Answer To: ITECH 5500 Professional Research and Communication Research Proposal Overview The purpose of this...
Soumi answered on May 22 2021
Running Head: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION RESEARCH 1
PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION RESEARCH 4
ITECH 5500 PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ON THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Abstract
With the increased acceptance and usability of different social media applications and websites among the younger generation, social media has become a unique facilitator of communication and interaction within the academic context. Although there are many positive aspects of using social media on the academic performance of university students such as facilitating knowledge sharing, the flow and accessibility of information among students, presenting opportunities for collaborative learning and reflection, there are various negative aspects to it. Excessive use of social media tends to reduce the attentiveness, as well as, the concentration levels of students, which significantly affects their academic performance. This study will investigate a total of 135 university students to examine the impacts of social media among university students on their academic performance.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 4
1.1 Problem Statement 4
1.2 Research Aims and Objectives 5
1.3 Research Questions 5
2. Literature Review 5
2.1 Social Media in Academic Settings 5
2.2 Positive Aspects of Using Social Media on Students 7
2.3 Negative Aspects of Using Social Media on Students 8
3. Methodology 9
3.1 Outline of Research 9
3.2 Research Paradigm 9
3.2.1 Research Approach 9
3.2.2 Research Design 9
3.2.3 Research Philosophy 10
3.3 Data Collection Method 10
3.4 Research Strategy 11
3.5 Sampling Method and Size 11
3.6 Data Analysis 11
3.7 Research Timetable 12
4. Discussion and Implications of Research 12
References 15
Appendix: Time Table 17
1. Introduction
Although a wide range of definitions can be used to describe the phenomenal term "social media", it can be said in a nutshell that social media consists of applications and websites that allow the users to develop and share information, stories, picture and any other types of content to their peers in their social network. With the increased acceptance of technology in all over the world and a booming internet penetration rate of over 52% among the global population, social media sites and applications have become probably the most crucial means of communication and social interaction (Alwagait, Shahzad & Alim, 2015).
Without a doubt, different social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even YouTube are gaining wider usability and acceptability among pupil that are at the higher levels in their pursuit of education. This research will aim to carry out an investigation to find out exactly how social media affects the academic performance of university students.
1.1 Problem Statement
It goes without saying that like all great inventions, the use of social media has many good and bad influences on the learning behaviour of students. It has been argued by several authors that social media has the potential to influence the decision-making abilities of students along with improving their collaborative learning and thereby, their overall performance in academic settings.
On the other hand, as argued by Lau (2017), the use of social media is addicting and distracting especially for the younger generation, which is affecting their performance in educational settings. With the increased usability and acceptability of different social media platforms, it has become important now more than ever to examine the manner, in which the use of social media influences the academic performance of students.
1.2 Research Aims and Objectives
This research will aim to analyse and describe the impact of social media among university students on their academic performance.
The objectives of this research will be:
· To identify the manners, in which social media can be used in academic settings
· To evaluate how the use of social media impacts the performance of university students
· To analyse whether the impacts are good or bad on the academic performance of university students
· To recommend manners, in which the optimum benefits can be extracted out of the use of social media
1.3 Research Questions
This research will address the following questions:
· How is social media used in academic settings?
· How do social media affect the academic performance of university students?
· Are the impacts good or bad on the academic performance of university students?
· What can be recommended to extract the most benefits out of the use of social media?
2. Literature Review
2.1 Social Media in Academic Settings
With the increased acceptance and usability of social media, it is hardly surprising that social media is one of the most important enablers of communication and interaction within the academic setting. As agreed by various instructors and teachers from worldwide academic institutes, the use of social media inspires students to engage in online discussions about their subjects and lessons by going beyond the conventional classroom setting (Owusu-Acheaw & Larson, 2015). It has been agreed by various academic researchers that social media can be used by students in order to keep creating personalised social profiles where understandable particulars about the students are provided including their hobbies, educational background, geolocation and others.
Within the academic setting, this opportunity can be used by teachers or instructors in order to make education programs personalised according to the needs and profiles of the students (Al-Rahmi, Othman & Yusuf, 2015). Due to the presence of different social media platforms such as Wikipedia or online blogs and forums, students at higher levels of academic pursuit are able to engage in more collaborative and investigation-based activities. Due to the open accessibility of these websites, students are encouraged in terms of proactively engaging in these lessons, which increase the chances of effective learning. Social media, when linked with the collaborative development principle within the academic setting, enable both teachers, as well as, learners to constantly publish and share critical pieces of data such as assignments, course materials, test cases and others, which facilitates the overall learning process.
Furthermore, social media can also be used as a source to provide feedback to students by teachers, which enhance the understanding of instructions about the abilities and skills of the students. Students are enabled to function collaboratively as a result of the opportunities that are generated by the development of an online social atmosphere in terms of resolving specific academic problems (Flanigan & Babchuk, 2015). Social media allows students to develop positive contact through the utilisation of the objective of working towards achieving common goals through team learning. It is evident that the use of social media in academic settings benefits learners by constantly providing them with new...