Introduction
In this essay the researcher is proposing
to work as an independent consultant for the university and help the
authorities unearth the effects of social media on the lives of the students.
The prime purpose of this exercise is to determine whether social networking
sites as Facebook affect the studies of the students or not (positively,
negatively or no effect at all).
In the sections to follow the essay will
follow a structured approach in approaching the issue; starting with the
problem statement, literature review, determining research objectives,
sampling, research methods and stating key findings.
Problem Statement
The university administrators have observed
the increased usage of social networking sites by students. However they are
unsure of the impact of such activities on the academic life of the students. A
concern group among the authority believes that social networking has a
negative bearing on the studies of the students. To determine the exact cause
and effect relationship between such a social participation and academics, an
independent consultant (the researcher) has been hired to conduct an analysis
of the issue and present the findings to the university administration for
further deliberation.
Literature Review
Since its inception Facebook has become a
worldwide phenomenon. It has been impacting lives in one way or the other
across national frontiers; therefore it has become the subject of interest of
various researchers and concern groups in various cultural settings. A lot of
attention has been paid on Facebook’s impact on the lives of a typical student
(especially one pursuing higher education).
The various aspects of Facebook’s usage on
a student’s life have been discussed in the points to follow:
1.
Student Engagement- Reynol Junco, a professor at Lock Haven University Pennysylvania
conducted a research to analyse the impact of Facebook on student’s lives. By
monitoring the actual usage (by way of devices plugged to the computers) and
conducting in depth interviews the professor was able to deduce that Facebook
may actually help students to get hooked to their academics – this could be by
way of discussion or chat groups on these sites which could actually stimulate
a debate or discussion on an academic topic of interest thereby promoting shared
learning. However, the professor was also careful enough to weed out that part
of usage (such as updating status and posting pictures) that was detrimental to
studies; as it affected time dedicated to academics. Thus Junco’s work was
material in establishing that social networking could actually help build
interest in academics among the students.
2.
Negative impact- Aryn Karpinski’s (Ohio State University) study established a
relation between Facebook usage and academics and the results showed that it
negatively affected grades. The study also separately analysed the impact on
students pursuing graduation and high school; also the impact on students
working for paid jobs and those involved in extra- curricular activities was
studies, and it was concluded that the latter were negatively affected when
compared to the former. Although the research was a small exploratory module it
does provide a direction to head in. An astonishing finding of the study is
that Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths majors were more likely to
socially network virtually than their peers studying Humanities or Social
sciences.
3.
Oblivion- Several studies have also pointed out that Facebook users tend to
be oblivious of the time they actually spend on Facebook. They tend to negate
their usage hours resulting in users whiling away time in wasteful activities
rather than employing it in a constructive endeavour.
These findings by
various research reports and academic literature has become the base of
conducting this study and has provided a direction to head in.
Research Objectives
This research paper has been written with
certain pre determined objectives; which have provided a direction to the
efforts put into this study. The research objectives have been outlined below:
1.
Demographics- One of the primary objectives of this paper is to determine the
exact population which is using the social networking site Facebook. This could
be seniors, sophomores, ethnic groups or other classifications. Once such
demographic segregation is made it will be easier to determine the underlying
reasons.
2.
Frequency- Another objective of the paper will be to determine the frequency
of usage of the social networking website. This topic would encompass the total
time spent and the particular hours of the day that the user plugs in to access
the website. Determining this trend would allow the researcher in understanding
various lifestyle aspects of the subject also a thorough understanding will be
reached on what exactly is the focus when one logs onto facebook and what
particular feature/s keeps them hooked on.
3.
Pattern- Another objective of the research being conducted will be, to
determine the pattern of Facebook usage. This point will cover the exact
features and activities one indulges in while using Facebook. The pattern of
usage will throw light on how the students utilise virtual social networking.
Whether such usage is employed in updating status, lurking (checking other’s
activities), playing games or participating in various online communities and
groups – will be critical in determining whether Facebook is being used
healthily (to supplement classroom learning) or is having a detrimental effect
on the academic welfare of the concerned group.
4.
Impact-
The last and the most critical objective of this report is to make a summation.
