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Ministry of HealthFoundation ProgrammeAdvantages and Disadvantages of Using Whatsapp among Students in OmanSuleiman Al-Humaimi, NU888Group 2021 June 2015Foundation Center, Muscat OmanSubmitted to: Ms. Doryl S. Cabiao SupervisorDECLARATION OF ORIGINAL WORK This declaration is made on the ____21st ___day of __June 2015.___ (date) (month, year)Student’s Declaration:I Suleiman Al-Humaimi, NU888, (PLEASE INDICATE STUDENT’S NAME, STUDENT NO.,) hereby declare that the work entitled Advantages and Disadvantages of using Whatsapp among Students in Oman is my original work. I have not copied from any other students’ work or from any other sources except where due reference or acknowledgement is made explicitly in the text, nor has any part been written for me by another person. ___ June 21, 2015___ ___Suleiman Al-Humeimi, (NU888)__ Date submitted Name of the student (StudentNo.)ABSTRACTThis research paper investigated the advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students in Oman, specifically at the Foundation Centre, Ministry of Health. The objectives of the research were to determine the extent of using Whatsapp and how it affects the students’ performance, identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students in Oman and to provide some recommendations to overcome the negative effects of using Whatsapp. The literature review discussed various studies that have been conducted in relation to the use of Whatsapp by students. A questionnaire was formulated and distributed to 25 randomly selected students, and then the data was analyzed. The results showed that all of the respondents were using Whatsapp and about 60% of them had their Whatsapp on for 24 hours. It was also noticeable that almost all of the respondents (24 out of 25) wished that they can use Whatsapp in studying. Whatsapp, as perceived by students has advantages and disadvantages. It was then recommended that teachers and other authorities in the academe should try to experiment in incorporating Whatsapp in studying.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn full gratitude I would like to acknowledge the following individuals who encouraged, inspired, supported, assisted, and sacrificed themselves to help my pursuit of a high education degree.In the institute, I would like thank my supervisor, Ms. Doryl Cabiao, for sharing expertise, and sincere and valuable guidance and encouragement extended to me. I would also like to thank the Head of the English Department, Mr. Redha Al-Qubtan, for his help and support.In my family I thank my parents, and my brothers and sisters for supporting me emotionally and mentally whenever I feel tired working with this research.Without the support, encouragement, and dedication to assist me, this research would not have been possible.Table of Contents Page Declaration of Original Work …………………………………………………………….. iAbstract …………………………………………………………………………………… iiAcknowledgements ……………………………………………………………...……….. iiiChapter 2: Introduction Background of the study ………………………………………………......………1Statement of the Problem …………………………………………………......…...2Objectives ………………………………………………………………...…...…...2Chapter 2: Literature Review …………………………………………………...……...….3Chapter 3: Methods and Procedure ……………………………………………..…………5Research Approach ……………………………………...………………..………..5Research Instrument…………………………………………………….….………5Samples/Respondents……………………………………………..……….……….5Data Collection Procedures ………………………………………………………..7Chapter 4: Results and Discussion…………………………………………………………8Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations ……………………………………………12References …………………………………………………………………………………13 Appendix 1: Questionnaire ……………………………………………………………….14Appendix 2: Questionnaire Results ……………………………………………………….16Appendix 3: Transcript of Recorded Interview ………………………...……………….. 17Appendix 4: Map of the Location ……………………………………………………….. 18Appendix 5: Request Letter to Conduct a Study ………………………………….… …. 19Appendix 6: Raw Data from Statistical Package for the Social Sciences?(SPSS) ………. 20 Chapter 1: IntroductionBackground of the StudySocial media is defined as Internet networks that provide an online community for users to interact in a fast, convenient manner. Within social media networks, users are able to create profiles, share information, and view other users’ comments (Brubaker 2013). As the Internet, mobile phones, and text messaging spread to the general public, people quickly became accustomed to communicating with peers or groups of people via text from an electronic device.In January 2015, WhatsApp was the most globally popular messaging app with more than 700 million active users (Olson, 2014) with India alone having a user base of more than 70 million. WhatsApp Inc., based in Mountain View, California, was acquired by Facebook on February 19, 2014, for approx. US$19 billion (Newsroom., 2014).Whatsapp messenger has been popular among people especially the teenagers. Recent updates such as calling have improved its functionality.WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in Oman. Half of Oman’s phone users subscribe to data packages, and most of these are using WhatsApp, Viber and other free messaging services. These days, a lot of students use Whatsapp even when they are in the classroom. It seems to be that this messaging application has become an important part of their daily routine.The effects of using Whatsapp has become a topic of a lot of researches especially its effects when it comes to students. With this in mind, the researcher attempted to find out the advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students in Oman.Statement of the ProblemThis research aimed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students in Oman. