INTERNET RELIANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ESSAY WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN CRUSHER UBE SECCONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, LOKOJA
This study investigated the influence of internet reliance on essay writing skills in English language among students at Crusher UBE Secondary School, Lokoja. With increasing access to digital resources, students often depend heavily on online content for academic tasks, raising concerns about the development of core writing competencies. A descriptive survey design was adopted, involving 120 randomly selected students from junior and senior secondary classes. Data were collected using a questionnaire on internet usage patterns and an essay writing test assessing grammar, organization, originality, and coherence. Findings revealed a high level of internet reliance among students, frequently leading to copy-paste practices, reduced idea generation, and poor syntactic construction. A significant negative correlation was observed between excessive internet dependence and students’ ability to produce original, well-structured essays. The study concludes that while the internet serves as a useful resource, over-reliance undermines fundamental writing skills. Recommendations include integrating guided research techniques and process-based writing instruction to balance digital use with skill development.
