Figure 3 Which do you do more, surf the net for schoolwork or play online games?

Surf the net for school

work
Play online games

To determine the behaviour of the respondents, the researcher asked if they

are more inclined to surf the internet for schoolwork or to play online games. The
results are presented in Figure 3:Which do you do more, surf the net for schoolwork
or play computer games? Results showed that 60% of the students would rather
play games with the computer rather than use it for school-related activities. One
respondent offered an explanation, We use the computer to relax and entertain,
but rarely for schoolwork. Most of our lessons are in the textbook anyway, so if I
would want to study, I would just read my books rather than surf the net for
schoolwork. I would not be able to resist playing online games and that would just
divide my time and attention.

31

However, the remaining 40% who answered that they would rather surf
the net for schoolwork says they use the internet to gain additional information on
their lessons. They say some medical terms require further reading and the internet
has a huge library for them to research on.

32

Still, the results show that students are more inclined to play online games than do
research

on

the

internet.

Figure 4:Do online games affect your academic performance negatively?

Yes
No

The researchers were interested to get the perception of the respondents as

to whether online gaming affect their academic performance negatively. Figure 4

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showed that majority of the students claim that online gaming has no adverse effect
on their performance. These students claim that they are in control of their studies
and their gaming behaviour. One respondent even added, It will only affect your
grades negatively if you let it be. Discipline and time management is very
important. On hectic schedules and on examinations, I refrain myself from playing.
Those in the 30% who attest that online gaming has affected their academic
performance negatively said that it is because their attention and their time for
their studies has been divided.

Figure 5: Have you experienced circumstances where you play computer games when you are supposed to be studying?

Yes
No

In another situational question, the respondents were asked if they have

experienced circumstances where they play computer games when they are
supposed to be studying. Figure 5 presents the results where 60% of the students
said Yes.

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It is hard to focus on studies when you keep thinking about your character or your
farm. Its so tempting to just sit beside the computer and play, confirmed one
respondent.
The remaining 40% suggested that it is only a matter of priority setting.
Though they admit to have the urge play, they said they try to resist it.

Figure 6: Compare your grades before you become engaged in computer games and after you have become involved. Do you see a drop in academic performance?

Yes
No

As for the question, Compare your grades before you have become
engaged in computer games and after you have become involved. Do you see a
drop in academic performance?, and as shown in Figure 6, most of the students
responded No. These respondents believe that playing computer games does not
have significant effect to their studies, and as further mentioned, if there is a
decrease in their academic performance, it could be due to other factors, but not
solely because of online gaming.

35

For the remaining 30% who said that involvement in computer games
have resulted to a drop in academic performance, they attributed this cause to poor
time management and lack of priority setting on their part, mainly because they
were engrossed in computer games.

Figure 7: Do you think you are addicted to online games?

Yes
No

The respondents were asked their insight as to whether they think

they are addicted to online games. The results were astonishing. As presented in
Figure 7, 80% of the respondents say they perceive themselves not addicted to
online games. One respondent said, I may play a lot of Facebook games but it is
only for fun. So far, I have not yet neglected any of my school obligations because
of it. Wikipedia defines computer addiction as excessive use of computers to the
extent that it interferes with daily life. Excessive use may explain problems in social
interaction, mood, personality, work ethic, relationship, thought processes, or sleep
deprivation.

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Whereas, only 20% said they believe they are already addicted to
computer games. A male respondent offered an explanation. He said, I think I am
addicted to computer and online games because I play it every day and I think I
cannot live without it.

Figure 8: Do you think your time for studying is reduced because of the time you spent for online gaming?

Yes
No

As for the question, Do you think your time for studying is reduced
because of the time you spent for online gaming?, we got mixed response, as 52%
claimed that their time for studying has indeed been reduced while the remaining
48% says the opposite.
Among the 52% of respondents who said their time for study has been
reduced also reported that playing games has caused them to stay up late and get
less sleep.

