Introduction & Purpose Statement

Introduction

            For the vast majority of teenagers (13- to 17-year-olds), social and other digital communications media are a daily part of life.  According to a Common Sense Media report, two-thirds of teens text every day, half visit social networking sites daily, and 11% send or receive tweets at least once every day (2012).  This trend coupled with the evolving nature of technology is having an enormous impact on K-12 education.  The latest technology and social media that are being adopted by today's high school students are also helping to shape new pedagogical practices in ninth through twelfth grades.  The emergence of social media within this educational landscape is affecting  how learning occurs. 
            Social media can be viewed as an ally or enemy in the world of public education.  Merriam-Webster defines social media as any form of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (2008).  The social media revolution that has occurred during the past 10 years has slowly found its way into the K-12 educational arena.  The most recent survey from the Pew Research Center (2012) reported that of all Internet users ages 12-17, 95% of them were online and 80% of them were users of social media sites.  With the influx of technology in the public schools, it was only a matter of time before the two worlds collided.
            Current initiatives in education are trying to connect people and "rethink common passive pedagogical methods" (Garrison, 2009, p. 93).  A growing number of high school teachers are embracing social media as a tool for educational use (Brooks-Young, 2010).  This has created the potential for many high school students to learn in innovative ways that were not possible before (Contreras-Castillo, 2006; Hrastinski, 2006).  The main social mediums that are frequently used are Facebook and Twitter.  These sites are increasingly used to keep up with the latest information and also engage in ongoing online discussions.  Is the social media that is becoming a part of high school students day-to-day lives having an increased impact on their academic achievement?
            The social media revolution has not gone unnoticed by researchers.  Most of the current research today has focused on institutions of higher learning.  Less is known, or even researched in the K-12 educational environment.  Very little peer-reviewed literature exists that describes the practices of high school students who have been utilizing social media tools as part of their high school experiences.  Furthermore, little has been written about how these tools impact learning at the high school level.  This research will contribute to the literature and assist in developing a plan for addressing the use of social media in the high school environment.
           Many educators believe social media can offer new ways of learning and offer different avenues for students to collaborate with their peers (Poellhuber & Anderson, 2011). Educational reform may in part be shaped in the next few years by this social media phenomenon that has been observed and studied. Teachers will need to explore ways that social media can be adapted for learning purposes (Ormiston, 2011) and educational officials will need to reexamine current policies that are in place regarding the use of social media. With the World Wide Web as the new classroom and educators' roles evolving, students are demanding a more engaging, collaborative atmosphere for learning. 

Purpose Statement
           The purpose of this survey study is to examine the relationship between social media use and high school students' academic performance. Using the data collected from an online survey, a multiple regression analysis will explore the impact social media (independent variable) has on the academic performance (dependant variable) of high school students, controlling for variables like age and gender for approximately 15 students at the Johnston County Schools Middle and Early College in Smithfield, North Carolina. Specifically, four domains of social media will be analyzed using the data collected: sharing, networking, publishing, and discussing.  

References
Brooks-Young, S. (2010). Teaching with the tools kids really use: Learning with web and mobile technologies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Common Sense Media. (2012). Social media, social life: How teens view their digital lives. San Francisco, CA: VJR Consulting.
Contreras-Castillo, J., Perez-Fragoso, C., & Favela, J. (2006). Assessing the use of instant messaging in online learning environments. Interactive Learning Environments, 14(3), 205–218.
Garrison, R. (2009). Implications of online learning for the conceptual development and practice of distance education. Journal of Distance Education, 23(2), 93-103. Retrieved from http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/471/888
Hrastinski, S. (2006). The relationship between adopting a synchronous medium and participation in online group work: An explorative study. Interactive Learning Environments, 14(2), 137–152.
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2008). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Ormiston, Meg. (2010). Creating a digital-rich classroom: Teaching & learning in a web 2.0 world. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
Pew Research Center. (2013). Social networking. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org
Poellhuber, B., & Anderson, T. (2011). Distance students' readiness for social media and collaboration. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(6), 102-125. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1018/1960

