Redes sociais e desempenho acadêmico de estudantes universitários

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between the use of social media for academic purposes and the academic and perceived performance of university students. Furthermore, it examines the moderating effect of the amount of hours dedicated to studying outside of class and the frequency of smartphone use in class on this relationship. To this end, a sample of 365 university students was used, where such data were used to estimate a partial least squares (PLS) regression model. The results show that social media, when used for learning purposes, positively and significantly influences student performance. However, the moderating effects did not show the expected contribution on the relationship between social media use and performance. This study contributes to the literature by considering the nature of social media use and its relationship with student performance in the Brazilian context. Finally, this research provides practical insights for educators and educational policy makers on how to maximize the benefits of social media in the academic environment.