A Panel Study on the Effects of Social Media Use and Internet Connectedness on Academic Performance and Social Support

ABSTRAC

Teachers matter: feelings of school connectedness and positive youth development among Coos County youth

Students who feel positively about their education, have a sense of belonging in school, and maintain good relationships with students and staff generally feel connected to their schools. In fact, 63 percent of Coos youth report feeling this way. It is one of the most important factors in promoting socio-emotional well-being and positive youth development, according to authors Nena Stracuzzi and Meghan Mills. Their research, using surveys of Coos students, shows that students who feel more connected to their schools usually get better grades, have higher self-esteem, use fewer substances, and engage in aggressive behaviors less frequently. Their latest brief also shows that Coos County students who feel their teachers are supportive of them are often more connected to their schools

How Digital Natives Learn and Thrive in the Digital Age: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

As a generation of ‘digital natives,’ secondary students who were born from 2002 to 2010 have various approaches to acquiring digital knowledge. Digital literacy and resilience are crucial for them to navigate the digital world as much as the real world; however, these remain under-researched subjects, especially in developing countries. In Vietnam, the education system has put considerable effort into teaching students these skills to promote quality education as part of the United Nations-defined Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4). This issue has proven especially salient amid the COVID−19 pandemic lockdowns, which had obliged most schools to switch to online forms of teaching. This study, which utilizes a dataset of 1061 Vietnamese students taken from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s “Digital Kids Asia Pacific (DKAP)” project, employs Bayesian statistics to explore the relationship between the students’ background and their digital abilities. Results show that economic status and parents’ level of education are positively correlated with digital literacy. Students from urban schools have only a slightly higher level of digital literacy than their rural counterparts, suggesting that school location may not be a defining explanatory element in the variation of digital literacy and resilience among Vietnamese students. Students’ digital literacy and, especially resilience, also have associations with their gender. Moreover, as students are digitally literate, they are more likely to be digitally resilient. Following SDG4, i.e., Quality Education, it is advisable for schools, and especially parents, to seriously invest in creating a safe, educational environment to enhance digital literacy among students

Media use during adolescence: the recommendations of the Italian Pediatric Society.

BACKGROUND: The use of media device, such as smartphone and tablet, is currently increasing, especially among the youngest. Adolescents spend more and more time with their smartphones consulting social media, mainly Facebook, Instagram and Twitter because. Adolescents often feel the necessity to use a media device as a means to construct a social identity and express themselves. For some children, smartphone ownership starts even sooner as young as 7 yrs, according to internet safety experts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the evidence on media use and its consequences in adolescence. RESULTS: In literature, smartphones and tablets use may negatively influences the psychophysical development of the adolescent, such as learning, sleep and sigh. Moreover, obesity, distraction, addiction, cyberbullism and Hikikomori phenomena are described in adolescents who use media device too frequently. The Italian Pediatric Society provide action-oriented recommendations for families and clinicians to avoid negative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Both parents and clinicians should be aware of the widespread phenomenon of media device use among adolescents and try to avoid psychophysical consequences on the youngest

The psychological impact of the internet on young people with additional support needs (ASN)

INTRODUCTION: This thesis investigates the psychological impact of the internet on adolescents with Additional Support Needs (ASN). Benefits and risks related to internet use have been evidenced in the general population. Little research has considered these factors with young people with ASN.METHODOLOGY: Due to limited research having been completed with the ASN population with regards to the impact of internet use, a systematic review was conducted considering the long -term psychological impact of cyberbullying on children and adolescents in the mainstream population. In addition, an empirical study was conducted with a total of 36 young people with ASN (aged 13 -18) who participated in one of six focus groups. Group discussions were recorded, transcribed and analysed using Framework Analysis.RESULTS: Findings of the systematic review showed that a range of difficulties (including depression, quality of life outcomes, substance use and aggression) were considered to be linked to the experience of cyberbullying in the general child and adolescent population. Although variation between studies existed, the review does show a tentative trend that cyberbullying is linked to long -term negative psychological outcomes. The empirical study using Focus Group data identified two main themes: Identity and Connectedness and Issues relating to Risk. Theme one indicated that young people with ASN were making use of the internet to develop their own identity, competence and sense of social connectedness; suggesting that internet use for this group can have a positive impact on their psychological well- being. Some potential barriers to this were also identified. With regards to the second theme, it was shown that young people with ASN do experience risk on the internet. It was highlighted that young people with ASN are aware of a range of risks online, are able to make use of some risk management strategies to stay safe but also experience particular difficulties which can negatively impact on their ability to protect themselves against potential psychological harm as a result of internet use. Considered together it was therefore found that the internet may provide important opportunities for young people with ASN with the potential of having a positive psychological impact. This must be considered however in the context of risks present to this group when online and their ability to manage these effectively.DISCUSSION: Findings were discussed in relation to the relevant literature considering the specific advantages and risks relating to internet use by children and adolescents with ASN. Clinical implications and areas for future research were highlighted as well as the strengths and limitations of the current study.CONCLUSION: This thesis demonstrates that young people with ASN are making use of the internet and able to benefit from it in the same way as other children and adolescents. However, this population has also been shown to be at risk online and may be more vulnerable due to their impaired ability in particular areas of functioning, when compared to young people without ASN. Additional research into this area is required to ensure that this group are being adequately supported to remain safe online whilst taking full advantage of what the internet has to offer

