FINAL

ASSIGNMENT
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY

NGUYEN HA NGAN – A33498

LECTURER: DR. LE QUANG DUNG

THE IMPACTS OF FACEBOOK ON STUDENTS’ LIVES AND

LEARNING AT THANG LONG UNIVERSITY

HANOI 2021
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 2

1.1. Background of the study ................................................................................ 2
1.2. Aims of the study ............................................................................................. 2
1.3. Research questions .......................................................................................... 3
1.4. Significance of the study ................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 4
2.1. Review of related literature............................................................................ 4
2.2. Previous research ............................................................................................ 5
CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................ 7
3.1. Research design ............................................................................................... 7
3.2. Population and sampling ................................................................................ 7
3.2.1. Population .............................................................................................. 7
3.2.2. Sampling ................................................................................................. 7
3.3. Research instruments ..................................................................................... 8
3.4. Research procedures ....................................................................................... 9
CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS (RESULTS).................................................................. 10
CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................ 15
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 18
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 18
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1. Different types of social media used .......................................................... 10

Figure 4.2. Facebook’s state of being used .................................................................. 10
Figure 4.3. Facebook usage time .................................................................................. 11
Figure 4.4. Purposes of using Facebook ....................................................................... 12
Table 4.5. The impacts of Facebook on students’ lives ............................................... 12
Figure 4.6. The impact of Facebook on students’ study performance ......................... 13
THE IMPACTS OF FACEBOOK ON STUDENTS’ LIVES AND
LEARNING AT THANG LONG UNIVERSITY

Nguyen Ha Ngan*
Thang Long University
Nghiem Xuan Yem, Hoang Mai, Hanoi

Abstract: This article provides an overview of the impacts of Facebook on Thang Long
University students' learning activities, as well as some ideas for promoting the
advantages of social networking sites like Facebook. At the same time, the school,
professors, and students submit proposals to address the negative influence on Thang
Long University students' learning activities today.
Key words: Thang Long University, Facebook, students

