Abstract
This paper reports on the findings of a study pertaining to the psychological impact of e-learning on social network sites. The findings have resulted by means of a correlational analysis between attitude towards e-learning on social network sites and satisfaction with life of students experienced with e-learning experiences. It was based on an online survey of 607 valid responses with e-learning experiences gathered from 896 online respondents. The gender profile was balanced (males 50.7% and females 49.3% respectively). The analysis found that students who had experience of e-learning on social network sites also had a positive score on the Satisfaction with Life Scale (females 4.40 out of 6, SD = 0.91 and males 4.38 out of 6, SD = 0.9). The attitudes towards e-learning were also positive (female 4.34 out of 6, SD = 1.0 and male 4.12 out of 6, SD = 1.2). The relationship between e-learning attitudes and satisfaction with life was investigated using the Spearman Rank Order Correlation (rho) statistic. The research data shows a significant positive association between attitudes towards e-learning and satisfaction with life by females and males.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alfalah, T. F., Alfalah, S. F., Falah, J. F., Qutaishat, W., & Al-Zu’bi, M. (2017). Learning management system versus social networking sites. International Business Research,10(6), 123.
Aljawarneh, S., Alshargabi, B., Hayajneh, S., & Imam, A. (2015). Integration of e-learning and cloud computing platform through software engineering. Recent Patents on Computer Science,8(2), 100–105.
Al-Menayes, J. J. (2015). Social media use, engagement and addiction as predictors of academic performance. International Journal of Psychological Studies,7(4), 86.
Andale. (2014). Cronbach’s alpha: Simple definition, use and interpretation. Retrieved October 7, 2017, from http://www.statisticshowto.com/cronbachs-alpha-spss/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Barczyk, C. C., & Duncan, D. G. (2013). Facebook in higher education courses: An analysis of students’ attitudes, community of practice, and classroom community. International Business and Management,6(1), 1–11.
Bersin, J. (2017). The disruption of digital learning: Ten things we have learned. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://joshbersin.com/2017/03/the-disruption-of-digital-learning-ten-things-we-have-learned/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Davies, S. (2010). Effective assessment in a digital age a guide to technology-enhanced assessment and feedback (JISC e-Learning Programme) (p. 64). United Kingdom: Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) e-Learning Programme. Retrieved from https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/digiassass_eada.pdf. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
De-Marcos, L., Domínguez, A., Saenz-de-Navarrete, J., & Pagés, C. (2014). An empirical study comparing gamification and social networking on e-learning. Computers & Education,75, 82–91.
Diener, E., Inglehart, R., & Tay, L. (2013). Theory and validity of life satisfaction scales. Social Indicators Research,112(3), 497–527.
Durak, G. (2017). Using social learning networks (SLNs) in higher education: Edmodo through the lenses of academics. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning,18(1), 1–15.
Garrison, D. R. (2011). E-learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. London: Routledge.
George, B. H. (2017). A study of traditional discussion boards and social media within an online landscape architecture course. Review of Applied Socio-Economic Research,13(1), 16–25.
GfK Bluemoon, & Australian Communications and Media Authority. (2013). Like, post, share: Young Australians’ experience of social media Quantitative research report. Australia: The Australian Communications and Media Authority. Retrieved from http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/Library/researchacma/Research-reports/young-australians-and-social-media. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Gordon, K. (2017a). Global social media ranking 2017 | statistic. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Gordon, K. (2017b). Social media statistics. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/topics/1164/social-networks/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Hampton, K., Rainie, L., Lu, W., Shin, I., & Purcell, K. (2015). Social media and the cost of caring. Retrieved May 13, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/15/social-media-and-stress/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Howarth, C. (2006). How social representations of attitudes have informed attitude theories: The consensual and the reified. Theory & Psychology,16(5), 691–714.
Hurt, N., Moss, G., Bradley, C., Larson, L., Lovelace, M., Prevost, L., et al. (2012). The “Facebook’’ effect: College students’ perceptions of online discussions in the age of social networking. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060210.
Kiri, A. M., Arslan, A., Çetinkaya, A., & Mehmet, G. (2015). A quantitative research on the level of social media addiction among young people in Turkey. International Journal of Science Culture and Sport (IntJSCS),3(3), 108–122.
Laerd Statistics. (2018). Spearman’s rank order correlation using SPSS statistics: A how-to statistical guide. Retrieved December 2, 2018, from https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/spearmans-rank-order-correlation-using-spss-statistics.php. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Lam, L. (2012). An innovative research on the usage of Facebook in the higher education context of Hong Kong. Electronic Journal of E-Learning,10(4), 378–386.
Lee, R. B., Baring, R., Maria, M. S., & Reysen, S. (2015). Attitude towards technology, social media usage and grade-point average as predictors of global citizenship identification in Filipino University Students. International Journal of Psychology,52(3), 213–219. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12200.
