I'd Rather Use Facebook than Facing My Book: Impacts of Facebook Usage to the Study Habits of the Senior High School Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Students are indulged in social media nowadays which affects and influences every aspect of their lives and studies. One of the most popular social media that they usually use is Facebook. It became a growing means of communication for students.

METHODS

Descriptive and phenomenological-qualitative research was utilized to assess the impacts of Facebook usage on the study habits of senior high school students. The study was conducted at La Paz National High School, SHS Building. A questionnaire was designed and administered to 20 students from HUMSS 12-A and GAS 12-B who were selected purposively and voluntarily. Simple statistical measures were used such as the frequency and rank for the quantitative data and theme analysis was used for qualitative data.

RESULTS

The results revealed that students were happy having Facebook accounts. For them, it serves as a tool to disseminate information. Most of the students spent approximately 1-3 hours using Facebook per day. However, Facebook is a big distraction to the students' study habits because it served as an entertainment, as a result, they fail to study their lessons and do their school works.

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the results of the study, Facebook usage has both positive and negative effects on the study habits of the students. Itis not the Facebook usage which affects their studies, but it is on how students deal with it. For the positive effects, it can be useful to their studies. It serves as a platform to disseminate information and provide access to communication where students can have group chats which let them share ideas regarding their homework. On the other hand, if students view Facebook negatively, it will become a big distraction to their studies because it tempted them to use it even during class hours. It made them lose their focus to study hard and perform well in school. Facebook consumed their time left for studying. The key to balance the impacts of Facebook among students is through time management. Knowing their priorities can help students to manage their time well especially in engaging in things that are tempting like Facebook.