Digital Engagement and Academic Functioning : A Developmental-Contextual Approach

Since the turn of the millennium, the digital revolution has opened a new layer of opportunities for adolescents to participate, create and learn. Simultaneously there has been growth in both debate and worries regarding how the intensive engagement with digital media affects students' academic performance, engagement, and school-related well-being, that is, academic functioning. Students' continuously evolving digital practices are not always in congruence with the more traditional ways of schoolwork. Students flourish and fulfill their potential when the informal and format practices of learning reach congruence, but when this is not the case, frictions can emerge. Spending time with digital media can provide new avenues for learning and development, but it can equally well divert young people from their studies or increase the daily demands. In this narrative review, we address these continuities and discontinuities between engagement with digital media and academic functioning for school-aged children and young people, focusing on meta-analyses, reviews, and key studies. Following the examination of the current literature, we conclude that, in general, the field of "digital media effects" needs to move beyond screen time and utilize the research on the students' multidimensional socio-digital engagement already conducted. Second, we conclude that the average effects of digital engagement on academic functioning are negligibly small but heterogeneous, further corroborating the claim to examine the qualitative differences in students' digital engagement, the individual differences between students, as well as the contextual interplay.Peer reviewe

Integration of Doctoral Students in Distance Programs: An Instrument Validation Study of Educational Doctorate Students

Doctoral attrition rates range between 40%-60%. Attrition rates increase 10%-20% in the distance education (DE) environment. Academic integration and social integration are key elements of doctoral student integration and predictors of student persistence at any program stage. Instruments exist to measure academic integration and social integration for undergraduate students; however, no instruments exist that specifically measure both academic integration and social integration of doctoral students in DE programs at any program stage. The purpose of this research was to develop and analyze the structure, validity, and reliability of the Distance Doctoral Integration Scale (DDIS). Instrument development followed a multi-step process. After DDIS development, a subject matter expert review panel established instrument content and face validity. A DDIS pilot test (n = 8) further assessed content and face validity. The DDIS was then administered electronically via snowball sampling to doctoral students (n = 282) in DE programs. An exploratory factor analysis was used to analyze the DDIS structure and validity. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest of previous participants (n = 109). The result indicated the 32-item DDIS is a valid and reliable instrument. However, the results also indicated the DDIS measures different factors than those hypothesized and provided a new conceptualization of program integration of doctoral students in DE programs

Need to Belong, Fear of Missing Out, and Social Media Use: Predictors of Perceived Social Rejection

The decline in mental health among U.S. college students is a significant concern. Research suggests that social media use may contribute to this decline. Heavy reliance on social media has been linked to feelings of loneliness and disconnection, psychological distress, and a fear of missing out on rewarding social experiences, which may ultimately trigger feelings of social rejection. Using a foundation of need to belong theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine individual differences in the need to belong, fear of missing out, and social media use as predictors of emotional and behavioral reactions to ambiguous social situations where social rejection can be inferred. Online survey data from 157 undergraduate students who use social media were collected using the Need to Belong Scale, Fear of Missing Out Scale, Social Networking Time Use Scale, and the Rejection Scenarios Questionnaire. Results from a hierarchical multiple regression revealed that increases in need to belong, fear of missing out, and social media use predicted heightened negative emotional reactions as well as avoidant and complaining behavioral reactions to perceived social rejection. Social media use and the fear of missing out predicted retaliation behavior in response to rejection. The predictor variables were not related to not acting friendly behavior. This study can promote social change by informing policy and instruction on digital media literacy, social media use in the classroom, and therapeutic interventions offered by campus psychological services, all of which can positively influence college students’ mental health and wellbeing

Keynote: Enduring purpose, perpetual evolution

Keynote presentation In this keynote presentation, CILIP CEO Nick Poole explores the enduring values and ethics at the heart of librarianship and how these are helping to define the role of librarians and information professionals in our digital future