SOCIAL MEDIA AS TEACHING/LEARNING TOOLS IN NIGERIAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: CONTRIBUTORY DRIVER TO 21ST CENTURY INCLUSIVE EDUCATION EFFORTS

This study verified students’ perceptions on whether utilisation of the social media tools for teaching/learning can possibly contribute towards driving 21st century inclusive education efforts in Nigerian universities. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Study’s population was made up of all 392 students of Educational Technology unit of the Department of Curriculum and Teaching in the Faculty of Education in the University of Calabar. Sample was drawn through purposive sampling procedures with a sample of 68 respondents drawn for the study. A 15-item questionnaire tagged “Learners’ Perceptions of social media as Teaching/Learning Tools and Contributions to 21st century Inclusive Education Efforts’ Questionnaire” (LPSMTLTCIEEQ) was utilized to collect data. Using Cronbach Alpha, the reliability estimate of the instrument was 0.82. Data analysis was achieved using frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that students had favourable perceptions concerning utilisation of the social media tools for teaching/learning as a vital contributor towards driving 21st century inclusive education efforts. Recommendations included that; lecturers should incorporate use of social media tools for teaching-learning processes.