Impact of Facebook Usage on Students’ Academic Achievement: Role of self-regulation and trust 

Introduction.

The paper provides a preliminary analysis of the effects of Facebook usage by

undergraduate students at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. The proposed research model

tests the perceived effect of personality traits, self-regulation, and trust on students’ achievements.

Based on flow theory, the model suggests negative mediating effects of the use and cognitive

absorption on Facebook, concluding that a decrease occurs in students’ academic performance but a

positive effect on satisfaction with life that would limit this undesirable effect.

Method.

 Paper and pencil survey was run with undergraduate students from Luleå University of

Technology and data from 239 students was used to test the model. SmartPLS software was employed to test the proposed structural equation model.

Results.

 Results indicated an extensive use of Facebook by students with extraverted personalities

leading to poor academic performance. However, students who are more self-regulated more

effectively control their presence on these platforms. Trust in people does not affect their presence

and interaction on this platform. Yet students’ cognitive absorption with Facebook is only regulated

by their self-control and their personality traits, which determines how much time they spend on

Facebook. Multitasking skills moderate the effect of cognitive absorption on academic achievement,

but they do not impede the time spent, frequency, or nature of use or their effect on academic results.

Although students’ satisfaction with life significantly declined due to cognitive immersion into

Facebook, it appeared not to play an effective role in the students’ academic achievement. However,

their performance goal orientation was shown to be a crucial determinant of their university

accomplishments, which would limit the critical effect of their presence on the Facebook platform.

Discussion and Conclusion.

Results support in part earlier conclusions about personality traits that

rule the presence on Facebook. Trust does not impede on Facebook usage as it determines surfers’ use

of Internet. Self-regulation and performance goal orientation characterized the students who are more

in control of this social activity. In turn, this prohibits the apparent negative effect on their academic

performance. Results help students to understand the preliminary consequences of their extensive

usage of Facebook and to better manage their social activities on this platform

This is an extract from a journal I found on Quest, it was published in 2011 by

Sana Rouis1, Moez Limayem 2, Esmail Salehi-Sangari 3