Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use to Understand the Acceptance of WhatsApp use among Students and its Impact on Academic Performance

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Media and Communication, king AbdulAziz University , KSA, Jeddah

Abstract

This study aims to understand the extent to which university students accept WhatsApp as one of the modern communication tools by exploring the students’ perceptions of usefulness and ease of use of the application. It also explores the attitude towards adopting WhatsApp in the educational context and its impact on performance and academic achievement. The study uses Web questionnaire with open questions to collect data. The study is informed by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework. The results showed students' acceptance of WhatsApp application as technology and social platform characterized by features that provided opportunities for use in the educational context. It also made it easier for students to communicate in a flexible and fast manner, which reflected positively on their academic performance. The results also showed that students considered WhatsApp as a source of knowledge and a place to exchange information and benefits. Despite the emergence of some negative aspects such as disturbance, distraction, delay and negative messages, the ease of use, usefulness, and positive impacts have outweighed the negative ones. The use of WhatsApp showed the production of social capital and a positive impact on performance and personal skills. The results and limitations of the study were discussed as well as recommendations for future studies.

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References

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