This will be in form of an analysis to determine the impact of the social
networking site Facebook on the academic health of the students. The researcher
will try to link the various patterns observed during the course of the study
to the trends observed in the grades and other academic performance parameters
employed by the university. Thus the report will be able to make a conclusion
whether such usage has been beneficial, detrimental or had no affect on the
academics of the students enrolled in the university.
Sample Plan
The sampling plan states the exact
materials/population to be studied, the method of study, the objectives of the
study and the appointment of the person conducting the study. A sampling plan
must be carefully designed so as to make the sample representative of the whole
and making the study as objective and as accurate as possible to help
generalise the result to whole population under review. Stated below are some
of the major pointers to determine a sample plan.
Population Definition
The population definition concerns with
determining the size of the total population under study. This will also cover
determining the demographic traits of the population. For instance, population
definition will state the number of people in the university (just the
students), gender distribution among this population, the population of various
ethnic groups and information about various other segments helpful for the
purposes of this study.
Sample Frame
Determining the sample frame is concerned
with stating the resources from where the sample will be drawn. In context of
the university students using Facebook – under the purview of this study, the
sample must be drawn from all the groups that have been determined in the
population definition. For example, the sample under study must be fairly
representative of all the ethnic groups part of the university, members of all
the sexes, people from all walks of student life (freshmen, sophomore, etc.)
Sample Size Calculation
Sample size calculation pertains to the
methods employed in choosing the sample components. In context of this study
the sample size will be calculated on the basis of the time available, budget
and the sampling method. The researcher must keep in mind that the sample size
should be wide enough to make a fair representation of the population, and not
to be too small or too big so as to be unwieldy to the purposes of the study.
Given the above mentioned constraints the
researcher has zeroed in on keeping 200 participants in the sample. The sample
will be composed of equal numbers of males and females, students from various
academic streams offered by the university and representatives of all racial
and ethnic groups.
Sampling Method
Sampling method is the choice of method to
be used in determining the sample. The researcher has chosen to use stratified
sampling techniques so as to include all the sub groups in the total population
size (these sub groups have been mentioned under sample size calculation). From
these various stratums, random selection techniques will be employed, to
recruit sample members on the basis of random chance so as to keep an unbiased
approach while conducting the study.
Sample Validation
One of the key responsibilities of a
researcher is to validate his/her research so as to keep the results
generalised for the total population. For validating this particular research
the consultant will divide the total sample into two equal groups (of the same
composition of sub groups) and test the hypotheses on both the groups
separately in order to verify the findings of the report and establish that
whatever is applicable on a part of the population is true for the whole
population (that is all the students in the university).
Proposed Research Method
The researcher has planned to integrate
both quantitative and qualitative for the purpose of this research. The
qualitative research methods will be used on extracting data from certain focus
groups. The quantitative research methods will be used for gathering data from
the whole sample in general.
Qualitative Research Design Proposed
Qualitative research design is concerned
with gathering quality information. Since such data gathering methods will cost
time and money they cannot be implemented on a wide population; due to
limitation of resources with the researcher. There are two chief methods
proposed in the qualitative research methods:
1.
In-depth
interviews- Certain members of the sample have
agreed to commit time to in depth interviews. Focus interviews will be
conducted to understand in detail the social networking habits of the
participants. These interviews will follow a loosely structured impersonal
approach in order to explore realms which the researcher has not pre
considered.
2.
Monitoring- The researcher also plans to install certain software on the
computers of limited number of participants in order to monitor their usage
patterns.
In-depth interview design
As already explained above the researcher
will conduct in depth interviews with some participants. The objective of this
exercise will be to gather as much information on the usage trends shown by the
target population. These interviews will be a one to one conversation, loosely
structured for a direction to head in but, impersonal in nature so as to make
it exploratory.
The questions in these interviews will be
based on the questionnaires filled by the sample population and the data
gathered from the software installed on the personal computers of the participants.
Quantitative Research
The researcher proposes to employ
quantitative research methods on the sample population. This is so, because
limitations of time and money do not permit conducting research interviews with
the whole population.
