Impact of Social Media Behavior on International Students - Essay Example

REFLECTION REPORT By Quantitative Reflection Report INTRODUCTION Generally speaking, this work is a representation of the team’s reflection report on how the concept of quantitative research has been used to evaluate the impact of social media behavior of international students of University of South Wales (USW). In a nutshell, the team settled on the following outlines to come up with an appropriate report. Research Philosophy Research Ethics Research Team Research Experience References RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY Accordingly, the use of social media radically changes the interactional environment among students not only in the teaching and learning process, but in carrying out scientific research as well (Patrut, Patrut & Cmeciu, 2013, p. 19). Therefore, this research offers an ideal framework of determining how social media positively or negatively affects the students’ behavior. As such, the methodology used in this research, quantitative analysis, makes it possible to answer the research questions. To increase the relevance and efficiency of the data, the current research team decided to use questionnaires as their main mode of data collection. According to Katsirikou and Skiadas, questionnaires are an advantageous data collection method since they not give the researchers an ability to gather huge amounts of data at a relatively short period, but also significantly reduces the research cost (2010, p. 293). Hence, in carrying out this study, the researchers identified an appropriate data collection method that would give them viable results. It is also worth noting that the researchers made use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to come up with an efficient analysis of the data collected. Notably important, the researchers acknowledge the fact that the use of social media among students could have various disadvantages. Although most people have a notion that the use of social media could negatively impact or hinder the learning process, social media should not be confined only to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The researchers point out that there are other social media platforms which have been found effective in improving the learning process as well as students’ behaviors. For instance, the use of intranet has been mentioned to be of great importance in promoting the overall behavior and supporting the learning process of the students. Equally important, the researcher states that since the core idea of conducting this study was to determine the impact of social media on the behavior of USW students, the main focus was on data collection. As such, the researchers opted to adopt a quantitative data collection method rather than a qualitative one for various reasons. For instance, the researchers point out that eliminating the qualitative method and focusing unanimously on the questionnaires as their main mode of data collection would simplify their investigation. Consequently, to carry out their survey, the researchers came up with a sample of 90 students who were administered with questionnaires containing 14 questions covering various aspects of the research study. Of the 90, questionnaires from 81 students were recovered and used as a representation of the overall data. It is beyond reasonable doubt that indeed, this number is appropriate in accomplishing the research target. According to Arksey and Knight, besides increasing confidence in outcomes and strengthening the completeness of a study, triangulation enhances the understandability and interpretability of data during a study (1999, p. 25). Arguably, in conducting this study, the researchers made appropriate use of triangulation. To illustrate, the researchers distributed the questionnaires in various locations within Treforest campus, and they engaged international students in talks before distributing the questionnaires to them. As such, the participants were informed of what the study entailed before they filled the questionnaires thus enabling them to have a clear interpretation of the questions asked. It is also worth noting that the research questions were designed to fit the research objectives to ensure that the participants generate relevant and valid data. To repeat, doing this not only increased confidence in outcomes, but also strengthened the completeness of the research study. RESEARCH ETHICS Generally speaking, “ethics of research” refers to the personal or collective behavioral principles that are used in conducting research (Frechette, 1994, p. 2). Therefore, research ethics are codes which specify how the researchers have to conduct themselves while carrying out a study. According to Hall, voluntary informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, and risk assessment are among the most prominent ethical issues associated with conducting social research (2008, p. 68). Since this research was conducted in a setting with individuals from diverse cultures, beliefs and behaviors, it is high likely that these ethical issues were bound to occur. As such, due to the existing cultural diversity among the participants in this study, the researchers identified the need to carefully address the ethical issues. For instance, besides providing confidentiality by assuring participants that the information provided was exclusively for research purposes, the researchers also informed of them of what the study entailed before they completed the questionnaires. RESEARCH TEAM Basically, in order to achieve desirable results when conducting a team research, every member should actively engage in the study and preach cohesiveness and togetherness (Hallowell, Lawton & Gregory, 2005, p. 83). Generally speaking, to achieve success, the researchers in this study had to actively work as a team. It is however worth noting that working in a team could present various challenges that can lead to failure of the entire project when left unattended to. For instance, due to the fact that team members were of different cultural diversities, there could ensue different conflicts or biases which could affect the research. It is however worth noting that the researchers in this study carefully worked in unison and respected one another to ensure that everything was going as expected. In addition, in order to develop teamwork and generate cohesiveness among the team members, each researcher was assigned duties and responsibilities. As such, the research developed a structure that enabled the team members to carry out various responsibilities. Furthermore, during the analysis of the questionnaires, the researchers assumed a neutral position so as not to affect the results or findings of the study. Mostly, due to the difference in opinions brought up by the difference in cultural and religious aspects, individuals may find themselves in conflicts or disagreements. Thus, the research team ensured that measures were put in place to avoid conflict and build cohesiveness. Moreover, the research team emphasized on the importance of effective communication and thus, besides oral communication, the research team members used platforms such as Gmail and WhatsApp to exchange ideas and carry out tasks. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE Largely, this research topic provided the researchers with an ideal opportunity of not only engaging themselves in a social and interactional experience, but also witnessing and understanding how social quantitative research can be used in research. Therefore, it is crystal clear that throughout the research period, researchers were able to not only learn the quantitative techniques used in carrying out social research, but also the other intellectual principles and foundations of research. Furthermore, the researchers also understood the importance and significance of deciding on the data analysis method. In summary, besides equipping researchers with intellectual knowledge, this research enabled the researchers to critically understand what quantitative research entails. Works Cited Arksey, H., & Knight, P. T. 1999, Interviewing for social scientists: an introductory resource with examples. London, Sage. Frechette, K. S. 1994, Research ethics of scientific research. Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield. Hall, R. 2008, Applied social research: planning, designing and conducting real-world research. South Yarra, Vic, Palgrave Macmillan. Hallowell, N., Lawton, J., & Gregory, S. 2005, Reflections on research the realities of doing research in the social sciences. Maidenhead, Open University Press. Katsirikou, A., & Skiadas, C. H. 2010, Qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries theory and applications: proceedings of the International Conference on QQML2009, Chania, Crete, Greece, 26-29 May 2009. Singapore, World Scientific. Patrut, B., Patrut, M., & Cmeciu, C. 2013, Social media and the new academic environment pedagogical challenges. Hershey, Pa, IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA). Read More