Higher Education in and after COVID-19: The Impact of Using Social Network Applications for E-Learning on Students’ Academic Performance

Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih, Ahmed Hasanein and Ibrahim A. Elshaer
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Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih: Management Department, College of Business Administration, King Faial University, Al-Hassa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Hasanein: Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Helwan University, Cairo 12612, Egypt
Ibrahim A. Elshaer: Management Department, College of Business Administration, King Faial University, Al-Hassa 31982, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: The long-lasting pandemic has disrupted face–to–face education and has forced higher education institutions to adopt digital learning management systems, albeit many public universities in developing counties could not properly undertake this shift and adopted either free interactive platforms (e.g., zoom) or social network applications (SNAs) (e.g., Facebook and WhatsApp) due to their limited resources and infrastructure. Despite that the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the value of e-learning, some concerns were raised about the quality of learning outcomes and academic performance of students, using these SNAs for learning, compared to traditional face–to–face education. Therefore, examining the impact of SNAs as an e-learning platform on the academic performance students is inevitable, notwithstanding that this has not been sufficiently examined by researchers amid COVID-19. For this purpose, an online questionnaire was distributed to students via research teams’ personal networks, i.e., university lecturers at various public universities in Egypt. They were asked to distribute the survey link with their undergraduates via email or WhatsApp. A total of 600 valid questionnaires was obtained from students in nine public colleges that deliver tourism and hotel management courses in Egypt and adopted SNAs for e-learning at least one semester amid COVID-19. Unlike the results of previous arguments and research, the results of the structural equation modelling using AMOS showed a positive, significant impact of SNAs as e-learning platforms on students’ academic performance. The results have several implications for higher education policymakers, educators, and scholars, especially in relation to the future of use social media applications in higher education, particularly in developing countries’ contexts.

Keywords: e-learning; COVID-19; higher education; social media applications; students’ academic performance; theory of planned behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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