Impact of Social Networking Sites on Academic Engagement and Performance

Abstract

There is no question that social networking sites (SNS) have gained wider acceptance and probably become key interacting tools among students specially at the higher level of educational pursuit. In fact, the quick rise in popularity of SNSs began in the second half of the last decade partly because of their extensive usage by school and university students (Kirschner & Karpinski, 2010). Social networking is a tool, with both its advantages and problems for usage in teaching and learning (Hoffman, 2009). Therefore, it is essential to examine the impact of the SNSs usage on student academic performance and engagement of the Sri Lankan state universities.