performance of senior secondary school students in Ogidi Education Zone. Findings further showed that a significant relationship exist between search engines and academic performance of senior secondary school students in Ogidi Education Zone. Based on these findings, the researcher recommended that among others that principals of secondary schools should prioritize initiatives aimed at enhancing students' digital literacy skills, particularly in utilizing search engines effectively for academic purposes.