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:1. What is the profile of the respondents with regard to the following:1.1 Age1.2 Gender1.3 Use of Whatsapp2. What are the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students?ObjectivesThe objectives of the study are as follows:To determine the extent of usage of Whatsapp and how it affects the students’ academic performance.To identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students in Oman1.1 Positive effects1.2 Negative effectsTo provide some recommendations to overcome possible negative effects of using Whatsapp.Chapter 2: Review of Related LiteratureThe Use of WhatsappWhatsApp is an instant messaging app for smartphones that operates under a subscription business model. The proprietary, cross-platform app uses the Internet to send text messages, images, video, user location and audio media messages (IPG Media Lab, 2013).It’s not just teenagers who like to use this application. Business people, from those in the media to hard-nosed executives, find it useful to keep tabs on what’s happening, share information and root out leads.During the storms and rain that swept through Oman in April, for instance, photographs and videos of flooded wadis and rain soaked streets were quickly circulating on WhatsApp, uploaded by people on the ground and viewed almost instantaneously.“People and businesses now think of WhatsApp as a new platform to raise awareness about a product or different activities,” agrees Jansait Qoughondoqa, head of community management at social media consultancy The Online Project. “It is proven by numbers that WhatsApp is the fastest method to promote anything – be it a joke, rumour or even help for a needy family.” (Gill, 2013).Effects of Whatsapp on StudentsIn Saudi Arabia, a study has been conducted to explore the impact of using WhatsApp mobile learning activities on the achievement and attitudes of online students using mobile devices at the university. Researcher conducted an experiment in the 2014 academic year. The results of the present study show that mobile learning based WhatsApp social networking has a high positive impact on the achievement test of students. Students prefer this innovative educational technology based mobile learning (Amry, 2014).Similarly, a research was done in Ghana to investigate on the Impact of Whatsapp messenger usage on students performance in tertiary institutions. In this study, 50 students from five tertiary institutions were interviewed and 500 questionnaires were administered to students from same institutions. The study revealed that, whatsapp instead of making communication easier and faster thereby enhancing effective flow of information and idea sharing among students, rather has impacted negatively on the performance of tertiary students in Ghana .The study among other things unveiled the following: whatsapp takes much of students study time , results in procrastination related problems, destroys students’ spellings and grammatical construction of sentences, leads to lack of concentration during lectures, results in difficulty in balancing online activities (whatsapp) and academic preparation and distracts students from completing their assignments and adhering to their private studies time table (Yeboah & Ewur, 2014).Since WhatsApp is relatively a new phenomenon, little research exists regarding its influence on interpersonal communication in general, and between high school teachers and their students in particular (Church & de Oliveira, 2013). An examination of the use of WhatsApp in a South African university class registered positive feedback from students who claimed that it was an easier way to communicate with their teachers and the rest of the class, that it was productive of fruitful discourse on relevant issues in an informal environment where students could learn intimately and authentically, and that it was also fun (Bere, 2013).Chapter 3: Methods and ProcedureThis chapter discusses the research approach, the population, description of respondents, research instruments, and data collection procedure.Research ApproachGiven the research purpose of identifying the effects of using Whatsapp among students in Oman, quantitative research is adopted as the main methodological frame by analysing the common responses to a questionnaire. A quantitative method concentrates on objective measurements and numerical analysis of data gathered through questionnaires, polls, and surveys (Babbie, 2010).Samples/RespondentsThe respondents of this research were composed of 25 randomly selected students of the Foundation Program, Ministry of Health. Each respondent was given a questionnaire to fill in.Research InstrumentTo get the data needed for this research, the researcher came up with a questionnaire that was drafted based on the literature review. The questionnaire consists of two parts. The first part was composed of background questions to determine the respondents’ profile.1. Name: (Optional)2. Gender: Male Female3. Age: ______________4. Do you use Whatsapp messenger? Yes No; If your answer is Yes, proceed to the next question. If your answer is No, you may now stop here.5. How much time do you spend in using Whatsapp? 