The Effects of Facebook on Students Performance on Academics - Research Paper Example

Topic: Marketing Research Report Name: Registration No.: Course: Tutor’s Name Date of Submission: TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 3 1.1. Problem Statement 4 1.2. Objectives 4 2.0 Literature Review 5 3.0. Methodology 9 3.1. Research design 10 3.2. Data Collection Methods 11 3.3. Sampling methods 11 3.4. Ethical Considerations during data Collection 12 3.5. Proposed budget for the research 13 Table 1. Budget for the research 14 4.0.Findings in the in-depth interviews 14 4.1. Expected Findings from quantitative study and possible implications and relevance to universality 15 Table 2. Chi-square test results for variables of using Facebook 16 5.0 Conclusion 16 6.0 References 17 Appendix 20 1. Introduction There has been increased interest in the study of the effects of Facebook among academic researchers. As a social networking site, there are a number of online supports provided for users who are able to create their profiles, generate and share the contents and interaction with other people who are unknown to them (Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman and Witty, 2010). There has been a vast expansion of Facebook in the past years resulting into an extensive use by people from a wide range of generations. The total number of 661.5 million users is a representation of a growth rate of 45.2%. Studies have also been conducted on the persuasive character of this online platform as well as other social networking sites to determine the reasons why people join this social networking site. A number of people participate in content generation and creation of value and there have been a number of researches have been conducted to determine why and the extent to which they affect their identities, pictures and videos, as well as their religious affiliations, marital status as well as political alignment on the internet (Pempek, Yermolayeva and Calvert, 2009). These sites are used for interaction with one another, exchange of information about areas of interest, raising discussions about emerging topics and sharing of private videos on YouTube. On the other hand, there have been few studies to determine the effects of these investments on networks. This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the effects of use of Facebook by Undergraduate students at the Punjab University. He research model test the perceived effect of individual traits, self regulation and trust on overall performance of the students. It also includes a literature review of some theories relating to the use of social networking sites. 1.1. Problem Statement Exploratory studies have indicated that continued use of Facebook can have harmful consequences on productivity and performance of tasks. It has been observed that students who spend long hours on social networks such as Facebook demonstrate reduced academic performance as well as their grades. Most students have reported that they spend between 4 to 5 hours a day on Facebook and have allowed this activity to take over their lives that makes them reject the platform (Lenhart and Madden, 2007). Despite the criticism of this site to be distracting and time consuming, most students do not want to quit visiting the site because they use it to keep in touch with their families, friends and relatives. This has led to distraction from the main activities that they need to engage in. As a result, it has been regarded as one of the factors that contribute to poor academic results for them. Thus, it has been necessary to determine the effects of social networking sites on academic performance and concentration of students on academic work. This ensures measures are put in place that ensures these effects are prevented. 1.2. Objectives In order to arrive at a reasonable conclusion regarding the effects of social networking sites on academic performance, there are certain objectives that this study tries to evaluate. Some of the objectives that this study focuses on include the following: To determine the effects of Facebook on overall academic performance of university students To determine the relationship between Facebook usage and concentration in academic activities To determine the effect of gender on the use of social networking sites such as Facebook 2.0 Literature Review Numerous researches have been done by specialists on the effects of Facebook on students’ performance on academics. Most findings of these researches have turned to suggest with established facts that truly Facebook and other social sites have led to poor academic performance by the university students. With the current advance in technology in this century Facebook has been considered most important tool for communication and also keeping in touch by the university peers. University students have developed an irresistible urge to connect with their friends due to the growth of these 24/7 accessible technology (Kirschner and Karpinski, 2010). The use of Facebook has developed into a habit that has affected the performance of the university students academically. Facebook usage has rapidly increased anxiety among university students such that they are apprehensive about being without a mobile handset for a few hours. The many hours spent on Facebook by the university students should have been used on studying thus u find that many of them enter exam rooms not prepared at all do take the exams leading to automatic fail due to lack of preparing enough. Time spent on Facebook negatively relates to overall university G.P.A. Under this the average time university students spend on Facebook was 106 minutes on a daily basis. Khan, (2009) argues that students who use