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Al-Derham 8

Ali Al-Derham

Dustin Crawford

27-3-2017

The Internet and Student’s Performance

Presently, virtually all colleges in the country have broadband internet connections that promote ease of online learning. Moreover, the shift from paper-oriented learning to electronic models has diversified both the access and the use of internet in most schools. The internet technology is available for students in the United States in virtually are locations. It offers them an opportunity to interact with their tutors, gain access to academic libraries online, and submit their work with ease. In the United States, for example, the usage of internet has filled the education system to include school-based broadband connections. About while its numerous advantages are necessary, recent data from researchers indicate the need to regulate it to prevent poor student performance. In this study, I argue the internet addition and usage among students in the United States, especially in colleges, promotes poor academic performance because of the increase in the level of distraction which it brings.

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According to researchers, the ability to retain memory is a contrast to interference. Working memory capacity weakens with an increase in distraction, such as noise in the environment. For students, the ability to concentrate and focus during the learning process is a major determinant of performance (Olesen et al. 1047–1048) . Therefore, any distractions, in the form of movement or aces to materials that are none academic during the schedule distract them from concentrating on the teacher. With the introduction of e-learning and broadband services in the majority of schools, students easily ace the internet during classes although the goal is to allow them to access internet services for the sake of academic learning, research indicates that social norm prevails in most cases. While it is notable that most schools have restricted internet usage to prevent students from accessing certain websites, technological advancement in the United States and other nations allows the majority to bypass the restrictions easily (Craik 1) . Argumentatively, even if they would not bypass the restriction, some of the most common sites of distractions include YouTube and Facebook. They are readily available from smartphones and laptops that offer students a virtual platform for interaction and socialization, which unfortunately a form of distraction that lowers their working memory.

Moreover, with an increase in the number of devices, which students can use to access the internet, the regulation and restriction of sites are less significant. For example, the majority of school computers lack drivers and software that support certain distractive aspects of learning such as games. However, the fact that students have laptops and smart phones, which have similar capabilities, means they can play their games with ease online. Moreover, the numerous gadgets such as iPhones and android phones have preinstalled applications, for example, YouTube and Facebook, which only serve to increase the ability for students to access online materials. According to a recent research, the majority of students, especially girls, use YouTube and Facebook for social connections and not academic purposes (Kirschner and Karpinski 1237–1238) . Therefore, while researchers have not ascertained the level of impact to academic that internet usage has, its distraction lowers their ability to focus on scholarly learning.

Similarly, the availability of the internet means that students easily access online resources for their academic assignments. While the online platforms, for instance, allows students to access library data and do their homework with ease, it also offers them options from non-academic sources. According to data from recent studies, the majority of students prefer to use Wikipedia for academic assignments and not scholarly options. Consequently, Wikipedia and other blogs have gained fame from availing information in many topics, which students easily access without the need to log into their library databases. Because the information from many blogs and Wikipedia are already synthesized, they prefer it to other academic scholarly sources where they have to do an in-depth analysis before compiling the final draft. Unfortunately, the authenticity of the blogs and Wikipedia is not similar to scholarly peer review articles (Teplitskiy, Lu, and Duede 2–3) . Therefore, most students who opt for Wikipedia and other online sources for information obtain substandard information and by extension do not learn the accurate one. In other words, while the online databases serve to present easier ways for students to obtain information for learning, they also offer them shortcuts that speed their process of doing assignments, for instance, and waters down their academic materials.

Furthermore, internet usage and addition attract habits such as loneliness, tiredness, staying up late, and missing classes. According to recent research, internet addiction has negatively altered face-face communication. With many youths preferring to make online connections with peers, scientists and parents worry that they are losing the art of face-to-face communication. In academic performance, while online learning is easy without face-to-face communication, it deprives student’s f the ability to create connections with others in their proximity (Ellore, Niranjan, and Brown 2–3) . The effect is reduced technical communication skills that are necessary for interpersonal relationships once they go for attachments or after college. In the long run, a retrospective look at the effect of online addiction shows that majority of them receive substandard communication cues, such as dealing with public stage fright, because they have built their world online.

Additionally, the other effects such as tiredness, which accompany addition, reduce the ability for students to concentrate in class. Because internet access is not merely limited to school premises, the addition extends after they leave classes. They go home and visit online sites for interaction sports, and gaming. Unfortunately, because of the global nature of the internet, some of the friends they interact with have a different timeline. It exposes them to changes in the circadian rhythm, necessitating them to stay up late to chat or play with their peers from different parts of the world. The effect is reduced interest and communication in the classroom. Furthermore, because of an extensive social network that is online-based, the majority have reduced interaction, especially in academic activities that require group discussion (Kubey, Lavin, and Barrows 366–367) . The implications are diverse, especially if teachers do not pay attention to the performance track of students. According to a recent research, one effect of little sleep from internet addition for students is the need to overcompensate in studies during exam periods. The students are forced to study for long hours and constantly around examination times to account for the time and focus wasted through internet distractions.

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However, critics argue that the adoption of the internet has brought about the ability for youths to multitask. They argue that many students can listen and use the internet without significant interruption in their studies. They use the model of adaptability to explain the changes in the ability to integrate the internet into scholarly activities. Nevertheless, little empirical evidence exists to collaborate the ability of students, especially boys, to multitask and concentrate in class.

In conclusion, while the internet remains a significant source of information, it also exposes students to negative effects that reduce their academic performance. While empirical data is inconclusive about the degree of influence, internet addiction negatively impairs the factors that are associated with better performance such as high working memory, focus, and attendance of classes. Nevertheless, further research is needed to ascertain the level of negative implications and better ways of implementing online learning activities without disruption of the quality of education.

Works Cited

Craik, Fergus I. M. “Effects of Distraction on Memory and Cognition: A Commentary.” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (2014): n. pag. PubMed Central. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Ellore, S. B., S. Niranjan, and U. J. Brown. “The Influence of Internet Usage on Academic Performance and Face-to-Face Communication.” Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Science 2.2 (2014): 163–186. Print.

Kirschner, Paul A., and Aryn C. Karpinski. “Facebook® and Academic Performance.” Computers in Human Behavior 26.6 (2010): 1237–1245. ScienceDirect. Web. Online Interactivity: Role of Technology in Behavior Change.

Kubey, R W, M J Lavin, and J R Barrows. “Internet Use and Collegiate Academic Performance Decrements: Early Findings.” Journal of Communication 51.2 (2001): 366–382. Wiley Online Library. Web.

Olesen, Pernille J. et al. “Brain Activity Related to Working Memory and Distraction in Children and Adults.” Cerebral Cortex 17.5 (2007): 1047–1054. academic.oup.com. Web.

Teplitskiy, Misha, Grace Lu, and Eamon Duede. “Amplifying the Impact of Open Access: Wikipedia and the Diffusion of Science.” Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (2016): n. pag. Google Scholar. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.