Theoretical Foundation

The theoretical foundation for this study was based on Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice and Cavazza's (2008) social media landscape.  According to Vygotsky (1978), students and teachers have a shared responsibility to collaborate and learning becomes a reciprocal experience for the students and teacher.  In today's technology infused classrooms, new methods of communication are affecting how and where this learning occurs.  Educational professionals are having to alter pedagogical practices and rethink interactions with students and peers.  Kim and Baylor (2006) even contend " people may apply the same social rules and expectations to computers as they do to humans in the real world. " (p. 571).  Participation in social media communities could lead to mastery of new knowledge and skills.

            Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice are "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly" (p. 29).  Social media, aligned within a pedagogical framework, can relate real world experiences for the learner and encourage interaction on a regular basis.  Dulworth (2008) stated, “Learning from your network can be more powerful than other types of learning because you are often learning from other people who have ‘been there and done that’" (p. 11).  Gunawardena et al., (2009) also states that social networking expands knowledge through the practice of making connections with individuals of interest. Social media tools have the potential to build a sense of community through communication and sharing.

            In addition, Cavazza (2013) described social media as "an ever-changing complex ecosystem" (para. 3).  Different services and tools make up the social media landscape (see Appendix A).  Social media provides a rich environment for communities of practice to establish, thrive, and mature.  As noted by Cavazza, the networking, discussion, sharing, and publishing are all part of the environment that allows social learning to occur.  As early as 2007, Polin even described the behavior of Web-savvy students as users who “create, consume, comment on, and rate Web material on a regular basis. Most understand, at least intuitively from experience, the power and value of networks and networking with like-minded or similarly interested peers” (p. 15).

            Using these conceptual frameworks as an overarching model, this research will address the impact social media (independent variable) has on the academic performance (dependant variable) of high school students.  Using Cavazza's model, four specific areas within the communities of practice will be addressed:  publishing, sharing, networking, discussing.  Other control variables, like age and gender, will also be evaluated in the analysis of the data. 

Appendix A

References

Cavazza, F. (2013). Social media landscape. Retrieved from http://www.fredcavazza.net/2013/04/17/social-media-landscape-2013/
Dulworth, M. (2008). The connect effect. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Gunawardena, C. N., Hermans, M. B., Sanchez, D., Richmond, C., Bohley, M., & Tuttle, R. (2009). A theoretical framework for building online communities of practice with social networking tools. Educational Media International, 46(1), 3-16. Retrieved from http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/routledge/09523987.html
Kim, Y., & Baylor, A. L. (2006). A social-cognitive framework for pedagogical agents as learning companions. Educational Technology Research & Development, 54(6), 569-596.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Boston, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Polin, L. (2007). Teaching the net generation. Threshold, 5(summer), 13-15, 18-19. Retrieved from http://www.ciconline.org/
Vygotsky, L. S., Cole, M., John-Steiner, V., Scribner, S., & Souberman, E. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Literature Map

Worldview

Janus, in Roman mythology, was the god of beginnings & transitions and is usually depicted as having two faces. One face that looks to the future and one that looks to the past. I think I'm officially changing my name from Jamie to Janus! I want to hold on to my past, but I'm also a few steps into the future. I'm anxious to learn all I can from the research process, but I am becoming very uncomfortable and I often disagree with myself. Am I going crazy or am I just going through a transition (or maybe mid-life crisis).

Upon my initial reading of Lincoln & Guba, I realized that some people write with over the top word choices...but I digress! Creswell was straight forward and to the point. I enjoyed his style of writing more than the L&G chapter (by the way, I found a great post on this blog about paradigms in research: http://mackle.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/paradigms-in-research-or-how-your-worldview-shapes-your-methodology/; it mentions L&G and their mammoth book, over 1,000 pages, very funny). In addition, Creswell's tables also helped me grasp the concept of a research design and why it's important.