Facebook while studying achieve significantly lower grades than those who do not according to psychologists. An intensive study and research by Juncom(2012) has shown that the results after exams to the university students who used Facebook site while studying even if it was on in the background scored 20 percent less than those who are non-Facebook users. The researcher argues that the findings of their studies and research ignores and belittle the theory that young people especially university students are good in multi-tasking like operating Facebook on digital gadgets like mobile phones and at the same time reading, studying or listening to lectures. Internet and in particular Facebook has led to cursory, careless, hurried and not composed reading leading to distracted thinking and superficial learning (Junco, 2011). Some of the contents in Facebook are always mind corrupting, addictive and of much nuisance. Talking about pornographic updates on Facebook, this makes university students pay less attention during lectures as their minds are already occupied by these dirty updates and they are busy thinking about them instead of concentrating. In the long run a lecturer may come to an end of a teaching session without these types of students gaining any concept, this is to haunt them during exams if what was taught is part of what is examined and this without questioning leads to total failure which come hand in hand with no preparations for exams (Hargittai, 2008). There is always a lot of interactions in the Facebook. People from diverse backgrounds chat with each other sharing ideas. Drug abuse has been a growing concern in Facebook as many people have come out strongly to convince the masses there that doing drug is a better idea. Many university students have fallen into these traps of these drug lords of vested interests. Through Facebook many university students have started involving themselves with the abuse of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin and even bhang. Implications that come handy with drug abuse is always openly noticeable in the students that do it i.e. memory loss and less concentration during lectures leading to poor academic performance (Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe, 2007). This extensive use of drugs has mainly been brought about by the social influence by the celebrities the university students see as their role models. The effects these of such hard drugs lead to permanent destruction of the brain cells thus leading to irrational thinking by the students therefore there should be no question why their grades are to fall after doing an exam absent mindedly and irrationally. To clarify, this literature review is not to criticize the Facebook users at the university level considering that some university students are always responsible when it comes to time management. Though such responsible students had Facebook account they dedicated much of their available time to studying and less to the Facebook site. According to (Chen and Mathieu, 2008) it is a crisis even worse than other social sites like twitter, YouTube, Google chat etc. In his article he states that researchers at Ohio University have delved deep into the habit of participating in Facebook and concluded that those who are loyal and express their membership more than often regularly do poorly in school exams. The researchers in their findings outline that majority of those who Facebook daily do worse by as much as one whole grade. Generally in their search university students who spend much time on Facebook spend less time studying. (Barkley, 2001) was quoted in the Times of London saying that he believed every generation of university students had a common distraction but thinks Facebook is a unique phenomenon. During their research they came to find out that some 68 percent of the facebook users among the 219 young things questioned enjoyed a significantly lower G.P.A. than those who eschewed friending and poking that Facebook brings with it. Facebook has brought with it sleep deprivation among people and especially the university students. Sleep deprivation is a situation whereby one forgoes sleeping completely or decides to dedicate a few hours because they are busy doing some other things in which they are addicted to or struggling to meet a certain deadline. Most university students always spend a whole night on Facebook even if the next day they are supposed to be attending classes and academic discussion groups (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). The next day the sleep deprived students may experience trouble during the lecturing session as they may fail to focus or concentrate or even fall asleep. Missing important instructional information causes university students fail in exams. University students need to budget their time effectively and efficiently so that they can get the proper rest needed to function in school as this will also help them recall things taught during the classes and lectures. Facebook procrastination by university students is a big issue. Psychology has defined us procrastination as the act of replacing high priority actions with jobs or tasks of low production and low importance. Also doing something which offer enjoyment and entertainment at the expense of an important productive task (Bastian, Burns and Nettelbeck, 2005). Although Facebook has given university students a platform to communicate with their peers no matter the time and distance between them it has brought many pitfalls that have led to poor academic performance. According to (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). expert for procrastination, in cooperation with their colleagues, after doing a series