Data collection method proposed
Questionnaire is the only quantitative
research method that will be employed in this study. The questionnaire will be
carefully designed to cover important topics. Primarily the instrument will
gather demographics of the participant and then proceed over to general
questions about their usage pattern; such as, total time dedicated, activities
and involvement and then proceed on to subjective questions requiring the
participant to express their opinions and feelings.
General guidelines to be used to design the research
instrument
While setting the questionnaire, following
points must be kept in mind:
1.
The questions must follow an
unbiased approach; and should not be skewed in one direction, towards or
against a particular sub group.
2.
The researcher must lay down the
objectives of the research and specifically the questionnaire before proceeding
with the penning of the questions.
3.
The questionnaire should be
brief (short and succinct) and easily comprehendible in order to interest the
sample population and encourage them to provide true responses.
Overall quality of research instrument (questionnaire),
creativity with measurement scales (provide a copy of the questionnaire)
The questionnaire is under mentioned in
this section:
Hi! I am conducting a survey to understand
the effects of using Facebook on academics. Please spare ten minutes to post
your responses to the questions; to help me understand this topic better. The
information provided herein will be used only for research purposes and will be
kept confidential.
1.
What is your college year?
a)
Freshman
b)
Sophomore
c)
Junior
d)
Senior
2.
What is your age?
a)
Under 18 years
b)
19-21 years
c)
22-24 years
d)
25-27 years
e)
27-29 years
f)
Over 30 years
3.
Your racial or ethnic
background
a)
Asian
b)
Black/ African American
c)
White/ Caucasian
d)
Hispanic/ Latino
e)
Native American
f)
Multiracial
g)
Other (Please Specify)
h)
Prefer not to answer
4.
Your Sex
a)
Male
b)
Female
5.
Your GPA
a)
<1.5
b)
1.6-2.0
c)
2.1-2.5
d)
2.6-3.0
e)
3.1-3.5
f)
3.6-4.0
6.
What is your major?
7.
Approximate number of hours
spent studying (per week)
a)
0-2 hours
b)
3-5 hours
c)
6-8 hours
d)
9-11 hours
e)
More than 12 hours
8.
Approximate number of hours
spent on outside projects and presentations (per week)
a)
0-2 hours
b)
3-5 hours
c)
6-8 hours
d)
9-11 hours
e)
More than 12 hours
9.
Hours spent on the internet for
study related reasons
a)
0-1 hours
b)
2-3 hours
c)
4-5 hours
d)
6-7 hours
e)
Over 8 hours
10.
Do you have a Facebook account?
a)
Yes
b)
No
11.
Approximate number of hours
spent per day, logged on to facebook
a)
Less than an hour
b)
1-2 hours
c)
3-4 hours
d)
5-6 hours
e)
7-8 hours
f)
Over 9 hours
g)
Do not log on to facebook
12.
What is the prime activity you
indulge in on facebook?
a)
Keeping in touch with friends
b)
Pictures
c)
Chats
d)
Games
e)
Others
f)
Do not use Facebook at all
13.
How often do you use Facebook
chat?
a)
Rarely
b)
Sometimes
c)
Often
d)
Most of the time
e)
Do not use facebook
14.
Frequency of using applications
available on Facebook
a)
Rarely
b)
Sometimes
c)
Often
d)
Most of the time
e)
Do not use facebook
15.
Is logging onto facebook
necessary for social acceptance?
a)
Strongly agree
b)
Agree
c)
Disagree
d)
Strongly disagree
16.
Is Facebook a distraction for
pursuing academics?
a)
Strongly agree
b)
Agree
c)
Disagree
d)
Strongly disagree
17.
Social life and academic
pursuance are equal parts of the college experience?
a)
Strongly agree
b)
Agree
c)
Disagree
d)
Strongly disagree
18.
Facebook is important for
social life on campus
a)
Strongly agree
b)
Agree
c)
Disagree
d)
Strongly disagree
19.
Facebook promotes social
interaction among students on campus
a)
Strongly agree
b)
Agree
c)
Disagree
d)
Strongly disagree
20.
One tends to devote maximum
time to facebook while accessing internet
a)
Strongly agree
b)
Agree
c)
Disagree
d)
Strongly disagree
Ethical Considerations and Limitations
While conducting the research the
researcher needs to provide for the following ethical considerations and
limitations of the research methodology:
1.