1-2 hours / day 3-4 hours / day 5-6 hours / day More than 6 hours / day My Whatsapp is on 24 hours a day6. Why do you use whatsapp? Check all that applies.For studying/academic workTo get general informationChatting with friendsTo connect with family The second part of the questionnaire was composed of 10 statements where respondents had to answer based on how they feel about each statements by choosing either Agree, Disagree, or Neither Agree nor Disagree. The following were the statements on the second part of the questionnaire:1. I enjoy using Whatsapp.2. I learn many things through Whatsapp.3. Whatsapp helped me to communicate with my family when I am far from them.4. I feel guilty whenever I use Whatsapp instead of studying.5. When my friends and I decided to discuss school project through Whatsapp, we always end up talking about a different thing.6. I always sleep late because of using Whatsapp.7. I am always updated with current news because of Whatsapp.8. I sometimes check my phone to see Whatsapp messages even when I am in class.9. I lose focus and concentration when I am studying if my Whatsapp is on.10. I wish that we can use Whatsapp in studying.Data Collection ProceduresThe researcher went through the following steps in order to get all important data for this research. 1. The researcher obtained approval from the supervisor for the questionnaire to be used in research.2. The questionnaire were photocopied and distributed to selected students from the Foundation Centre. The questionnaires were distributed on 1 June and collected back the next day.3. The data were then plotted to MS Excel for analysis.Chapter 4: Results and DiscussionThis chapter presents the analysis and interpretation of the data gathered. 4.1 Results4.1.1. Profile of RespondentsThe respondents were comprised of 60% female and 40% male (Figure 1). Figure 2 shows that 72% of them were 19 years old, 8% were 18 and another 8% were 20 years old, and the remaining 12% were aged over 21. All of the respondents were using Whatsapp. Most of the respondents said that their Whatsapp is 24 hours on (60%), 20% said they were using Whatsapp for more than 6 hours a day, 8% said they were using it for 3-4 and 5-6 hours in a day, and only 4% said that they were using Whatsapp for 1-2 hours a day (Figure 3). Table 1 presents the reasons of the students in using Whatsapp. It shows that all of the respondents are using Whatsapp to chat with friends and to communicate with their families and only 10 respondents use it for studying.733425-3175Figure 1. Gender600075-96520Figure 2. Age666750-57150Figure 3. Time spent in using WhatsappTable 1. Reasons for using WhatsappREASONS FOR USING WHATSAPPNo. of RespondentsChatting with friends25To connect with family25To get general information20For studying104.1.2 Students’ perceptions on the effects of using WhatsappFigure 4 presents the perceptions of students in relation to using Whatsapp. All of the respondents agreed that they enjoy using Whatsapp (statement 1) and Whatsapp help them to communicate with their families (statement 3). About 92% of the respondents agreed in statement 3 saying that “I learned many things through Whatsapp”. Most of them (60%) also agreed that they feel guilty whenever they use Whatsapp instead of studying. Students who agree and who disagree got the same percentage (40%) with statement saying that “When my friends and I decided to discuss school project through Whatsapp, we always end up talking about a different thing”. Seventy-two percent agreed that they were always updated with current news through Whatsapp while 8% disagreed and 20% neither agreed nor disagreed. With regards to statement 8 saying “I sometimes check my phone to see Whatsapp messages even when I am in class”, 60% of the respondents agreed with it. More than half of the respondents (52%), however, disagreed that they lose focus and concentration when studying if Whatsapp is on. Almost all of the respondents (24 out of 25) wished that they can use Whatsapp in studying. 