of intensive researches and studies on the impact of Facebook on work disposal had much information to deliver. Their firs study was on examining the use of computer laboratories by university students. As expected it was realized that students carried forward their academic task so as to Facebook. In their second study they involved qualitative methods that included interviews with students who use Facebook, which they did with aim to view social network from the perspective of the university students themselves. (Appleton, Christenson, Kim and Reschly, 2006). stated that it is a really big problem when they used breaks which in reality looked like becoming longer and longer because of Facebook because the absorption which it brought made the break of fifteen minutes become hours. This process is not cognitive as time flies while they are on Facebook. It has even become worse during examination sessions as some university students always log in as exams goes on and they are easy to connect and procrastinate. Many university students who have academic assignments and projects to perform and at the same time also own Facebook accounts are always ready to push those assignments and projects at further dates so as to have good time on Facebook. They end up getting involved in the last minute rush either submitting incomplete work or wrong work. Some of these projects constitute to the end year grades and certainly the students loose a bunch of marks due to this. It has always been a fact that social sites brings about that element of exclusiveness thus limiting innovation in university students and they end up being less creative. Facebook has been said to make university students to be less interactive and socializing with each other and their teachers, lectures and tutors during class as they are developed into lonely people who only spend their time socializing digitally (Aghazamani, 2010). This has brought effects on how university students express themselves and even communicate during face to face inter university academic competitions, contests and symposiums. This is because they are not used to expressing themselves verbally as Facebook has less to do with verbal communication. This has in turn led to reduced self-esteem and embarrassments leading to poor performance. Many university students have come in the open to admit that they cannot effectively and efficiently handle the pressure that Facebook as a social site has brought with it in relation to their school work. 3.0. Methodology This study focused on the usage of Facebook and how it impacts on academic performance of university students. It involves collection of views from students and other relevant people within the organization and analyzing the findings using mathematical methods. This results into conclusion regarding the topic under discussion. 3.1. Research design The research process involved the use of surveys and in-depth interviews. Descriptive research involved the use of surveys from cross-sectional studies whose samples were drawn in such a way that it represented a specific population. Longitudinal surveys were conducted in which a panel of representative units was used to answer specific questions. In this research, a paper-based survey was conducted in which data was collected from undergraduate students at Punjab University. Students were surveyed during one of their lectures and were required to return the responses to the same lecturer during the next session. The interval given to the students ranges from three days to ne week, to enable them complete the survey. Students were allowed to participate voluntarily during the interview and they were encouraged to participate by entering those who participated to a draw for three smart-phones. Students who participated were from three majors: business administration, social sciences and engineering. Qualitative and quantitative researches were also conducted. In quantitative research, structured questions were used and response options were predetermined and it involved a large number of respondents. The actual method that was significant in understanding the role of Facebook on university students was observation of the effects brought by the practice on students who used it. The other primary data collection method that was useful in understanding the effects of Facebook on students was surveys. This involved an interview of 384 students from Punjab University with the aim of finding the effects of using Facebook on their academic performance. The Appendix provides the questionnaire that was used to survey the effect of using Facebook on performance of students in university studies. 3.2. Data Collection Methods Data collection process involved the process of collecting both primary and secondary data. The main data collection method of for primary data used was provision of respondents with questionnaires. Secondary data refers to data that as been previously gathered by other peoples other than the researcher for another purpose than the research at hand. Internal secondary data was collected by gathering information from people within the organization where the research was taking place while external secondary data was obtained from newspapers and journals. Other forms of secondary data that were significant in understanding the effects of Facebook on academic performance of university students were published materials, syndicated materials and data bases. The external secondary sources that were used include syndicated data that was provided by firms that collect data in particular formats such as Arbitron radio Listenership studies. 