Social Networking by Undergraduate Students at the University of Puerto Rico in Carolina

Abstract

Considering the growth of social networks and their frequent use by students, a case study was conducted to describe how undergraduate students’ use social networking and assess their perception about the positive and negative effects of their use. This chapter presents the results of the study that was conducted with undergraduate students of the University of Puerto Rico. A total of 140 participants completed a questionnaire that was designed to answer the research questions. The results evidenced that the students recognize the positive effects of the use of the social networks in terms of communication and access to information. But, they also recognize the negative effects especially because the use of social networks distracts them from the time they should spend with their class works. After discussing the results, some recommendations are presented that should be considered when integrating the use of social networks in the teaching-learning process.