*
Tel.: +84 378359748
Email: a33498@thanglong.edu.vn
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the study
Nowadays, the development of social networks has had a great influence on society.
According to Thomas L. Friedman’s standpoint, this period is called “World is flat”.
There are numerous benefits that social networks bring to users such as: updating
information fastly and constantly, providing utility services and entertainment.
Moreover, social networks are also an important aspect, which drastically changes the
form of communication between individuals, groups, and countries due to its
connectivity. Thus, social networks have become a popular medium with diverse
features that allow users to connect, share and receive information quickly.
Secondly, among the social networks, Facebook is one of the most popular social
networks in Vietnam with a very large number of users. Thus, focusing on research on
Facebook would be a suitable way to clarify the influence of this social network in
particular. Moreover, it also creates an important basis to support broader studies on the
position, role and impacts of social networks in general on social life.
Thirdly, Facebook has gradually become the main entertainment and habits of young
adults, typically students. However, the use of Facebook is not only for entertainment,
but also has a great impact on the psychology, lifestyle, and behavior of students in
social relationships. Facebook has attracted a large number of students from Thang
Long University, considering it an impossible part of life and its use has become a daily
habit. Besides the benefits of Facebook, it also negatively affects students' learning
activities. Therefore, the study of the impact of the social network Facebook on the
learning activities of students at Thang Long University, from there to make some
recommendations to improve the positive impacts and limit the negative impacts.
1.2. Aims of the study
The present study was conducted with the following aims; (1) to investigate the student's
actual situation of using Facebook (purpose of use, time of use, time of use, frequency
of use, means of access, ...), (2) to analyze the impact of using social network Facebook
on student learning, (3) and on students' lives (social relationships including family and
friends relationships, extracurricular activities, employment), finally (4) to give
suggestions and recommendations to promote the positive effects, reduce the negative
effects of using the social network Facebook on learning and students' lives.
1.3. Research questions
In responding to the above mentioned aims, the study is supposed to answer the
following research questions
1.3.1. How does the use of the social network Facebook affect students' learning?
1.3.2. How does the use of Facebook social network affect students’ lives (including
family relationships, friends, extracurricular activities and employment)?
1.4. Significance of the study
The findings from the study firstly to clarify the impact of using Facebook on the study
and life of students. Therefore, the study will suggest some recommendations to
improve the effectiveness of students' use of Facebook.
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Review of related literature
Facebook is nearly generally utilized among higher education students, and they see it
as their primary social media platform, therefore they devote a significant portion of
their time to it on a daily basis (Ellefsen, 2016). Furthermore, Nawafleh, Harfoush,
Fakhouri, Obiedat, and Rababah (2012) sought to discover the detrimental
consequences of Facebook on Amman users' social lives. According to the conclusions
of this survey, 49 percent of Facebook users used it more than three hours per day, 72
percent used it several hours per day, and they were unable to minimize their usage of
hours.
The data were collected by using quantitative methods via a survey to 100 randomly
selected college students in Turkey. Similarly, Pempek, Yermolayeva, and Calvert
(2009) discovered that college students spend an average of 27.93 minutes per day on
Facebook during the week and 28.44 minutes per day on weekends. In addition, social
networks (particularly Facebook) were a part of their everyday lives. Furthermore,
Alhazmi and Rahman (2013) reported that 78.9% of students spend more than an hour
every day on Facebook.
Akbiyik (2013) conducted a qualitative case study in Turkey to investigate the influence
of social networks on the social lives of college undergraduate students. The study's
findings found that using Facebook helps users communicate with their friends and
helps consumers know and learn about their friends. Similarly, photographs or videos
uploaded by students on Facebook help them to start a conversation, making
communication easier. This way of communication is accomplished by liking or
disliking the posts or leaving comments on the shared things. According to the findings,
Facebook has a negative impact on students because most of them complain that
keeping in touch with old friends does not help them compete in cases where their
lifestyles have diverged. They went on to say that because their lifestyles had changed,
they couldn't feel the same old intimacy. It was also aggravating for students when their
relatives attempted to control their Facebook behavior. The findings showed that they
receive friendship requests from people they would rather not meet in person.
Furthermore, students reported that some of their classmates do not speak to them in
person but add them as Facebook friends. Three students stated that they could not trust
relationships or conversations on Facebook because it is a virtual environment.
According to the findings, students believe that even if they know the person in real life,
they cannot be certain if he is telling the truth when they communicate with him in a
virtual environment. Furthermore, expressing political views on Facebook has a
negative impact on learners' social lives, and some participants did not want relatives
as Facebook friends.
Ractham, Kaewkitipong, and Firpo (2012) used Facebook as a learning tool in an
introductory management information systems course to create and maintain a better
learning environment. They created a constructivist learning environment by leveraging
social interactions among Facebook-connected students. To achieve social learning, a
variety of pedagogical strategies were used to integrate activities both inside and outside
of the classroom. Ractham, Kaewkitipong, and Firpo (2012) conducted a study with 75
students, yielding 55 completed, usable questionnaires. It was discovered that 55% of
students believed Facebook aided their learning. Furthermore, 78% thought Facebook
was a useful supplement to learning. The high volume of communication between
students and the positive responses to the survey led to the conclusion that informal
learning environments with Facebook as the primary space to communicate and
collaborate had great potential. The authors noticed that some students interacted in a
casual manner, similar to how they would interact with friends on their personal
Facebook accounts. Ractham, Kaewkitipong, and Firpo (2012) discovered that while
Facebook usage in the classroom takes time away from instructors, it is critical to
communicate frequently with students in order to maintain a high level of interest and
activity in the overall learning environment. They also discovered that the Facebook
effect was somewhat dependent on the instructor's skills, personal characteristics, and
willingness to devote the necessary time.
From the above studies, it can be seen that the appearance and development of social
networks has a strong impact on all aspects of human life and social life. The survey,
analysis of the current situation and assessment of the influencing factors of social
networks in various fields is an important premise in further research on social media
in general and Facebook in particular. Research is done on specific objects in social life,
specifically in this topic are students. Although there have been many topics and
scientific publications on the influence of social networks on human life in general and
in Vietnam in particular, the in-depth discussion of students is still a relatively new topic
and in need of clarification.
2.2. Previous research
The research concentrated on the impacts of Facebook on students’ life and learning.
To serve the research, the author conducted a survey of 140 students studying at Thang
Long University, Hanoi. They were from all the existed three educational levels, 46
freshmen, 51 sophomores and 43 juniors; there are 22 students from Faculty of Tourism,
26 students from Faculty of Information Technology, 18 students from Faculty of
Marketing, 34 from Faculty of English Language, 21 from Faculty of Multimedia and
19 from Faculty of Business Administration; there are 52 female students and 88 male
students. Research period from September to October 2021 at Thang Long University.
CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research design
This study investigated the impacts of Facebook on students’ social life at Thang Long
University, Hanoi, Vietnam. A qualitative research approach for this study was chosen
because qualitative methods are especially useful in discovering the meaning that
people give to events that they experience (Merriam, 1998). This study was based on
the strategy of a case study because most scholars agree that it is a strategy, but not a
particular method (Yin, 1994). Additionally, in a case study the researcher(s) tries/try
to find responses for ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘which’ and it refers to research that investigate
a few cases in considerable depth which is known a case study (Yin, 1994; Gomm,
Hammersley & Foster, 2000).
3.2. Population and sampling
3.2.1. Population
The research is conducted through the theoretical study of the social network Facebook,
combining methods of questionnaire, statistics, classification, comparison and
synthesis. To perform the research, 140 students from all ages studying at Thang Long
University were selected randomly to take part in the survey.
3.2.2. Sampling
The questionnaire below is a sample form of the research.
I. Basic information
1. What gender are you?