266700634Figure 4. Perceptions on using WhatsappDiscussionThe result of the survey revealed that majority of the respondents were female. Most of the respondents were 19 years old. All of the respondents were using Whatsapp and majority of them have their Whatsapp on for 24 hours. It is not very surprising since nowadays, people can subscribe to data plans from different mobile companies at a low cost. Students also gave reasons on why they use Whatsapp. All of the respondents said that they use it to connect with their families. A lot of the students from the institute came from the different regions in Oman, therefore, it is probable that using Whatsapp is the most economical and easiest way to communicate with their families back home. Also, all of the respondents said they use Whatsapp to chat with their friends. Studying ranked the lowest as a reason for using Whatsapp.With regards to the students’ perception on the effects of using Whatsapp, all of the respondents enjoyed using Whatsapp which would be a positive thing. Most of them also said that they learn many things through Whatsapp. Most of the students have a guilty feeling whenever they use Whatsapp instead of studying and most of them also check Whatsapp messages while in class. Majority of the students also sleep late because of using Whatsapp. This means that using Whatsapp may interfere with their study habits, similar with the result of the study of Yeboah & Ewur (2014). On the contrary, most of the students disagreed that they lose focus and concentration if Whatsapp is on. Almost all of the respondents hoped to use Whatsapp in studying. This is one thing to look into as Bere’s research (2013) mentioned some positive impact with the use of Whatsapp in learning.Chapter 5: Conclusion and RecommendationThis chapter presents the conclusion and recommendation for this research. This study investigated on the perceived effects of the use of Whatsapp by Omani students.ConclusionsConsidering the findings of this research, it can be concluded that using Whatsapp have both positive and negative effects for students. Since most of them live far from their families, Whatsapp serves as a tool for easy communication. Students may be affected negatively by using Whatsapp since it can cause lack of sleep. It may also hinder their study habits if they use Whatsapp while in class. Students also feel distracted when they use Whatsapp instead of studying. In contrast, using Whatsapp posed not only negative effects. Since the students are more interested in using mobile phones and other forms of technological gadgets, using Whatsapp can be a promising tool for educationRecommendationsWith this, the researcher is recommending that teachers and other authorities in the academe should try to experiment in incorporating Whatsapp in studying. It may be an informal type of learning, but it may also be beneficial to both teachers and students since students will be more interested in learning. To students, the researcher is recommending that they should try to limit the use of Whatsapp, especially if they feel that it is already taking too much of their time, rather than doing something more important, like studying. It is also recommended that other researchers do further studies about this topic and investigate deeply on the impact of Whatsapp. ReferencesAmry, A. (2014). The results of the present study show that mobile learning based WhatsApp social networking has a high positive impact on the achievement test of students. Students prefer this innovative educational technology based mobile learning.?European Scientific Journal,?10(22).Bere, A. (2013). Using mobile instant messaging to leverage learner participation and transform pedagogy at a South African University of Technology. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(4), 544- 561. Brubaker, E.V (2013). The relationship between Facebook?TM?Activity and Academic Performance among African American Students, Lynchburg. Liberty University.Church, K., & de Oliveira, R. (2013). What's up with Whatsapp? Comparing mobile instant messaging behaviors with traditional SMS. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Human-computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (pp. 352-361). ACM.Gill, J. (2013). NO WHATSAPP, NO LIFE.?Y Pulse Of Oman.IPG Media Lab,. (2013).?The Power Of Real Time: A Media Trial From IPG Lab & AOL. Retrieved 1 April 2015, from ,. (2014).?Facebook to Acquire WhatsApp | Facebook Newsroom. Retrieved 1 April 2015, from , P. (2014).?WhatsApp Hits 600 Million Active Users, Founder Says.?Forbes. Retrieved 1 April 2015, from , J., & Ewur, G. (2014). The Impact of Whatsapp Messenger Usage on Students Performance in Tertiary Institutions in Ghana.?Journal Of Education And Practice,?5(6).Appendix 1: QuestionnaireMinistry of HealthFoundation ProgrammeAdvantages and Disadvantages of using Whatsapp among Students in OmanI am Suleiman Al-Humeimi, a student at Foundation Programme. As part of the Mini-Research Project course, I am conducting a study on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students. This questionnaire is my data collection instrument, so I will be very grateful if I can have some of your time to fill it in.Section A: Put () tick in one of the squares in each of the following items. Write your response when appropriate1. Name: (Optional) _______________________2. Gender: Male Female3. Age: ______________4. Do you use Whatsapp messenger? Yes No; If your answer is Yes, proceed to the next question. If your answer is No, you may now stop here.5. How much time do you spend in using Whatsapp? 