Pros and Cons of Online Research to Senior High School Students of Zamora

Memorial College

A Research Project Presented to the Faculty of the Senior High School Department

In Partial Fulfilment of the requirements for the General Academic Strand

Members:

Nona Bianca Base

Emelyn Manong

Arvie Crisanta Bermas

Jesca Donna Villar

Christine Baraga

Micah Lovendino
 Chapter 1

Problem and its Setting

Introduction

The use of internet grants its users great awareness of the importance of the world

around them. The internet is a platform for several types of information. It is used by

students including secondary students (Akin-Adaeamola, 2014). Internet usage will

continue to grow as long as its users are not denied easy access (Olatokun, 2008). Recent

statistics indicate that the Internet gives people the option to access information sites as

well as other sites such as social media sites, internet games and cyber-sex (Siraj et al.,

2015).

Online research is widely used by students because, it is the fastest way to acquire

information. Although some information may be unreliable, students still choose to use

the internet. Many sites offer reliable and well-researched information, but many do not.

Obviously, people in different parts of the world use the same way to access the

information using the Internet.

Sometimes, students do not know about the advantages and disadvantages of

Internet as maybe students are too engrossed in virtual reality. Students really believe that

by using the Internet, the works become smooth especially in student’s lives as if those

students always need to Google the information for every assignment task.

One of its advantage is that Internet can make students solve the given problems

easily. And students can find various type of information only by typing what they want

to know. It also provides access to a lot of information. Students have a wealth of

resources available to them online, and those resources can make it easier for students to

understand the concepts on nearly every subject. Whereas students can do so from the

comforts of home. And unlike the library, the Internet never closes, so information is at

student’s disposal regardless of when they sit down to do their schoolwork. The

accessibility of the Internet can be a significant benefit to students. However, students,

especially younger ones, may not be capable of identifying fact from fiction and will

simply take what is stated on the Internet as truth.

Despite of the advantages the Internet provides, there are still disadvantages when

using the Internet. First, much of the concern about using the Internet to complete

schoolwork is the reliability of the information on the Internet. With all of the

information available to students, they may find it difficult to choose which information

is most important to a topic and also when to stop looking. In addition, the validity of

Internet sources varies considerably from website to website, which means students can

very easily acquire inaccurate or outdated information online.

Another significant disadvantage to using the Internet to complete schoolwork is

that students may be tempted to cheat. Because the Internet is so vast, students might be

tempted to cut and paste answers to homework problems from the Internet or copy

information from Websites and claim it as their own, feeling as if there is no way their

teachers will find out.

Some students may not even understand that such cutting, pasting or copying is

wrong. But in addition to being wrong, such behavior, whether students are caught or not,

also makes it harder for students to learn the material, which will make it more difficult

for the students to grasp key concepts going forward. The Internet can also be a
significant distraction to students. Social networking sites can quickly distract kids from

schoolwork, costing the valuable time that the students should be devoting to their

studies.

For more than a decade, the Internet has proven a valuable resource for the

students across the globe. But students must recognize there are advantages and

disadvantages to relying too heavily on the Internet when pursuing their studies.

Rationale

This study aims to state the advantage and disadvantages of using online research

to the Senior High School students of Zamora Memorial College.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the Senior High School students of Zamora Memorial College in

terms of?

a. Sex

b. Purpose of online research

c. Frequency of online research

2. What are the advantages of online research to Senior High School Students of Zamora

Memorial College?

3. What are the disadvantages of online research to Senior High School students of

Zamora Memorial College?

4. What measures can be proposed to strengthen the advantages of online research to

Senior High School students of Zamora Memorial College?

5. What measures can be proposed to address the disadvantages of online research to

Senior High School students of Zamora Memorial College?

Scope and Delimitation

This study’s main focus are the pros and cons of online research to the Senior

High School students of Zamora Memorial College. This will be conducted on students

who continuously use online research as one of the means of studying. Selected students

of the Grade 11 and 12 of Zamora Memorial College will be the respondents of this
research. The said study will be conducted within this school year 2019-2020 and will be

held at Zamora Memorial College.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to show the advantages and disadvantages of online research to

senior high school students.

This study will be a great benefit to the following:

Students – This study will help the student to be aware of the pros and cons of online

research when used as source of information. It can help the students to limit their usage

of technology as their source of information.

Teacher – This study will help the teacher to have more knowledge about the pros and

cons of online researching. This will help the teacher remind the students that not

everything that they need to know is in the internet.

Parents – This study will help the parents expand their awareness about pros and cons of

online research. And it will also help the parents remind their children that there are

things that cannot be learnt from the internet.

Future Researchers – This study can be used as a reference of future researchers for

their own research especially when the topic is somewhat related to the pros and cons of

online research.

Researchers – The result of this study will serve as an input and as an additional for

future attempts.
Computer Shops – This will benefit the computer shop owners because of the needs of

the students who doesn’t have the gadget to use the internet. It will help them in terms of

finance because students will use their computers to do their homework.

