Antecedents of Academic Performance of University Students: Does Social Media Matters?

Purpose: Universities can succeed by emphasizing things like student academic performance. As a result, this study aimed to investigate how social media, real leadership, teacher support, the learning environment, and psychological health affect academic achievement. This study also intends to investigate the moderating effects of social media and the mediating effects of psychological well-being. Research Design and Methodology: This study employed a survey-based approach. To gather information from the students of Baghdad's private and public universities, a five-point Likert scale was created. This study obtained 223 complete questionnaires from the respondents to the questions addressed to them. Using SPSS 26 and Smart PLS 3, these surveys were evaluated. Findings: According to actual evidence from this study, social media dramatically affects students' academic achievement. Additionally, academic success is favorably correlated with psychological well-being. Additionally, genuine leadership, the learning environment, and teacher support significantly impact psychological health. The study's results also indicate the mediation function of psychological health. In the end, social media's moderating function was also validated. Research Limitations and Implications: The context of this study was college students attending universities in Baghdad. As a result, future investigations may include a longitudinal research approach. Practical Implications: This paper sought to offer the administration of Baghdad's universities input so that they might create strategies to raise students' academic performance. Thanks to them, academics can use these discoveries in their upcoming research. (c) 2022 Ani Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.