What factors influence the use of social networks by high school

students between the ages of 14-17

Gerard Truesdale

 This research examines and identifies what factors influence the frequency of use of social networks by high school students between the ages of 14-17.

Examining different aspects of how students between the ages of 14-17 use social networking services as well as the factors that influence that use is what this research hopes to convey.

High school students all over the United States are doing more than using the computer for just internet browsing or homework help. Students are communicating with individuals all over the world as well as expressing their views on certain issues through social networks. Without social networks a major communication bridge would be shut down, a bridge that was intended for personal and business use.

Social network sites such as such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others.

There are other social networking sites that are oriented towards work-related contexts, romantic relationship, connecting those with shared interests such as music or politics, or the student population.

The main online social network application mentioned by particpiants of this study was Facebook. Facebook enables its users to present themselves in an online profile, accumulate "friends" who can post comments on each other's pages, and view each other's profiles. Facebook members can also join virtual groups based on common interests, see what classes they have in common, and learn each others' hobbies, interests, musical tastes, and romantic relationship status through the profiles.

With the addition of web 2.0 the school system has been able to provide internet services to students unlike the past. These web- sites are very helpful in the inter-communication of users and helps build a network which is very useful for making people social. (Emmit,2008).

A 2009 study done by Greg Taranto and Mark Abbondanza conveyed that institutions that ban social networks or try to deny their popularity are not only hurting themselves but are also irresponsible when it comes to providing educational experiences to students.

Social networking and all forms of mass communication are here to stay and learning how to adapt, accept, and learn these ways is the attitude individuals should have towards the growing technological community.

A Convenience Questionnaire was given to students who came to a Crossroads:Pathways to Success, INC Saturday session.

A convenience Questionnaire was given to 15 individuals. Only completed questionnaires were used in the sample.

Population Size: 20 students

Sample Size: 15 students

Student Questionnaire examples:1. What’s your age? 2. yes/ no: do you use social networks in the library

3. how many social networks are you a member of?

4. yes/no: do you use social networks in the library to communicate with friends or family?

5. Likert Scale rating the amount of technology in the library as well as how knowledgeable they are on social networks.

The dependent variable in this study is the of use of social networks by students. That was tested with independent variables such as amount of technology in the school, amount of time the students spends on social networks as well as how knowledgeable the students are on social network use.

Results

80% of respondents said that they used social networks on a daily basis.

-the most common social network that was used was facebook with twitter coming in second.

87% of the students used social networks to communicate with friends or family.

95% of the students said that they use social networking sites in the library for work or recreation.

On a Likert scale from 1-10 the average score was 6 when asked about their level of expertise with social networks.

On a Likert scale from 1-10 the average level of technology found in school was 8

Descriptive Questions that were conveyed during this study:

How long do students normally use social networking sites?

What social networking site is used the most by students between the ages of 14-17?

How often do students visit social networks when they visit the library?

Who do students communicate with when they visit social networking sites?

Do students use social networking sites for educational use in the library?

Multivariate Questions:

Does the amount of technology in the school effect the use of social networks?

Does the age of the student affect the frequency of use of social networks?

Does the amount of social networking knowledge a student has effect the frequency of use of social networks?

This study might also help improve the practice of implementing technology within education because it will be a indicator as to what factors influence the use of social networking use by students between 14-17 and those factors will be able be tweaked one way or another to benefit students use of social networks in the future.

• LIMITATIONS TO THE STUDYStudy was done in a small population area.Study dealt with all males

Recommendations to make the study better:

Apply the questionnaire to more school settings around the United StatesIncrease the population of students used in the study