DepEd – This will benefit DepEd in terms of learning. By enumerating the different

advantages and disadvantages, the DepEd will do something to lessen researching

without learning
 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter will present the related literature and studies that shall support this research.

The conceptual framework and the theoretical framework along with their models are

also press noted in this chapter.

Related Literature

Foreign

According to Reiser (2002), it is important to distinguish the anticipated and

actual effects that technology has upon education and learning. As with previous

technologies, computers with subsequent Internet technologies have not met up to the

anticipated impact of being the paradigm shifting resource that levels the socio-economic

playing fields of students in the public school system. However, with the lowering cost of

computer ownership and subsequent availability of Internet access, Information

Communication Technology (ICT) has evolved into economically feasible resource for

students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to possess in their households.

This positive trend in ICT has been rapid, leaving little time for its impact on education

and teaching to be evaluated (Madden, Ford, Miller & Levi, 2005).

According to Millard (1997), ICT access to home played a more significant role

in educational pursuits than access to school. Along with academic benefits of using this

technology outside of the school day, researchers have also found home computer use to

produce a Pygmalion effect. Students who have access to computers and the internet at
home visualize themselves as being successful. Students who have computer and Internet

access have been observed having higher levels of self-esteem.

Tsikalas, Gross, and Stock (2009) also stated that students with a computer at

home had higher academic expectations for themselves as well as having more pride in

their schoolwork than those without home access to a computer. Many see these key

components of having high expectations and taking pride in schoolwork as being key

factors for the success of students from low-income and minority families living within

central cities.

Another is according to Nachmias, Mioduser, & Shemla (2000), the current trends

in teenage online habits of student’s favorite pastime, online gaming was found to be the

most frequently used aspect of ICT by teenagers. This was also found to be in a study

conducted with slightly older post-secondary students responding their most frequent use

of ICT was for recreational endeavors (Murray, Hourigan, Jeanneau, & Chapell, 2005).

Local

According to Vhalerie (2015) because of the internet connection being installed to

private schools, teachers can effectively deliver their lessons to the students. We can say

that technology is a great help for the improvement of the different aspects of education.

One good effect of technology is that it helps us finish a schoolwork faster. But the bad

effect is that students do not help themselves to strive hard instead it lets students depend

on technology.

According to Nunag (2008), the internet gives us so many information. For

example, if the students have projects or assignments in school, the internet helps the
students to gather information faster. The students won’t have to find answers from the

library because the internet already gives them answers easily.

Related Studies

Foreign

A study by Ellore et al. (2014) on the influence of internet usage on academic

performance and face to face communication revealed that as a result of the availability

of internet, most students have had access to internet on their cellphones. This helps

students to broaden their academic knowledge (Siraj et al., 2015).

According to Akende & Bamise (2017) the use of computer and access to online

resources are comparatively important to students. Yesilyurt et al. (2014) showed that

access to a home computer and internet connection contributes to student’s academic

performance as well as self-learning skills. Considering access and usage of the internet

by secondary school in Nigeria, Olatokun (2008) indicated that most students believed

that the internet to be far better and convenient than their school libraries. The study also

pointed out that students see the internet as a source for general knowledge, and it really

helps them improve their reading habits leading to an improvement in their academic

performance.

Researcher Ogedebe (2012) agreed that majority of students obtain relevant

information such as academic materials from the internet. This suggests that students use

the internet to enhance their studies. Sahin et al. (2010) examined the use of internet

resources by university during their course project study. They argued that the use of

trustworthy internet resource is of vital importance to academic study, especially in

higher class courses which require an academic review of literature. Internet use for

educational purpose is found by Kim (2011) to be the habit of adolescent academic

achievement.

Local

According to Ogatia, et al. (2009), using the internet helps students to gather

information. It also helps students for them to widen their knowledge. Cogo (2014) on the

other hand stated that technology does not affect their studies. He also said that using

technology is not a hindrance to learning because technology can help the students to

make it easier for them to finish their schoolwork.

Synthesis of the Art

In the related studies both foreign and local, the researchers stated how the

internet gives many advantages and disadvantages when students use the internet. The

researchers also stated that access to the internet at home relies on the internet to help

students complete their schoolwork quickly. This proves that because of the online means

of studying, it gives students reasons to be lazy and to depend more on the internet.

Gap Bridged by the Study

The review of related literature and studies has showed the advantages and

disadvantages of online research for academic purposes. This study aims to determine the

advantages and disadvantages of online research. The researchers gathered ideas and

information regarding the topic from the contents of the related literature and studies. In

the studies and literature, it discussed the pros and cons of online research to the senior

high school students. The researchers concluded that by giving emphasis on the pros and
cons of online research, the students will think twice and will be careful on taking out

information from the internet.

Theoretical Framework
Connectivism theory is a theoretical framework for understanding learning. In

connectivism, the starting point for learning occurs when knowledge is actuated through

the process of a learner connecting to and feeding information into a learning community.