Lepp, A., Barkley, J. E., & Karpinski, A. C. (2014). The relationship between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and Satisfaction with life in college students. Computers in Human Behavior,31, 343–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.10.049.
Mehmood, S., & Taswir, T. (2013). The effects of social networking sites on the academic performance of students in college of applied sciences, Nizwa, Oman. International Journal of Arts and Commerce,2(1), 111–125.
Meishar-Tal, H., Kurtz, G., & Pieterse, E. (2012). Facebook groups as LMS: A case study. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning,13(4), 33–48.
Merriam-Webster. (2017a). Definition of social media. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Merriam-Webster. (2017b). Definition of social network. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social+network. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Mitra, S. (2013). The internet can harm, but can also be a child’s best tool for learning | Sugata Mitra. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/03/child-safety-internet-web-access.
Noyes, D. (2017). Top 20 Facebook statistics: Updated October 2017 [Marketing research]. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Obizmedia. (2013). The use of social media in school infographic. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://elearninginfographics.com/the-use-of-social-media-in-school-infographic/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Omar, A. (2017). Tailoring quality assurance towards education 4.0. Retrieved from http://www.utar.edu.my/sieqa2017/file/Website/Seminar/Plenary.pdf. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Ozkan, S., Koseler, R., & Baykal, N. (2009). Evaluating learning management systems: Adoption of hexagonal e-learning assessment model in higher education. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy,3(2), 111–130. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506160910960522.
Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (2009). Review of the satisfaction with life scale. In E. Diener (Ed.), Assessing well-being: The collected works of Ed Diener (pp. 101–117). New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2354-4_5.
Pew Research Center. (2018). Social media use 2018: Demographics and statistics. Retrieved December 12, 2018, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Pittman, M., & Reich, B. (2016). Social media and loneliness: Why an Instagram picture may be worth more than a thousand Twitter words. Computers in Human Behavior,62, 155–167.
Sawang, S., Newton, C., & Jamieson, K. (2013). Increasing learners’ satisfaction/intention to adopt more e-learning. Education+Training,55(1), 83–105.
Schaeffer, N. C., & Presser, S. (2003). The science of asking questions. Annual Review of Sociology,29(1), 65–88. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.29.110702.110112.
Schauer, P. (2015). 5 Biggest differences between social media and social networking. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/peteschauer/2015-06-28/5-biggest-differences-between-social-media-and-social. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Schroeder, J., & Greenbowe, T. J. (2009). The chemistry of Facebook: Using social networking to create an online community for the organic chemistry. Innovate: Journal of Online Education,5(4), 1–7.
Singh, M., Goel, D., & Islamia, M. J. (2016). Impact of students attitudes towards social media use in education on their academic performance. AIMA Journal of Management & Research, 10(2/4). Retrieved from http://apps.aima.in/ejournal_new/articlesPDF/Divya-Mitushi.pdf. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Uvalić-Trumbić, S., & Daniel, J. (2013). A guide to quality in online learning (p. 28). Academic Partnerships. Retrieved from https://www.chea.org/userfiles/uploads/A%20Guide%20to%20Quality%20in%20Online%20Learning.pdf. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Vate-U-Lan, P. (2015). Transforming classrooms through game-based learning: A feasibility study in a developing country. International Journal of Game-Based Learning,5(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijgbl.2015010104.
Vate-U-Lan, P. (2017a). Foresight eLearning platforms: Insights from a Thai survey. International Journal of Information and Education Technology,7(1), 53–59. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2017.7.1.841.
Vate-U-Lan, P. (2017b). The Oxymoron of serious games in eLearning: Gender differences from an internet-based survey in Thailand. In International academic conference on teaching, learning and e-learning in Budapest Hungary 2017 (IAC-TLEl 2017) (pp. 6–17). Budapest, Hungary: Czech Technical University in Prague. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/drpoonsri/the-oxymoron-of-serious-games-in-elearning-gender-differences-from-an-internetbased-survey-in-thailand. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Vate-U-Lan, P., & Masouras, P. (2018). Thriving social network for communication on elearning: Exploring gender differences in attitudes. In Proceedings of the first international conference on data science, e-learning and information systems (p. 14). Ayre Gran Hotel Colón, Madrid, Spain: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3279996.3280010.
World Health Organization. (2013). Comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2020 (Annex No. WHA66.8). Geneva: The Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/wha66/a66_r8-en.pdf. Accessed 11 Jan 2019.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vate-U-Lan, P. Psychological impact of e-learning on social network sites: online students’ attitudes and their satisfaction with life. J Comput High Educ 32, 27–40 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-019-09222-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-019-09222-1