 Male  Female  Others

2. What year are you in university?

 Freshman  Sophomore  Junior  Senior

II. Status of students use of Facebook

3. What kind of social platform do you use?

 Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  Zalo Others

4. How do you know Facebook?

 Friends  Internet  TV  Others

5. What time of day do you usually use Facebook?

  Morning  Evening  Anytime  Others

6. How often do you use Facebook in a day?

 < 1 hour  1-3 hours  > 3 hours  All day

7. How long have you been using Facebook?

 < 6 months  6 months-1 year  1-2 years  > 2 years

8. What is your purpose of using Facebook?

…………………………………………………………………………………

9. Please give your opinion about the impacts of Facebook on your life.

Very
Good Neutral Bad Very bad
good

1. Communicating 62% 22% 10% 4% 3%

2. Health/Mental
8% 22% 38% 27% 5%
health

3. Working 2% 34% 55% 8% 1%

4. Making friends 32% 38% 28% 1% 1%

10. How does Facebook affect your study performance?

 Very beneficial
 Beneficial
 Not affect
 Harmful
Very harmful
3.3. Research instruments
In this study, the data was collected through a questionnaire. 140 students from Thang
Long University participated in the study and responded to the questionnaire. The
survey had a total of ten questions including eight multiple-choice questions, one open-
ended question, and one question to assess the degree of influence of facebook on
students' lives according to the index from Very Good to Very Bad, corresponding to
different levels.The survey investigated the devoted time students’ spend on the usage
of Facebook, and the impacts of Facebook on students’ learning and social life.
3.4. Research procedures
Excel software and a simple descriptive statistics technique are used to process the
survey data. The documentary research material is used to provide an overview of the
issue and is adaptable enough to be used throughout the analytical process of the article.
CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS (RESULTS)
According to survey findings from Thang Long University, all students have used social
media. The statistics show that the percentage of students using Facebook is 100%.
Besides, students also use other social networks such as Zalo (89%), Instagram (70%),
Twitter (22.5%). (Figure 4.1)

Others 12%

Twitter 23%

Instagram 70%

Zalo 89%

Facebook 100%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Figure 4.1. Different types of social media used

Question 1: How long and how much time do students use facebook?
According to the survey results, the majority of students have used Facebook for more
than 2 years (81.4%), 1-2 year (8.2%), 6 months-1 year (4.2%), less than 6 months
(6.2%). (Figure 4.2)

6.20%
1-2 years

8.20% 6 month-1 year

81.40% > 2 years
4.20% < 6 months

Figure 4.2. Facebook’s state of being used

In terms of daily usage, more than half of students answered that they spend 1-3 hours
using Facebook (55.7%). The second largest time using Facebook is more than 3 hours
with 28.3%. (Figure 4.3)

28.3% 1-3 hours

> 3 hours
55.7%
< 1 hour
All day
15%

1%

Figure 4.3. Facebook usage time

According to the data in the two charts above (Figure 4.2 and Figure 4.3), the data
reflects the long-term attachment and high frequency of use of Thang Long University
students to Facebook. For those who often use Facebook for less than 1 hour, they will
not be too affected by Facebook. As for those who often use Facebook for 1-3 hours or
more than 3 hours, it can be greatly affected by Facebook such as: time consuming,
addicted and dependent on facebook, disoriented...
Question 2. What is the purpose of using Facebook?

