Technology News: Social Networking: Study on Facebook and Grades Becomes Learning Experience for Researcher
Renay San Miguel of TechNewsWorld posted this story about
A study conducted by an Ohio State University doctoral candidate has focused on the relationship between college students’ academic performance and the amount of time they spend on Facebook. Though the findings seemed to indicate more time on Facebook equals slightly lower grades, the researcher acknowledges the study’s limitations.
The study was called “A Description of Facebook 
Use and Academic Performance Among Undergraduate and Graduate Students.” and it has drawn much attention in the news as of late. It seems to show a possible link between academic performance and facebook usage to the effect that students who are avid Facebook users recieve lowere grades than their non-frequent user peers.
Her study’s main findings include :
- Facebook users in Karpinski’s study average grade point averages of 3.0-3.5. Non-Facebook users: 3.5.-4.0.
- Facebook users averaged 1-5 hours a week studying; non-users, 11-15 hours per week.
- Seventy-nine percent of those who said they used the social networking site said it did not impact their grades or study habits.
- Eighty-five percent of undergrads in the survey said they had a Facebook page; 52 percent of the graduate students had accounts.
- The group most likely to use Facebook: Those majoring in science, technology, math, engineering and business.
Right away I see some possible contradictions or are questionable in the findings. This list of statistics would appear to correlate tech science, math and engineering students with low average study time habits and lower grade averages. Also, the study group was a small sampling, as most of these studies seem to be and then the results are applied to the larger whole.
You can read about Facebook’s reaction in the article:http://go.cosmicthings.com/57520/
