Joshua Meadors

Professor Thomas
UWRT – 1103
April 17, 2018

Reflection:

In writing this final draft, I realize that in my first draft I had a plethora of good

information. One student learning outcome that I observed in my writing is that I did so much of

critical reading. I found that this student learning outcome is extremely important concerning my

topic because it is hard to find the right information you need in a thesis paper. There is

information out there about most topics, but if you do not spend enough time reading critically

and putting in the time, your paper will not be as good as you want it. After discussing with my

peers on how to get the flow of my ideas right, I was able to put together a final draft that I am

proud of. Though I did discuss that with my peers, there could be some flow problems in this

thesis paper. With that being said, I have never put this amount of work and time into one paper

so I am extremely pleased with how this product came out to be. Nevertheless, there could be

mistakes along the way or in some ways I have failed to communicate the ideas to the common

person, but in the end I hope to have portrayed the importance of my topic and why it should be

widely considered.

The Effects of Social Media on Learning

What more can we do? Where can we improve? How can I be more productive? Many of

us ask these types of questions relating to our daily habits, but to be more specific, to our study

habits. In this day, most of the world has some source of social media, including me. My job is to
answer, to the best of my abilities, how social media is impacting our generation. In this paper

specifically, I will be addressing topics regarding social media and how it can impact grades.

I personally have struggled with paying attention to studying when I have my phone

around me because I feel like every ten minutes I check it to see someone either on vacation, to

look at memes, or watch another sports highlight happen in this world. As I did my research, I

posted a survey to my class to answer the question how often they check social media, how long

they are on it each time they get on, where they go to study, and what their grades looked like

throughout college so far. Out of my class, I received seven responses. From those seven

responses, the majority of students study for about three hours and out of those people that study

for three hours, about forty-three percent of them check social media more than four times while

studying. Also, out of those responses, all of them said they study in their rooms or in the

library. I know now that I am not in this alone. These responses has motivated me to find any

answer regarding learning and social media.

The reason why I wanted to know if social media affected learning was because I want to

answer what is the best ways to study and learn. As I got into further research with my peers, it

appears that this can be a problem for any student that has some source of social media. From my

initial thoughts and opinions, by looking at social media too often it could harm your learning

and grades. By the research I have conducted, I will answer to the best of my ability how social

media can affect learning.

There are many views when it comes to social media. The view that’s most concerning is

how it can affect us negatively. Perhaps the most important research that can contribute to the

negative effects of using social media while learning or studying was conducted by Paul A. Tess,

director of clinical experiences at Martin Luther College, where in his article, “The Role of
Social Media in Higher Education Class (Real and Virtual) – A Literature Review,” he states

that:

Researchers found a small, but significant negative relationship between time

spent on SNS (Social Networking Sites) and academic performance as measured

by course grades and cumulative GPA.” Even though there is a slight relationship,

the relationship is significant enough to say that there is an effect between the

usage of social media and learning. Even though Tess does state this in his article,

he concludes at the end of his article that there is no authoritative yes or no, but

the answer will eventually come.

It is commonly known that social media can be a distraction, but the problem, according

to the article “Mobile Computing Devices in Higher Education: Student Perspectives on

Learning with Cellphones, Smartphones & Social Media,” is that

“the potential long-term impact mobile computing devices have on the higher educational

learning environment is yet to be determined.”

This quote was generated through the research of both Joanne Gikas, Assistant Dean at the

University of Memphis, and Michael M. Grant, Ph. D in Instructional Technology with expertise

in online teaching and learning.

From what I see in both articles, the answer to the negative effects of social media in

learning is yet to be determined. But even though the articles mentioned above had negative

results, social media is constantly changing which makes it hard to determine a finite answer.

The best explanation for this, according to a research group based out of the University of
Arizona, in their article “Social media and higher education: A literature review and research

directions,” that:

“research on the relationship between social media use and academic outcomes,

such as GPA or persistence or degree attainment, is nearly absent altogether or

shows limited or mixed findings” (Davis).

Now with all those negative effects being said, let’s look at the reasons why social media

can be a good thing when studying. There can be a positive outcome and a great potential for

social media usage now and for the future. In this case, I believe that the research group from

Arizona said it best by saying:

“Despite the current dearth of an extensive research base on the effects of SMT on

the academic and social outcomes of college students, long-standing theories in

the field of higher education provide a foundation for viewing SMT as having

potential to enhance student success” (Davis).

