Social Media Usage and Transitioning into Online Classes During COVID-19- A Survey of Undergraduate Students in Georgia, United States

Authors

• Sylvia Ofori, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public HealthFollow
• Janet Choongo, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public HealthFollow
• Mario Kekop, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health
• Gulzar H. Shah, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public HealthFollow
• Haresh Rochani, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public HealthFollow
• Joseph Telfair, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public HealthFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-31-2021

Publication Title

International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication

ISSN

1814-0556

Abstract

Previous studies on the use of social media (SM) during the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on the use in sustaining academic communication. This study aimed to assess the association between SM and the ease of transitioning to online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic using survey data from 872 undergraduate students. The findings showed that Snapchat and Instagram were the most preferred social media sites among participants. Compared to students who use SM for <2 hours a day, use for > 5 hours (AOR= 2.44; 95% CI, 1.13 – 5.25) or 3 to 5 hours a day (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.06-3.81) increased the odds of easily transitioning to online classes. Students reported relatively lower odds of ease in transition to online studies if they felt that SM increased their stress (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI, 0.32-0.66). The use of social media for formal academic communication could stimulate an interactive learning environment, foster social presence, and enhance learning outcomes.

Recommended Citation

Ofori, Sylvia, Janet Choongo, Mario Kekop, Gulzar H. Shah, Haresh Rochani, Joseph Telfair. 2021. "Social Media Usage and Transitioning into Online Classes During COVID-19- A Survey of Undergraduate Students in Georgia, United States." International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication, 17 (4): 67-80. source: http://ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/viewarticle.php?id=2945
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/hpmb-facpubs/215

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