Research: Using Facebook not good for study results
 | The use of Facebook and other social network sites has a negative effect on study results of students. That is one of the conclusions of a study among American students done by Paul Kirschner, professor Educational psychology of (CELSTEC) of the Open Universiteit and Aryn Kaprinksi of van Ohio State University. |
Lower grades
Students who are active on Facebook get lower grades than non-active students. They also dedicate less time to their studies and have less paid jobs than students that are not active on network sites.
Multitasking is not efficient
It is often said that modern youth is capable of multitasking. This study confirms the results of many other studies that multitasking is not efficiënt. Attempting to simultaneously process different streams of information leads to both increased study time to achieve learning parity and an increase in mistakes while processing information. The theory that multitasking is efficient is one of the 'urban myths of education', according to Kirschner.
The article Facebook and academic performance is published in Computer in Human Behavior and can be downloaded
Read also the interview of Paul Kirschner in the Dutch newspaper NRC (in Dutch):
Listen to the programme Radio Online on Radio 1 in which Paul Kirschner is being interviewed by Francisco van Jole and Peter de Bie (9.00s tot 16.45s).