3.3. Sampling methods The sample of students involved in the study was 384 students from Punjab University in which there were an equal number of male and female respondents. The age of the students who were interviewed was between 18 and 30 years and their mean age was 21 years. 71% of the students were between 20 years and 22 years old. 38.5% of the sample consisted of undergraduate students while 50.5% were master’s level students while 10.9 of the respondents were postgraduate students. Data analysis process involved an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the reflective scales to ensure there was internal validity of constructs of dimensions. It involved running the FEA with SPSS 18 and confirmation of the results through the corresponding factor loading on SmartPLS. During the study, the dependent variables were Facebook use, cognitive absorption, satisfaction with life, student’s academic achievement. 3.4. Ethical Considerations during data Collection One of the ethical considerations during this research was the security of those who collect data and those from whom the data was collected. Managers ensured they considered many issues relating to security before implementation of a data collection process. They also determined whether the benefits that were likely to result from the data collection process were more than the possible injury or death to those involved in data collection. They also conducted an assessment of consequences of data collection process from those whom data was collected. This involved avoiding providing information to strangers. They also ensured they provided protection for all involved in data collection. There also ensured they sought some sort of official approval before the research activities begin by contacting the right humans. This involved seeking the approval of the authorities within the institution under research as well as the approval of students involved in the research. During the process, word was spread throughout the campus and other places with regards to the activities in which the teams were involved and why. School authorities were given the right amount of time ask questions and come up with changes they would like to be made on the research questions. Objectivity and subjectivity were other social considerations during the research. The research team ensured personal biases and opinions did not get into the way of the research process and both sides were given fair treatments. Studies such as surveys and observations were conducted under the assumption that the information will be kept synonymous. Subjects were informed whether the research results would be kept synonymous. In addition, during the research process the research team did not take advantage of easy-to-reach groups such as children simply because they are easy to access. Subjects were chosen based on the type of subjects that would provide the required information. 3.5. Proposed budget for the research This budget provides the manner in which resources were spent on a research that was conducted at Punjab University under 100% sponsorship of agency funding. The project lasted between 4/4/2013 to 14/4/2013 The budget period lasted between 4/4/2013 and 14/4/2013 The following is summary of main areas in which resources were spent during the project. Senior personnel Agency request £ Project manager for 2 weeks 5000 Project Assistant 3000 Other personnel Analysis Technician for 2 weeks 6000 Total personnel 14000 Fringe Benefits 5000 Equipment 10000 Travel 1000 Materials and supplies 2000 Consultants 2000 Printing 100 Total Direct Costs 20100 Table 1. Budget for the research 4.0.Findings in the in-depth interviews The interview indicated that 87.5% of respondents have Facebook accounts. There were an equal number of male and female users of Facebook among participants in the survey who responded that they had Facebook accounts. It was also found that 3.4% of respondents did not have Facebook accounts while 9.1% of respondents reported that they did not depend on Facebook for their interaction purposes. 49.2% of respondents reported that they were members of Facebook for more than one year and it was also found that averagely, a student spent at approximately three hours daily on the internet browsing of which approximately two hours were spent on Facebook. The average number of Facebook per person was 82 where the minimum number of friends was 3 while the maximum was 1000 friends. In the study at Punjab University, the average number of Facebook users was 30 with a minimum number of users of 3 and a maximum number of 250. It was also found that 41.7% of respondents did not add a friend at least three months while majority of students did not add strangers as friends. 22% of respondents reported that they used Facebook several times within the day and most students logged in to Facebook accounts on daily basis. 23.2% reported that they logged in on weekly basis while 6.3% reported they logged in on monthly basis. 77% of students reported that they used Facebook as a method of communicating with their friends while 12.4% reported that they used Facebook as a method of connecting with their friends. 3 % of respondents reported that they used Facebook for work purposes while 6.0% reported that they used the site for other uses. 56% of respondents reported that they did not consider Facebook to be a site where personal information could be shared. In addition, majority of Facebook users used their real names in their accounts. Among those who used their Facebook accounts, 83.9% of them did not make their profiles publicly available. 