Facebook Users Get Worse Grades in College

[Hissyspit]

Source: Live Science

Facebook Users Get Worse Grades in College

Jeremy Hsu
Staff Writer
LiveScience.com – Mon Apr 13, 3:39 pm ET

Facebook users have lower overall grades than non-users, according to a survey of college students who also ironically said the social networking site does not interfere with studying. That disconnect between perception and reality does not necessarily mean that Facebook leads to less studying and worse grades -- the grades association could be caused by something else. However, it does raise more questions about how students spend their time outside class on activities such as Facebook, part-time jobs and extracurricular activities.

"I'm just saying that there's some kind of relationship there, and there's many third variables that need to be studied," said Aryn Karpinski, an education researcher at Ohio State University. Her study found that Facebook user GPAs were in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on average, compared to 3.5 to 4.0 for non-users. Facebook users also studied anywhere from one to five hours per week, compared to non-users who studied 11 to 15 or more hours per week.
However, Karpinski emphasized that correlation does not equal causation, meaning Facebook use might not be the culprit behind lower GPAs or less study time.

For instance, students who spend more time enjoying themselves rather than studying might tend to latch onto the nearest distraction, such as Facebook. Or students who use the social networking site might also spend more time on other non-studying activities such as sports or music.

The study did show that students who work more hours at jobs spend less time on Facebook, while students involved in more extracurricular activities were also more likely to use Facebook. Such results may help Karpinski and other researchers better understand the profile of the average user on the popular social networking site. Early findings show that over 85 percent of undergrads use Facebook, compared to 52 percent of grad students.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090413/sc_livescience/facebookusersgetworsegradesincollege

[Common Sense Party]

1. This just in: beer bongers also get worse grades than non-bongers!

Not that surprising. It's not a causal relationship. It just helps to identify priorities: social vs. academic.

[Richard Steele]

2. exactly so. nm

[knixphan]

15. bingo.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. I'm a college dropout and I'm on facebook

My grades were pretty good, though. Life just got in the way, i.e. my dad died.

[MichaelHarris]

4. I'm a much older college student on Facebook

just for the chicks.

[riverdale]

5. i am convinced

that there is no such thing as a non-facebook using college student.

[KillCapitalism]

6. Well of course.

Facebook & similar sites are nothing but an enormous waste of time, just as playing World of Warcraft for hours on end is. Honestly, you'd probably be better off smoking weed or drinking beer all day. At least when you're doing that you're most likely to be doing it in the physical presence of other people.

I don't get it, I mean I went to college back in the day where the most advanced technology we had were BBS's accessed by 14.4K modems on Windows 3.1, but I'm sure most of my generation would have preferred to go out on campus & actually meet people in person.

[Skittles]

7. yet here you are, reading my threat to kick your ass

Who are you? Who is I? Who is we?

:7

[rosesaylavee]

8. Did you walk 3 miles in the driving snow to school too?

I am a "post school" person on Facebook. I think you develop the community you want on there - same as the one you physically associate with in your day to day. On mine, both worlds overlap as I am finding more and more DUers on there who I have only known in this environment and some friends I have lost tough with other time because we have moved to different states, etc.

Facebook is not for everyone - but for those who find it enjoyable and a way to communicate with those friends over some physical distance, it is a great way to share information about every day stuff.

[NashVegas]

17. At Least In WoW

You're building some skills.

[Tyler Generation]

9. What is there to even do on Facebook?

Go on, see if anyone wrote anything and you're done. 5 minutes tops.

[Doctor_J]

11. What do you do on Facebook? You Facebook.

it's a verb too.

[Doctor_J]

10. So the 0.1% who don't "Facebook" (it's a verb now) get better grades?

Who'd have thought?

In my day it was pinball machines. Then video games. It's always something.

[Robb]

12. In my day the word was "Sega."

:D

[JerseygirlCT]

13. If that's reflected at all in the grammar contained in those quizzes...

then I'm not surprised.

[paparush]

14. What about students who've watched "Super High Me" 10 or more times?

[OhioChick]

16. This is a bunch of BS

Professors at many colleges are now using Facebook, as well.