The Scavenger hunt

The Scavenger Hunt

EDU 5080 Educational Research Methods

The first article chosen for the purpose of this paper is, ‘Facebook and academic performance: reconciling a media sensation with data’. This is written by Josh Pasek, Eian more, and Eszter Hargittai. The purpose of the research is to find the authenticity of a recent draft manuscript data which suggests that Facebook use is associated with low grades among college students. The problem statement is to replicate the results reported in the press release and to determine if there is a relationship between Facebook use and Grade Point Average.

The literature that studied the problem doesn’t take into account the manner in which Facebook as a social media network could itself change and acquire a new form. The research question is to replicate the results reported in the press release using three data sets: one with a large sample of undergraduate students from the University of Illinois at Chicago, another with a nationally representative cross sectional sample of American 14– to 22–year–olds, as well as a longitudinal panel of American youth aged 14–23. There is no direct use of a theory or conceptual framework.

The findings of the research are that there is no relationship between Facebook use and GPA and in fact in one of the samples Facebook use is higher among good graders. This article covers the academic impact aspect of the chosen research topic on the impact of Facebook use on college students. It helps understand the academic linkage that is assumed to exist.

The second article chosen for the purpose of this paper is, ‘Feeling bad on Facebook: depression disclosures by college students on a social networking site.’ This is written by Moreno, etal. The purpose of the research is to evaluate college students’ Facebook disclosures that met DSM criteria for a depression symptom or a major depressive episode (MDE). College students commonly display symptoms consistent with depression on Facebook and when they get reinforcement from their friends, they are more likely to share their depressive symptoms of Facebook. The web profiles were evaluated from only one SNS and one university and hence the findings cannot be generalized.

The article uses the concept of Depression and the framework of DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) volume IV to determine the symptoms that are considered as depressive. The results were that overall, 25% of profiles disclosed one or more depressive symptoms on status updates and out of this only 2.5% met the DSM criteria for a major depressive episode.

This article is relevant to the chosen research topic because it helps in analyzing the psychological aspect of face book use among college students. In a way provides a platform for parents and well-wishers to determine the psychological health of a child.

The third article chosen for the purpose of this answer is, ‘You have been poked: exploring the uses and gratifications of Facebook among emerging adults.’ Written by Brett, A. Bumgarner. The purpose of the research is to find the reason for Facebook use among students and the manner in which it fulfils their needs. The problem statement is since the inception of Facebook, it has become one of the most popular websites for social networking site and it is very popular among college students. It is important to know the motivations behind Facebook use and how it gratifies these motivations.

A survey was conducted to find out about the possible motivations for using Facebook and the importance with which different uses of Facebook were ascribed. The theory used in this research is that of uses and gratifications (UG) theory which attempts to explain how people use the media to gratify their wants and needs, what motivates their behavior and what are the consequences of their uses of media. With the advent of the Internet, this perspective seems even more relevant. The research finds out that the most popular reason for using Facebook is as a social utility and it acts as a virtual watering hole that dispenses information about peers.

This article is relevant for the current research because it helps to find out the reasons for which college students use Facebook and those reasons might not be getting fulfilled in the physical world.

The fourth article is, ‘Just talk to me: communicating with college students about depression disclosures on Facebook.’ It is written by Whitehill JM1, Brockman LN, Moreno MA. The purpose of the research is to determine acceptability, preferred communication medium, and other key considerations for intervention by friends, professors or resident advisors, and strangers in response to college students’ references to depression on the social networking site Facebook. Mental health disorders have become very common among the youth and it is important to find out ways to help them get diagnosed and treated through mediums that are friendlier for them.

The data has been taken from the first year college students and hence cannot be generalized to other populations. Since the time this research was conducted, many rules of Facebook use have changed and there is lesser public data. In-person, structured interviews assessed how students would prefer to be approached by a friend, professor or resident advisor, or stranger if that person saw displays of depression on the student’s Facebook page. In-person communication from friends or trusted adults is the preferred means for raising concerns about a student’s signs of depression displayed on Facebook.

The article helps contribute to the psychological analysis aspect of Facebook usage among college students. It also helps point out to how face-to-face communication is still preferred for a lot of communication.

References

Pasek, J., more, e., & Hargittai, E. (2009). Facebook and academic performance: Reconciling a media sensation with data. First Monday, 14(5). doi:10.5210/fm.v14i5.2498

Moreno, M. A., Jelenchick, L. A., Egan, K. G., Cox, E., Young, H., Gannon, K. E., & Becker, T. (2011). Feeling Bad on Facebook: Depression disclosures by college students on a Social Networking Site. Depression and Anxiety, 28(6), 447–455. doi:10.1002/da.20805

Bumgarner, B. (2007). You have been poked: Exploring the uses and gratifications of Facebook among emerging adults. First Monday, 12(11). doi:10.5210/fm.v12i11.2026

Whitehill, J. M., Brockman, L. N., & Moreno, M. A. (2013). “Just Talk to Me”: Communicating With College Students About Depression Disclosures on Facebook. The Journal of Adolescent Health : Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 52(1), 122–127. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.09.015