To further expound on this topic, social media from any person's point of view can be

distracting, but like the research group from the University of Arizona said, in the greater scheme

of things, social media can provide the framework to enhance student’s success.

How might this be so? Well according to the same group:

The study did find a positive relationship between more social media use and

higher levels of campus social involvement. Students who were spending more

time using social media reported a stronger connection to their institution, felt

better about their social life, and were also spending more time on real-life social
 activities such as interacting with friends and participating in student clubs or

groups.

I agree with this because social media does have that effect to make more introverted

people more well known through its use. Also, it is common knowledge that people that feel

included perform better in school. This is why there are learning communities in colleges all

around the nation.

Can this go beyond just students? Mike Moran, the senior strategist for Converseon,

which is a leading social media consultancy based in New York City, says in his

article “Teaching, Learning, and Sharing: How Today’s Higher Education Faculty Use Social

Media,” that:

Faculty are big users and believers in social media.

Moran’s article is not about how professors and educators are distracted by social media,

but how they have integrated it into their teaching. In the survey that Moran made, which he

talks about in his article, he talks about the results of how educators have used media in their

education styles. With nearly two-thousand responses to the survey, the results stated that about

ninety percent of all faculty use social media in their courses and about forty percent required

students to use social media for their courses. It’s almost like students are destined to be

distracted.

Professors and educators did not seem to worry about being distracted as much as what

they said according to Moran, that:

Given the concerns about the amount of time it takes to use social media and

about issues of privacy and integrity, it might be expected that faculty do not see a
 great deal of potential for social media use in classes. That’s not the case,

however. Faculty see considerable value in many social media sites for use in

class.

To explain, even though faculty and educators may be concerned more about integrity

and the time it takes to use social media, they see a great potential for using social media in their

course.

Social media is growing and evolving, but that should not be breaking news to anyone. I

believe that in the end, it is one’s preference to determine how often they should check social

media. For my case, I know that I check it much more than I need to. If I’m to be honest, I

probably checked social media over twenty times just writing this and I know the reader has

probably checked once or twice. It is human nature. Not to support what I am doing, but every

once in a while I feel like my brain needs a break, whether that would be through checking social

media, getting a snack, going for a walk, or watching Television. The steps I will take using this

knowledge going forward is that now I will start studying in shifts. What I mean by that is to

follow a study schedule, i.e study for twenty minutes and then check social media for five

minutes. I cannot say that what I will do will work for anybody else as well because everyone is

different. But in the end, one has to find what works best for them when it comes to studying

with their phones around them.

To conclude, everyone has different study habit as well as different things that distract us

from getting either a job done or an assignment done. One has to learn from how they are

studying and understand what works for them and what does not. I may have not found my

answer to my overarching question “what’s the best way to study?” or even my main question
“What are the effects of social media on grades and learning?” but I hope I answered a couple of

questions regarding my topic.

 Works Cited

Tess, Paul A. “The Role of Social Media in Higher Education Classes (Real and Virtual) – A
Literature Review.” Computers in Human Behavior, Pergamon, 26 Jan. 2013,
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212003743.
Gikas, Joanne, and Michael M Grant. “Mobile Computing Devices in Higher Education: Student
Perspectives on Learning with Cellphones, Smartphones & Social Media.” The Internet
and Higher Education, JAI, 14 June 2013,
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751613000262.
Davis III, C.H.F., Deil-Amen, R., Rios-Aguilar, C., & González Canché, M.S. Social media and
higher education: A literature review and research directions. Report printed by the
University of Arizona and Claremont Graduate University.
Moran, et al. “Teaching, Learning, and Sharing: How Today's Higher Education Faculty Use
Social Media.” Babson Survey Research Group, Babson Survey Research Group. Babson
College, 231 Forest Street, Babson Park, MA 02457. Tel: 909-278-7389; Web Site:
Http://Www.babson.edu/Academics/Centers/Blank-Center/Global-
Research/Pages/Babson-Survey-Research-Group.aspx, 31 Mar. 2011,
eric.ed.gov/?id=ED535130.