The researcher should be
conscious of not leading the participants in a particular direction or to
extract a particular response from them.
2.
The researcher should obtain
explicit prior permission of the participants before including them in the
sample population. The sample should be made aware in no uncertain terms about
the purpose of the research and the methods employed to conduct it.
3.
The researcher should ensure
that all information gathered should be used for the purpose of the research
only and checks should be placed so as to avoid leakage of personal information
gathered during the course of the research.
4.
The researcher should be
extremely careful and respectful when dealing with culturally sensitive groups
(like black Americans or Asians).
5.
By installing softwares on the
personal computers of the participants, the researcher may influence the
participants’ choice of using other mediums (such as cell phones) to access the
internet so as to hide certain usage behaviours.
6.
A lot of participants will tend
to fill questionnaires casually thereby affecting the quality of the data gathered
by such a medium.
Proposed Time Table
The consultant working on this assignment
has zeroed in on the following time table to conduct the study:
1.
A fortnight has been dedicated
to preparing the questionnaires.
2.
After the questionnaire is
prepared the researcher will proceed with selecting the sample population and
obtaining the assent of the individuals to be a part of the study. This
activity may take up another fortnight.
3.
The researcher will then
proceed with dividing the sample population into equal halves (for data
validation); and collect responses for the questionnaires (through email and
hardcopy). This activity will take up three weeks.
4.
Post data collection a brief
analysis will be conducted in order to arrive at the loose structure of the in
depth interviews to be conducted. A week is required for this activity.
5.
After all data is gathered the
researcher can proceed with the analysis. This will not take up much time as
all information needed, will be in hand now. The researcher can dedicate
another fortnight to this activity and the preparation of the final report.
Proposed Budget
This research will require expenditure in
the following areas:
1.
Gathering secondary data from
secured or private databases; and accessing printed research reports and literature.
The expected expenditure on this will be $50 approx.
2.
The consultant will also incur
cost on questionnaire printing. The estimated expenditure on this cost head
will be $5-$10.
3.
Lastly expenditure will be made
on installing the monitoring software on the personal computers of the
participant. The license fee for such software is also estimated between
$20-$35.
In total the researcher may have to shell
out $100 for conducting this research (providing for all miscellaneous expenses
too).
Expected findings from in depth interviews
The researcher expects to make the
following findings from the in depth interviews:
1.
People tend to underestimate
the time they actually spend in Facebook; indicating the sheer engagement of
the user to the social networking site.
2.
Discovering patterns that may
indicate that use of Facebook may be actually helpful in generating interest in
academics.
3.
An open discussion and
expression of personal opinions and judgements of the participants, bringing
out certain elements which were not expected such as participant’s opinion on
other’s usage behaviours.
4.
Discovering the underlying
reasons behind certain set behaviours. Like why students of science,
technology, engineering and maths prefer virtual social networking (as they
tend to be more technologically aware and may be in general introverted)
vis-à-vis students of social sciences and humanities (who have well established
social groups and are in general extroverted; hence, preferring real life
interaction over virtual interaction).
Expected findings from quantitative study and possible
implications and relevance to the university
The consultant expects to make the
following findings from the quantitative data gathering:
1.
Students involved in
extracurricular activities and sports tend to be more active on social networks
than those involved deeply in academics and paid jobs.
2.
Also students tend to be more
active on online platforms such as facebook post their freshman year.
3.
Students tend to be involved on
facebook irrespective of their racial background or gender (that is, such sub
groups have little effect on facebook involvement); however, such sub groups
may determine the exact usage interests of participants belonging to the
various sub group classifications.
The research may have the following
implications for the university:
1.
The research will help in
unearthing the trends that determine the use of facebook by students.
2.
It will also help in
determining whether such use affects the academics positively, negatively or is
neutral.
3.
This will help the university
administration to devise suitable checks that may curb usage (in case it is
detrimental to academics).
Conclusion
This report has provided a proposal to
conduct a research to unearth the implications of facebook usage on academics
of the university students. The proposal provides a structured guide on the
exact methodology of conducting the research; and it is highly probable if
research is conducted on the set guidelines outlines in this report, it is
going to be successful in achieving the laid objectives.
