Andre Yoskowitz
13 Apr 2009 23:54
According to a study of Ohio State University students, students who actively use social networking site Facebook reported GPAs of between 3.0 and 3.5 while those who did not averaged 3.5-4.0.
Although the study was only of 219 students and cannot be considered definitive, it has suggested the clear link between the site and overall academic performance.
Also noted in the study was the fact that Facebook users studied only one to five hours a week while non-users studied 11 or more.
Ohio State doctoral student Aryn Karpinski, who conducted the research with another graduate student, did add however that the study was too narrow to make any "set in stone" conclusions.
"It cannot be stated (that) Facebook use causes a student to study less or get lower grades," says Aryn. "I'm just saying that they're related somehow, and we need to look into it further." 68 percent of those studied said they use Facebook and 65 percent of those said they access the site daily or even multiple times daily.
Some students did say the site helps them form study groups with other students and overall 79 percent said the site did not hinder their academic performance.