According to the results of the survey, students have different purposes when using
Facebook. The number of responses to the purposes of using Facebook has been
collected and divided into four groups. (Figure 4.4).
 7.9%

12% Sharing pictures and status

35.3% Updating news
Entertaining
16.7%
Online business
Others

28.1%

Figure 4.4. Purposes of using Facebook

The first purpose is sharing pictures and opinions. This is the main purpose of Thang
Long University’s students because it takes 35.3% of the survey’s result. Most students
use Facebook as an alternative to traditional diaries, with online and unlimited
storage.The second purpose is to update news (28.1%). Due to the quick update and rich
sources of information, many people have read news on Facebook instead of the
traditional newspaper. The two next purposes are for entertaining (16.7%) and online
business (12%). With more than 500 thousand good, diverse and highly appreciated
entertainment applications for users such as Games, Youtube, Messenger... Facebook
is chosen by students as a place to relieve stress after tiring school hours. They can play
games, chat with family, relatives, and friends. Some other students use Facebook to do
small businesses (mainly clothes and food) to increase their own income. This is an
interesting experience for students because they can directly negotiate and persuade
customers to buy your products through Facebook. It can be said that this is a good
opportunity to help them practice the ability to behave in e-commerce business.
Question 3: How does Facebook affect students’ lives?

Very good Good Neutral Bad Very bad

1. Communicating 62% 22% 10% 4% 3%

2. Health/Mental health 8% 22% 38% 27% 5%
3. Working 2% 34% 55% 8% 1%
4. Making friends 32% 38% 28% 1% 1%
Table 4.5. The impacts of Facebook on students’ lives
Firstly, 62% of participants said that Facebook helps them communicate much more
effectively. Facebook has a feature to suggest people that you may know through the
number of mutual friends, where you live, where you work, etc… Therefore, Facebook
not only helps you find new relationships, but also helps you keep in touch with old
relationships such as friends, relatives. For students of Thang Long University, they use
Facebook as a learning platform, and to connect with lecturers and students because the
level of interaction is less limited than in reality.
Secondly, there are 38% of students whose physical and mental health are not affected
by Facebook. Additionally, 22% of them say that Facebook is good for their health
while 27% feel bad. The contrast in the research results shows that Facebook is a
complicated environment. Users need to use intelligently and properly, choose official
information sources to avoid bad effects to health and psychology.
Thirdly, more than a half of students feel that their work is not affected by Facebook
(55%). In contrast, 34% of them said that Facebook is good for their work. Facebook is
a platform that allows users to use features such as messaging, calling, video calling.
That helps employees to quickly communicate and organize online meetings.
Finally, Facebook is a place for many people to exchange and connect, so making
friends is one of the outstanding features of this platform. Most of the participants voted
this impact positively for their lives: Good (38%), Very good (32%), Neutral (28%).
(Table 4.6)
Question 4: How does Facebook affect students’ study performance?

2%
38%
Beneficial
Very beneficial
10%
Not affect
9% Harmful
Very harmful
41%

Figure 4.6. The impact of Facebook on students’ study performance

According to the results of the survey, the data shows that Facebook has a significant
impact on student learning, both positively and negatively: Beneficial (41%), Harmful
(38%). As mentioned above, Facebook is a vast treasure trove of information. Its
connectivity and communication features help make group learning and staying up to
date easier than ever. In contrast, a large number of students think that Facebook
harmfully affects the quality of their learning because they spend too much time online
on Facebook. (Figure 4.6)
CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
This article discussed the results of a study designed to establish whether students
perceived the impacts of Facebook on their lives and study performance at Thang Long
University. According to the data, all participants have a Facebook account and most of
them have been using it for years. The purpose of using Facebook is various such as:
sharing pictures and opinions, updating news, entertaining, and online business.
Additionally, Facebook does affect students’ lives in both positively and negatively. It
helps students communicate, make friends, and work easier. However, Facebook may
negatively affect students’ mental health and cause some mental problems such as
depression, FOMO (fear of missing out), etc…Finally Facebook has a major influence
on student learning, both positively and negatively because some students think that
Facebook has made their learning activity easier, others think that Facebook is the main
reason of their poor study performance.
Based on the results of the survey on the impacts of using Facebook on students’ lives
and learning, the article will recommend some solutions to increase the efficiency and
limit the negative aspects to students at Thang Long University.