During the reading, I struggled to come to terms with my worldview. I felt like I should join a support group, sit in the circle, and lift my head and shout, "Yes, I am a pragmatic postpositivist with a social constructivist foundation." I struggled to come to terms with my postpositivist research design since I have always held a social constructivist view when designing instruction. I guess this parallels with my "former life" as an art teacher. Almost every lesson in my classroom was project based and I wanted every child to use their own thoughts to make sense of the world around them. Now I find myself conducting a quantitative strategy and using survey research as a strategy of inquiry. Surely I must be going mad!

After calming myself down (it's amazing what a glass of sweet tea can do), I tried to make sense of why I was doing this. When I first entered college for my undergrad degree, I was a math and art double major (I know, bizarre combination) and eventually dropped the math due to time constraints. After living most of my educational career as an art teacher (10+ years), I guess the untapped analytical piece is surfacing again. Am I the quintessential Jekyll & Hyde? Who knows? But one thing is for sure, I will continue the journey in my current path of research.

Investigating social media and how it impacts high school education, lends itself to conducting a survey and then discussing the relationship of the data. A postpositivist worldview is natural due to the quantitative nature of the study. Seeking to develop relevant, causal relationships among the variables and how social media influences high school academics is my main guiding force.

But, I also look to the practical side of my research as it will be meant to inform educational officials as to the significance of social media in education. The pragmatic view seems to fit best here. For social media to play an active role in the educational ecosystem, it must first be accepted. Considerable research has been conducted at the college level, but little is still known about it's use in the K-12 arena. Although this is new territory for me, I look forward to it. Just like Janus, I have one face looking at my past and one towards the future.

Research Assignment

Dissertation

Sesterhenn, S. M. (2012). NetGENgagement: How the net generation college student uses social media in academic and social college experiences (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 1012121543)

Research Question

This study will seek to understand and describe how does Net Generation college students use social media in their academic and social college experiences?

Theoretical Perspective

The theoretical orientation of this study was based around the constructivist point of view.  The constructivist theory basically states that one’s reality is socially constructed and there can be multiple interpretations of one single event.  Individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work.  

The researcher argues that the constructivist lens “aligns itself with social media technologies and their influence on the college student academic and social experiences” (Sesterhenn, 2012, p. 49). Individuals can reflect on the content presented in various social media formats and can construct meaning from simple “tweets” or “posts”.

Methodology

This action research study was designed around the researcher’s current job at the time.  Having worked in higher education for fifteen years, Sesterhenn wanted to better understand the 21st century college students’ technologies and how they influence their academic and social lives.  From her perspective, she was aware of the new forms of communication in their daily correspondence with peers, professors, and practitioners.  This translated directly into a dissertation topic that was relevant to her profession.

Sesterhenn conducted a quantitative study by emailing a sample population an online survey.  The participants were given approximately two weeks to complete the 50 question survey.  QuestionPro was the online tool that was used to collect and analyze the data.  

Findings

After collecting the data, the researcher looked for patterns such as the basic understanding of social media and how the respondents used social media throughout their college experiences. Demographic data was cross-tabulated with the types of social media used in preparation for classes.

The basic findings showed that the college students surveyed had a high adoption rate of various technologies.  In addition, the racial breakdown showed higher adoption rates in some segments of the population than others.  Blackboard and Facebook were found to be the top social media mediums used by the participants.  Google Docs and YouTube were a close second.  The final conclusion from the research showed that most students used social media in the academic setting to share documents and to create online discussion groups.

Conclusion

The final conclusion found that college students significantly use social media as a primary means of communication for academic endeavors.

How it relates to my research
This dissertation relates very closely to my research concerning social media and it’s impact on education.  Although this study, and most of the current research, focuses on higher education, I have used it to loosely design my research with high school students.  It is my hope to add to the existing scholarly literature about how social media can have an impact on the educational community.