Perspectives on teaching using WhatsApp in a Nigerian university: A case study

Abstract

This research examined the relationship between the level of WhatsApp use among selected students at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria, and their readiness to embrace it as a teaching supplement. The study also explored the benefits and challenges associated with the use of WhatsApp in the teaching of undergraduates. The study was anchored on uses and gratifications theory and adopted a case study design with a survey method to gather data on the views of 285 students selected through volunteer sampling. Data were generated through a self-structured questionnaire and analyzed through ANOVA, linear regression analysis, and comparisons of percentages. The findings indicate that WhatsApp use among undergraduates is very high, with students at higher levels tending to use it more than students at lower levels. The findings also show that the students benefitted from using WhatsApp as a teaching supplement, though its usage is not without challenges. It is therefore recommended that proprietors, governing councils and university management should leverage the high prevalence of WhatsApp usage by undergraduates and provide access to devices, data and network connectivity within university campuses so that both students and their lecturers can harness the potential of WhatsApp and other social media platforms as teaching aids.