4.1. Expected Findings from quantitative study and possible implications and relevance to universality It was expected that trust in people did not significantly determine absorption in online social networking activity, even as it had an effect on the time spent on Facebook. This is because those who trust other people are likely to spend long hours interacting on Facebook, but they have low cognitive immersion in this activity. In addition, inability of some students to manage a number of tasks simultaneously results into an increase in their cognitive immersion in the task that attract most of their attention i.e surfing and the use of Facebook interactions. Furthermore, it was expected that satisfaction with life does not have significant effect on students’ academic performance. The main objective of this research was to determine if Facebook had any impact on student’s academic performance. It was expected that about 61% of the students would report reported that Facebook use had an adverse impact on their academic performance. Chi-square test was expected to show a p value of =0.000 that indicates that the number of students who thought that Facebook affected their academic performance was higher than those who thought that it did not have an impact on their academic performance. The relationship between gender and variables exhibiting patterns of usage of Facebook were studied by conducting the chi-square test. The results of the test are shown below Variables X2 p-value Facebook member 0.292 0.589 The number of strangers that have been added in the last three months 32.843 0.000** Acceptance of strangers on Facebook 40.061 0.000** Frequency of Facebook usage 15.879 0.003** Main reason for using Facebook 7.755 0.051 To what extent does Facebook affect your studies 7.187 0.007* Facebook account using real name 7.149 0.008** Facebook is a secure place to share personal information 3.048 0.081 Personal information is public 6.217 0.013* Table 2. Chi-square test results for variables of using Facebook No statistically significant gender difference was determined in having a Facebook account. According to expectation, there was a significant relation between gender and adding friends on Facebook in the last three months, acceptance of strangers as friends on Facebook and the frequency of logging into Facebook. It was also observed that these had adverse effects on the study of the students. There was also a high association between gender and Facebook account in real name. Similar kinds of results were obtained where the profiles of individuals were visible to all internet users, it was found that most female user’s Facebook accounts were not in their real names. Interestingly, results indicate that female users of Facebook spent more time on the site. This is in accordance with the gender distribution of users of Facebook. Furthermore, male users were found to have more Facebook friends with a p-value of 0.008 in comparison to female users. It was also found that there was a considerable difference between males and females average time spent on the internet browsing with a p-value of 0.232. 5.0 Conclusion The results of this research partly support initial conclusions about personality traits that affect the use of Facebook. Trust does not have an effect on Facebook usage but has an effect on the use of the internet. Self-regulation and performance goal orientations are characteristics of students who have control over their social activities that in turn has negative impact on their academic performance. The results of this research are important in assisting students understand the consequences of their extensive usage of Facebook and ensure they manage their social activities on this platform. Most of the students used Facebook and it is popular among male and female users. Male students spend more time on the internet browsing in comparison to female students but female students spend more time on Facebook. This is attributed to the fact that male students do not have social restrictions on having social interactions and have the ability to meet their friends around. According to expectation, female students feels less secure in sharing their personal information on Facebook account and consequently, most of them do not have their Facebook accounts in their real names or do not use their real pictures on their accounts. Facebook usage had more adverse effects on academic performance of male students in comparison to female students. It is possible to conduct further studies in this finding but one rationale of this finding is that, generally male students spent more time on other activities such as playing sports, social get together with friends and in addition to the use of Facebook that made it difficult for them to get high academic excellence in comparison to female students. Future studies should be conducted to determine the exact effects of Facebook on academic performance of students based on gender, age and location. 6.0 References Agarwal, R. and Karahanna, E. (2000). Time flies when you're having fun: Cognitive Aghazamani, A. (2010). 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Findings on Facebook in higher education: A comparison of college faculty and student uses and perceptions of social networking sites. The Internet and Higher Education, 13, 134-140. System Quarterly (MISQ), 24(4), 665-694. Vandan Boogart, M.R. (2006). Uncovering the social impacts of Facebook on a college campus, Masters Thesis, Kansas State University. Appendix Questionnaire for the Interview. 1. Do you have a Facebook account? 2. What sex are more users of Facebook? 3. For how long have you been using Facebook? 4. How long do you spend daily on the internet? 5. What is the number of Facebook friends you have on Facebook? 6. What is the average number of Facebook friends you have from Punjab University? 7. Do you use Facebook to communicate with your friends? Read More