UNDERGRADUATES' PERSPECTIVES AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE USE OF WHATSAPP FOR LEARNING IN KWARA STATE

Abstract

This study examined undergraduates’ perspectives and engagement with the use of WhatsApp for learning in Kwara State. The increasing adoption of social media in education necessitates understanding how students perceive and utilize WhatsApp as an academic tool. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised all undergraduates in Federal and State universities in Kwara State, while a sample of 382 students was selected using stratified random sampling and proportional allocation based on Israel’s (2013) model. A researcher-designed questionnaire validated by experts in Educational Technology served as the instrument for data collection. The reliability indices obtained through Cronbach Alpha were 0.74 for perceived usefulness and 0.79 for engagement, indicating high internal consistency. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses, which were tested using independent t-test statistics at 0.05 significance level, while descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, percentages) were used to answer the research questions. Findings revealed that undergraduates have a positive perception of WhatsApp’s usefulness for learning (grand mean = 3.34) and demonstrated high engagement with the platform for academic activities. Results of hypothesis testing showed no significant difference between male and female undergraduates in both their perspectives and engagement with WhatsApp for learning (p > 0.05).The study concludes that WhatsApp is a widely accepted and effective learning tool among undergraduates. It is recommended that educators integrate WhatsApp into instructional delivery, provide training for effective use, and ensure students have equitable access to digital resources.