APA Project – Survey Research Plan

Topic:

Effects of social media use on learning

Population:

The research population will be students of age 18-30 from different disciplines. Age is an inclusion criterion because students of this age group are more likely to use social media. Students of the age group between 18-30 would be selected from different facilities, and the purpose of the research would be explained to them.

Conceptual Definitions:

Social media: social media is the use of electronic devices for entertainment purposes. Social media is in the form of multiple applications such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.

Learning: learning is a process that leads to change, occurs as a result of experience, and improves performance and future learning.

Questions:

a. How many hours do you spend on social media every day?

b. What is the favorite social media platform you use using every day?

c. How often do you post on social media?

d. How many hours do you spend learning every day?

e. What type of pages have you liked on social media platforms?

f. Does social media contribute to learning? What kind of learning?

Variables:

a. Using social media or not

b. For what purpose is social media being used, either for learning or for entertainment?

c. Number of hours spent on learning and social media

Operational Definitions:

Variable 1: using social media or not

Using social media 'Yes' or 'No.'

Variable 2: the purpose of use of social media

Five-point scale from very good to poor.

Variable 3: number of hours spent on learning and social media

Hours per night

Hypothesis:

H1: Excessive use of social media negatively impacts learning.

H2: A balance between learning hours and social media use can improve learning.

H3: People who are using social media for learning purposes are more likely to be successful compared to those who use it for entertainment.

Method of Survey Study

Method

Last week I conducted a research survey-based study using a computer-generated questionnaire. A simple method has been used to complete the survey study. The important steps that assist for others in reproducing this study are explained in this assessment.

Sample

Sampling is a statistical approach that is used in research studies for selecting the people who respond to or participate in the study. Centrally, the information required for the successful completion of the study identifies the respondents by sampling technique. The researchers prefer easy and undemanding sampling methods. Moreover, the determination of sample size also needs an analytical approach. Solvin’s formula was used to find out the sample size. It was a group of 20 participants. The characteristics of participants were assessed in the introductory demographic section of the questionnaire form. The age group, gender, racial identification, etc., were the characteristics of the sample. The sample comprised 12 men and 8 women, out of which sixty percent were Caucasian people, twenty percent were Asian, and twenty percent were African American.

The sampling technique adopted for the survey is known as convenience sampling. The survey study maintained a simple non-random sampling approach to select the participants. The participants selected as the study population is called the study sample. In order to select a sample for study, it is essential to explore which population is accessible and which is out of access. I identified one of the populations whose individuals were easy to access and selected it for the sample. This type of sampling is called convenience sampling (Andrade et al., 2021).

The recruitment was done through social media portals such as Facebook. The participants aged less than 18 years old were not included in the study. Also, the participants must possess an insight into using online portals and understanding the instructions. The participants who did not meet the criteria were excluded from the study.

Measures

A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was the only material used in the survey. It consists of two parts. The data was collected from participants on Google forms. The link generated for the Google form was shared online with the participants to get their responses. The initial part of the form covered the demographics-related questions, while the survey questions were mentioned after demographics. Most of the questions on the survey form were open-ended. They required responses based on personal preferences, routines, and opinions about the purpose and use of social media platforms. The data in the questionnaire survey is gathered from a targeted group or study sample picked up for the survey. This data is also called resultant data. The targeted group of the sample population shared their opinions and understanding in written answers.

Design and Procedure

The study design was non-experimental. This method asked participants about the groups or group differences (Wong et al., 2018). Descriptive outcomes were generated by this research design. The targeted group has been recruited by posting ads on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. The interested people meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria and showing interest in the ads were provided with the link to the online consent form. The participants signed the informed consent form and shared it back electronically. Further, instructions to fill out the survey form were given to the participants. After that, the Google form was shared with the participants. They were informed to fill in the demographic information entirely and answered every question accurately. When all questions were answered, there was a submit option at the lower left side of the form. The participants submitted their responses and received a debriefing statement. This statement was typically provided to the targeted group for their contribution to the study. This way the research survey study was completed.

References

Andrade C. (2021). The Inconvenient Truth About Convenience and Purposive Samples.  Indian journal of psychological medicine,  43(1), 86–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0253717620977000

Wong, V. C., & Steiner, P. M. (2018). Designs of Empirical Evaluations of Nonexperimental Methods in Field Settings.  Evaluation Review,  42(2), 176–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X18778918

Statistical Analysis:

Based on the survey results, the hypothesis is that there is a relationship between social media usage and learning habits among young adults. Specifically, it was hypothesized that those who spend more time on social media are less likely to spend time on learning activities and that certain social media platforms may be preferred over others for learning-related content.

The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine the demographic makeup of the survey respondents, as well as their social media habits, learning habits, and preferences for social media platforms. The data was also analyzed using inferential statistics, including chi-square tests and correlation analysis, to determine the strength and direction of relationships between the variables of interest.

Table 1.

Descriptive statistics for quantitative data

Note. N/A denotes that the mode is not applicable for this variable.

Table 2.

Frequency table for categorical data

Descriptive Statistics and the pattern of results:

The results of the survey revealed that the majority of the participants were female (55%) and identified as Asian (35%). The age group with the highest representation was between 18-25 years (40%), followed by the 26-35 years age group (35%). In terms of social media use, the most popular platform was TikTok (50%), with 50% of participants spending 2-4 hours on social media every day.

The most common types of pages liked on social media were related to entertainment (55%), followed by informative pages (25%), and other types of pages (15%). The majority of participants spent less than 2 hours per day on learning (40%).

The mean hours spent on social media every day was 3.05 hours with a standard deviation of 1.87. The range of hours spent on social media varied from 0 to 8 hours. The median and mode were both 2-4 hours per day.

The frequency table revealed that out of the 100 participants, 5% reported posting on social media every day, 5% posted 4-5 times a week, 30% posted 2-3 times a week, and 15% posted once a week. 45% of participants reported not posting on social media at all.

Overall, the survey results suggest that social media, particularly TikTok, is a popular source of entertainment for the majority of the participants, and that participants are more likely to spend 2-4 hours on social media every day. While most participants reported spending less than 2 hours on learning every day, it is unclear if they were also using social media for educational purposes. These findings may have implications for future research on social media use and learning.

The open-ended question in the survey asked participants to provide any additional feedback or comments they had about social media. The responses varied widely, but some common themes emerged.

Many participants expressed concerns about the impact of social media on mental health, particularly related to feelings of anxiety, depression, and social comparison. Others mentioned concerns about privacy and data security, as well as the potential for addiction and time-wasting.

Several participants also mentioned positive aspects of social media, such as the ability to connect with friends and family, access to news and information, and opportunities for self-expression and creativity.

Overall, the open-ended responses suggest that social media use is a complex and multifaceted issue with both positive and negative implications for users. While some concerns exist, there is also recognition of the benefits of social media.

Summary of the results:

Based on the results of the survey, the majority of the participants were female (55%) and belonged to the age group of 18-25 (40%). Most participants reported spending 2-4 hours (50%) on social media every day, and TikTok was found to be the most favorite social media platform (50%).

In terms of the open-ended questions, a significant number of participants reported using social media for entertainment (55%) and to connect with friends and family (30%). The most common challenge reported was the negative impact of social media on mental health (45%).

Overall, the results of the survey suggest that social media, particularly TikTok, plays a significant role in the lives of the participants. The results appear to support the hypothesis that social media is a popular means of entertainment and a way to connect with others. However, the negative impact of social media on mental health reported by a large number of participants suggests that caution must be exercised while using social media. It is important to note that inferential statistics would be needed to determine the significance of the results and the support or contradiction of the hypothesis.

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