RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE WRITING PROFICIENCY AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION STUDENTS IN SULU

Abstract

ABSTRACT. During the 2025–2026 academic year, this descriptive-correlational study assessed the relationship between social media use and English language writing proficiency among Sulu university students. The majority of respondents had parents with only an elementary education and an average monthly income of less than 10,000 pesos, according to research conducted on a sample of 200 students, most of whom were female and in their second year. Students understood the importance of social media for amusement, self-expression, social connection maintenance, and information access. In terms of English language writing proficiency, the average performance was considered average. While parental education was somewhat relevant, demographic characteristics like gender, year level, wealth, and parental education did not significantly affect students' opinions of social media usage or their writing proficiency. Students who regularly use social media may not perform well on writing assignments, according to the analysis's low correlation coefficient, which showed that extensive social media use did not correlate with higher writing skill. The study backs up Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, Murray, Emig, and Elbow's Process Theory of Writing, and George Gerbner's Cultivation Theory.