Siemen (2004) states, “A community is the clustering of similar areas of interest that

allows for interaction, sharing, dialoguing, and thinking together.” According to

connectivism, knowledge is distributed across an information network and can be stored

in a variety of digital formats. Learning and knowledge are said to “rest in diversity of

opinions” (Siemens, 2008, para. 8).

Connectivism is a learning theory that explains how Internet technologies have

created new opportunities for people to learn and share information across the World

Wide Web and among themselves. These technologies include Web browser, email,

wikis, online discussion forums, social networks, YouTube, and any other tool which

enables the users to learn and share information with other people.

A key feature of connectivism is that much learning can happen across peer

networks that take place online. In connectivist learning, a teacher will guide students to

information and answer key questions as needed, in order to support students learning

and sharing on their own.

Connectivism Theory by George
Siemens (2004)

Key elements:
The capacity to know more is more important than
what is currently known
The ability to determine connections between
multiple fields, ideas, and concepts is fundamental
Connections within a network must be maintained
and nurtured to facilitate continual learning

The Pros and Cons of Online Research

Figure 1. Theoretical Paradigm of the Study

Conceptual Framework

This study aims to determine how often those students in Zamora Memorial

College use internet in terms of sex, purpose of using the internet, and the frequency of

using the internet. And also to determine the advantages and disadvantages of online

research to those students. In order to have a clear understanding about the pros and cons

of online research, the researchers also looked for primary data resources from the

respondents in the means of information gathered by using the survey questionnaires.

Connectivism theory in connection to our research, tackles about how the internet

and the technology affects the choices or decisions of a person when it comes to their

daily routines. It discusses about how internet usage affects the students on their school

works.

The relation of this theory to this research is that, this theory is an essential factor

for gathering data. Connectivism theory will help the researchers determine what type of

students that they need for them to conduct a survey and will help them collect the exact

data that they need in finishing this research.

 Profile of
students
Sex, the purpose of using
the internet and the
frequency of using the
internet
To know the
advantages of online
research

To identify the
disadvantages of
online research

Pros and Cons of

Online Research

Figure 2. Conceptual Paradigm of the Study

Definition of Terms
Cons – an argument opposed to a proposal; the disadvantages of the research
topic
Disposal – the act of getting rid of something; the act of using something at his
will
Google – an online search engine; to look up information on the Internet
Online Research – the act of searching information through the use of Internet to
finish an action
Pride – a feeling of self-respect and personal worth; the trait of being confident
about the student’s academic performance in school
Pros – an argument in favor of a proposal; the advantages of the research topic
Notes
^ Spears, J. (2017, November 19). The Pros and Cons of Using the Internet to Complete
Schoolwork. Retrieved from https://www.thetandd.com
^ Williams, M. (2008). Connectivism. Retrieved from https://www.etec.ctlt.ubc.ea
^ Kop & Hill. (2008, October). Connectivism: Learning Theory of the Future or Vestige
of the Past. Retrieved from https://www.irrodl.com
^ Freehling, S. (2009). Using Internet Communication Technologies by Low-Income
High School Students in Completing Educational Tasks Inside and Outside the School
Setting, Computer in the School. Retrieved from
https://www.scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2940
 Chapter 3

Methodology

This part of the study presents the research design and methods that will be used

to collect data needed to accomplish the study. This also includes the research locale,

participants of the study, instruments of the study, and data gathering procedure.

Research Design

Since few studies are conducted to support this research, exploratory research was

used to have more flexible research questions. This study seeks to determine the pros and

cons of online research to Senior High School students of Zamora Memorial College. To

be able to determine the needed respondents, the research design used was effective

enough to determine a way in proceeding with the study.

Research Locale

This study was conducted at Zamora Memorial College. The focus of this study

are the Senior High School students both the Grade 11 & 12 of the five existing strands

namely: Accountancy and Business Management (ABM); General Academic Strand

(GAS); Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS); Science & Technology and

Engineering Mathematics (STEM); and the Technical & Vocational Livelihood (TVL)

who used online research for academic purposes. The said school is located at Sto. Niño

St., Brgy. 9, Bacacay, Albay.

Participants of the Study

The participants of this study consists of 10 students per strand, a total of 50 of

both Grade 11 & 12 students. The researcher’s basis to gather information is by

identifying those students who use online research for studying. Only selected students of

the strands ABM, GAS, HUMSS, STEM, & TVL who agreed to be surveyed are the final

respondents.

Instrument of the Study

This study on the pros and cons of online research of the ABM, GAS, HUMSS,

STEM, & TVL used a survey questionnaire. The researchers came up with the questions

that were relevant and necessary to determine the pros and cons of online research of

both the Grade 11 & 12 students of the said strands of Zamora Memorial College.

Data Gathering Procedure

This study will be done through a survey prepared by the researchers which

contains questions answering the problem and the enumerating the pros and cons of

online research for academic purposes of the Grade 11 & 12 ABM, GAS, HUMSS,

STEM, & TVL students. The final copy of the questionnaire was used as the main

instrument in gathering the data. The researchers will provide a consent letter to the

students before conducting the survey.