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Those who said their time for studying has been reduced further stressed
that although their time for studies has been reduced, their grades have not been
affected.

I.

Assessment of Social Networking Pattern

Socializing via the Internet has become an important part of young adult
life. Related literature shows that adolescents and young adults are the heaviest
computer and internet users, primary using it social network sites. The research
looked into the behaviour of the respondent in terms of Internet use for social
network sites.

Table 4.1 Time Spent on Social Networking Sites of Respondents

Time Spent on
Social
Networking Sites

Frequency

Percentage

1 minute-1 hour

46

76.67%

2-5 hours

11

18%

5-9 hours

5%

10 hours-beyond

TOTAL

60

100%
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The researchers were interested to know the time spent on social

networking sites of our respondents. Youth and students use social networking sites
as a means of interaction, socializing and for purely entertainment purposes.
Table 3.1 presents the results. Majority of the respondents or 76.67% consume an
average of one hour internet usage on social networking sites per day while 18%
extend up to 5 hours. The remaining 5% are heavy users of social networking sites.
One respondent said that she frequently checks her social networking account to
check for any updates. According to Facebook statistics, an average Facebook user
spends more than 55 minutes a day on the site, thus most of our respondents fall
under the average user group. As evidenced above, social network sites is
undoubtedly a popular time-consuming activity for most of our respondents.

Table 4.2 Type of Social Networking Sites Frequently Visited

Social
Networking Sites

Frequency

Percentage

Facebook

55

91.67%

Twitter

1.67%

Others

6.67%

TOTAL

60

100%

Social networking sites are being patronized for increasing connection between
strangers and friends, and the other features it offers.
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The most common social networking site is Facebook, with 91.67% of our population
are users of this site. The site was created by Mark Zuckerberg to help residential
college and university students identify students in other residence halls. It is
described as an online directory that connects people to social networks at colleges
and universities. Currently, there are more than 350 million active users of the site.
Meanwhile, the remaining 6.67% are into other social networking sites not specified
in the survey, while 1.67% is into Twitter.
One respondent confessed, Browsing through my Facebook account is very
entertaining. You would not notice that time has passed by. I update my status from
time to time, check on my friends updates and chat with my online friends. It is a
great way to relax.

Figure 9: Which do you do more; surf the net for school work or for entertainment?

School work
Entertainment

40

In reference to the discussion above in computer games, we also asked the students
if they are more inclined to use the internet for school work or for entertainment. As
presented in Figure 9, 60% of the students said they use it for social network sites
while only 40% claim to use it for school work. One student shared, Actually, I do
both. I do my research on the internet for school and check into my Facebook
account at the same time. I have practiced the habit of multi-tasking. In that way, I
can do two things at a time.
Related studies define multi-tasking as the simultaneous execution of two or more
processing activities at the same time. The current generation has through practice
developed the ability to quickly switch between different tasks or different media.
However, this does not mean that

Figure 10: Social Networking Sites Affect Academic Performance Adversely

40
35
30
Social Networking Sites
Affect Academic
Performance

25
20
15
10
5
0
Positively

Negatively

Uncertain

We also asked the respondents their perception as to whether they

think social networking sites affect academic performance. The results show that

41

52% of the respondents said that being hooked to social networking sites affected
their performance negatively. In addition, these students reported that they feel not
being in complete control of their Internet use and that it has hurt their time for
schoolwork. They said they have spent more hours online than necessary and that
they are more likely to stay up late and get less sleep.
Meanwhile, 46% percent said that social networking site has no effect
on their academic performance. These students claim that leisure and study are two
different activities and they are in total control of the time they devote for the two
activities. During interviews, participants reported they keep the website open in a
browser almost all of the time they are using the computer to study. They said they
would sometimes take a peek on the site just to check if there are new updates but
they would immediately go back to studying after. For this students, the use of
Facebook and other sites is not a separate activity, but rather, something that the
students carry our while studying or during lectures.

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