INFLUENCE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA ON BEHAVIOR AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MUKAA DISTRICT, MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of electronic media on secondary school students’ behavior. The study was guided by the following four research questions: Which electronic media types are secondary school students mostly exposed to? What kind of content do students observe or are more exposed to in electronic media? To what extent is behavior influenced by electronic media as observed in secondary school students in schools? What solutions could be offered to curb unnecessary students’ exposure to electronic media? The theoretical framework employed was Bandura’s social learning theory (1977) that explores how environmental exposure affects a person’s behavior. The conceptual framework shows how different forms of electronic media affected the behavior of secondary school students. The study employed descriptive cross-sectional survey design to collect information about participants’ views concerning electronic media influence on students’ behavior. The targeted population included all students in Mukaa district and all teachers in charge of discipline and guidance and counseling departments. The sample size was 320 respondents, 300 students, and 20 teachers from all secondary schools in Mukaa District. Questionnaires were used to gather quantitative and qualitative data. The researcher used SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) version 20 to analyze data into frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study showed that electronic media such as cell phones, radios, television and computers were available within students’ environment at home, in schools and market centers. The electronic media content which ranged from music, video games and various movies influenced students’ behavior especially sexual habits and violence. The study recommended that school administration and teachers inform students on the harmful effects of electronic media and that policy makers ensure that programs and content broadcasted over the media are censored before they are broadcasted.