Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Methods - Essay Example The influence of social network sites in Regents College University students Background and Introduction Considering that man is a social being, the desire to remain in contact with others and share thoughts as well as feelings have led to the invention of various social media platforms. The social network sites have made it possible for individuals to keep in touch, just by the click of a button. Thus, people can share files including their photographs, while also chatting in real-time with other people from different parts of the world. Students can discuss ideas and assignments over the social network sites, either with their colleagues or even their instructors. Thus, social network sites have helped advance communication and connectivity for people, students inclusive. Nevertheless, the social network sites and their activities have become so much addictive, that people spend most of their times there, forgetting to attend to other important issues. Social network sites are a ma jor cause of distractions to students, affecting their performance and grades. ... It has been pivotal in assisting students undertake their research and accomplish their assignments with great ease, compared to when they could be looking for information from the library books (Conley, 2011 n.p.). The advantage of students using the internet for their research is the fact that, it has a wide range of information, dating from the very old archival information, to recently done studies in different fields (Wankel, 2012 p36). In addition, the internet has provided social communication networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, LinkedIn, among many others (Marti?nez & Wartman, 2009 p73). Considering that such social networks are free and open for anyone to join, they have attracted millions of people, mostly the younger generation, who are mostly students. While such communication networks have allowed them to connect and keep in touch with others, they have caused the students a great deal of distraction, making them spend most of their time on those sites, at t he expense of concentrating in class work (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012 p94). Methodology Quantitative method of research was applied in the study, where questionnaires were prepared and distributed to students. The questionnaires sought to find the time that each individual student spends on the social network sites, every day. Additionally, the questionnaires were formulated to collect information regarding which particular times students visited the social sites, either during the day or at night. The questionnaire also collected information regarding the nature of activities that students undertake on the social sites, with a view to understand whether the activities were communication or research oriented. A sample of 20 students was selected from each class undertaking various