− Plan for yourself a reasonable time frame, balance between work, study, and
leisure. Only spend time on Facebook when you are free or want to relieve stress
and fatigue.
− All effects of Facebook arise due to the user's consciousness, if the awareness is
not good, it will lead to bad behavior. Therefore, before sharing any content on
Facebook, each individual must consider whether it is harmful to anyone or not.
− Schools and families need guidance, advice, and orientation for students on using
Facebook in a useful and effective way and being aware of the potential dangers
of sharing personal information on Facebook.
The study was conducted at Thang Long University, the sampling size is quite small
with 140 participants. The limitation of the study is that it only surveyed students at
Thang Long University to focus on the impacts of using Facebok. The findings,
therefore, may not be well-generalized for all college students in Vietnam.
 REFERENCES

Nguyen, L.N. (2020). Ảnh hưởng của việc sử dụng mạng xã hội Facebook đến học tập
và đời sống của sinh viên hiện nay. Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội.
Tho, L.D. (2018). Study the impact of Facebook on the learning activities of students
in Da Nang Vocational Training College today. https://bit.ly/3pNDqhL
Zakaria, S. (2017). Attitudes towards Facebook and the Use of Knowledge and Skills
among Students in the English Department at the University of Hail. Journal of
Education and Practice.
Doris, G.D. (2016). Facebook’s Effect on Learning in Higher Education: An Empirical
Investigation. Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ).
Abdul, N.H. (2020). The Effects of Facebook on Students’ Social Life: A Case Study
at Mirwais Khan Nika Zabul Institute of Higher Education, Zabul. Centre for Research
on Islamic Banking & Finance and Business, USA.
Loc, L.B., An, P.T., Thuan, L. T. (2013). Tác động của mạng xã hội Facebook đối với
sinh viên khoa PR - Trường Đại học Văn Lang. Đại học Văn Lang.
 APPENDICES

PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT SỰ TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA MẠNG XÃ HỘI FACEBOOK

ĐỐI VỚI SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC THĂNG LONG

Họ và tên:………………………………………………………………………………
Lớp: ……………………………………………………………………………………
I. Thông tin cơ bản
1. Giới tính của bạn là gì

 Nam  Nữ  Khác

2. Bạn là sinh viên năm mấy?

 Năm nhất  Năm hai  Năm ba  Năm tư

II. Thực trạng sử dụng Facebook

3. Bạn sử dụng mạng xã hội nào dưới đây?

 Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  Zalo  Khác

4. Bạn biết đến Facebook qua đâu?

 Bạn bè  Internet  TV  Khác

5. Bạn thường sử dụng Facebook vào khoảng thời gian nào trong ngày?

 Buổi sáng  Buổi tối  Bất cứ lúc nào  Khác

6. Mỗi ngày bạn thường dành bao nhiêu thời gian để dùng Facebook?

 <1 tiếng  1-3 tiếng  >3 tiếng  Cả ngày

7. Bạn bắt đầu sử dụng Facebook được bao lâu?

 < 6 tháng  6 tháng-1 năm  1-2 năm  > 2 năm

8. Mục đích sử dụng Facebook của bạn là gì?

…………………………………………………………………………………
 9. Bạn hãy đánh giá ảnh hưởng của mạng xã hội đến cuộc sống của bạn (đánh dấu
vào ô tương ứng).

Bình
Rất tốt Tốt Tệ Rất tệ
thường

1. Giao tiếp

2. Sức khỏe/ Tâm lý

3. Công việc

4. Kết bạn

10. Facebook ảnh hưởng đến kết quả học tập của bạn như thế nào?
 Rất tốt
 Tốt
 Không ảnh hưởng
 Tệ
 Rất tệ

Xin chân thành cảm ơn!