1-2 hours / day 3-4 hours / day 5-6 hours / day More than 6 hours / day My Whatsapp is on 24 hours a day6. Why do you use whatsapp? Check all that applies.For studying/academic workTo get general informationChatting with friendsTo connect with familySection B: To what extent do you agree with the following:A: Agree, D: Disagree, N: Neither Agree nor DisagreeItemAGREEDISAGREENEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE1I enjoy using Whatsapp.2I learn many things through Whatsapp.3Whatsapp helped me to communicate with my family when I am far from them.4I feel guilty whenever I use Whatsapp instead of studying.5When my friends and I decided to discuss school project through Whatsapp, we always end up talking about a different thing.6I always sleep late because of using Whatsapp.7I am always updated with current news because of Whatsapp.8I sometimes check my phone to see Whatsapp messages even when I am in class.9I lose focus and concentration when I am studying if my Whatsapp is on.10I wish that we can use Whatsapp in studying.Thank you for your time and cooperation.Appendix 2: Questionnaire ResultsSection A: 2. Gender: 10 Male 15 Female3. Age: 18 y/o=2; 19 y/o=18; 20 y/o=2; 21+ y/o = 34. Do you use Whatsapp messenger? Yes - 25 5. How much time do you spend in using Whatsapp? 4% 1-2 hours / day 8% 3-4 hours / day 8% 5-6 hours / day 20% More than 6 hours / day 60% My Whatsapp is on 24 hours a day6. Why do you use whatsapp? Check all that applies.25For studying/academic work25To get general information20Chatting with friends10To connect with familySection B: ItemAGREEDISAGREENEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE1I enjoy using Whatsapp.25002I learn many things through Whatsapp.23203Whatsapp helped me to communicate with my family when I am far from them.25004I feel guilty whenever I use Whatsapp instead of studying.15825When my friends and I decided to discuss school project through Whatsapp, we always end up talking about a different thing.101056I always sleep late because of using Whatsapp.20507I am always updated with current news because of Whatsapp.18258I sometimes check my phone to see Whatsapp messages even when I am in class.151009I lose focus and concentration when I am studying if my Whatsapp is on.1213010I wish that we can use Whatsapp in studying.2410Appendix 3: Transcript of InterviewExample transcription of recorded interview(M=Michelle, aged 13, female; I=interviewer)(//=overlap)I: Let’s begin with ‘how I see myself’. Can you just go through the pictures that you’ve used and explain what pictures you’ve used and why you’ve used them?M: Yeah. I’ve used this woman [Kelly Rowland] because she’s quite fashionable and I see myself as a fashionable person. I’ve used a picture of a Liverpool football team because I see myself as quite a supportive person towards the team. I put a love heart because I’m quite a loving person. I also put a laptop because I like to explore things and try new things.I: What about the pictures of Kat, Alfie [EastEnders characters] and, is that Lemar?M: Bow Wow.I: Let’s start with Kat and Alfie, why have you used them?M: Because Kat, erm Alfie’s quite cheery and he makes people smile sometimes so I just like Alfie, and I also have a temper to so I put Kat.I: And what about Bow Wow?M: I put him because I like him (laughs).I: So if you were going to sum up how you see yourself, what words would you use that the pictures are trying to express?M: Creative, fashionable, quite a happy person, quite tempered sometimes, powerful, respectful.I: OK, you said that you can have a temper//M: //yeah//I: //sometimes//M: //yeah.I: When you say get a temper do you mean you get angry?M: Yeah.I: What types of things make you angry?M: My sister borrows stuff from me and, um, sometimes I don’t get things my own way.I: Sometimes you don’t get things your own way.M: Yeah.Appendix 4: Map of the Location of Institute of Health Science23812532385Appendix 5: Request Letter to Conduct a StudyMarch 12, 2015Mr. Redha Al-QubtanHead of English DepartmentFoundation Programme, Ministry of HealthDear Sir,Warm greetings!I am Suleiman Al-Humeimi, a student of the Foundation Programme. I am conducting a research entitled “Advantages and Disadvantages of Using WHatsapp among Students in Oman.” With this, I would like to seek for your permission for me to distribute questionnaires to the students at the institute for me to gather the data I need for my research.Your approval will be greatly appreciated.Sincerely yours,Suleiman Al-HumeimiAppendix 6: Raw Data from Statistical Package for the Social Sciences?(SPSS) Q1FrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative PercentValidStrongly Agree726.926.926.9Agree623.123.150.0Neither Agree Nor Disagree726.926.976.9Disagree623.123.1100.0Total26100.0100.0Q2FrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative PercentValid013.83.83.8Strongly Agree1142.342.346.2Agree623.123.169.2Neither Agree Nor Disagree415.415.484.6Disagree311.511.596.2Strongly Disagree13.83.8100.0Total26100.0100.0Q3FrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative PercentValidStrongly Agree1557.757.757.7Agree519.219.276.9Neither Agree Nor Disagree311.511.588.5Disagree311.511.5100.0Total26100.0100.0Q4FrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative PercentValidStrongly Agree934.634.634.6Agree1142.342.376.9Neither Agree Nor Disagree415.415.492.3Disagree13.83.896.2Strongly Disagree13.83.8100.0Total26100.0100.0 ................
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