Al-Derham 4 Ali Al-Derham Dustin Crawford 27-3-2017 The Internet and Student’s Performance Presently, virtually all colleges in the country have broadband internet connections that promote ease of online learning. Moreover, the shift from paper-oriented learning to electronic models has diversified both the access and the use of internet in most schools. The internet technology is available for students in the United States in virtually are locations. It offers them an opportunity to interact with their tutors, gain access to academic libraries online, and submit their work with ease. In the United States, for example, the usage of internet has filled the education system to include school-based broadband connections. About while its numerous advantages are necessary, recent data from researchers indicate the need to regulate it to prevent poor student performance. In this study, I argue the internet addition and usage among students in the United States, especially in colleges, promotes poor academic performance because of the increase in the level of distraction which it brings. (Add transitional Lines here) According to researchers, the ability to retain memory is a contrast to interference. Working memory capacity weakens with an increase in distraction, such as noise in the environment. For students, the ability to concentrate and focus during the learning process is a major determinant of performance (Olesen et al. 1047–1048). Therefore, any distractions, in the form of movement or aces to materials that are none academic during the schedule distract them from concentrating on the teacher. With the introduction of e-learning and broadband services in the majority of schools, students easily ace the internet during classes although the goal is to allow them to access internet services for the sake of academic learning, research indicates that social norm prevails in most cases. While it is notable that most schools have restricted internet usage to prevent students from accessing certain websites, technological advancement in the United States and other nations allows the majority to bypass the restrictions easily (Craik 1). Argumentatively, even if they would not bypass the restriction, some of the most common sites of distractions include YouTube and Facebook. They are readily available from smartphones and laptops that offer students a virtual platform for interaction and socialization, which unfortunately a form of distraction that lowers their working memory. Moreover, with an increase in the number of devices, which students can use to access the internet, the regulation and restriction of sites are less significant. For example, the majority of school computers lack drivers and software that support certain distractive aspects of learning such as games. However, the fact that students have laptops and smart phones, which have similar capabilities, means they can play their games with ease online. Moreover, the numerous gadgets su.

1. Al-Derham 4
Ali Al-Derham
Dustin Crawford
27-3-2017
The Internet and Student’s Performance
Presently, virtually all colleges in the country have broadband
internet connections that promote ease of online learning.
Moreover, the shift from paper-oriented learning to electronic
models has diversified both the access and the use of internet in
most schools. The internet technology is available for students
in the United States in virtually are locations. It offers them an
opportunity to interact with their tutors, gain access to academic
libraries online, and submit their work with ease. In the United
States, for example, the usage of internet has filled the
education system to include school-based broadband
connections. About while its numerous advantages are
necessary, recent data from researchers indicate the need to
regulate it to prevent poor student performance. In this study, I
argue the internet addition and usage among students in the
United States, especially in colleges, promotes poor academic
performance because of the increase in the level of distraction
which it brings.
(Add transitional Lines here)
According to researchers, the ability to retain memory is a
contrast to interference. Working memory capacity weakens
with an increase in distraction, such as noise in the
environment. For students, the ability to concentrate and focus
during the learning process is a major determinant of
performance (Olesen et al. 1047–1048). Therefore, any
distractions, in the form of movement or aces to materials that
are none academic during the schedule distract them from
concentrating on the teacher. With the introduction of e-
learning and broadband services in the majority of schools,

2. students easily ace the internet during classes although the goal
is to allow them to access internet services for the sake of
academic learning, research indicates that social norm prevails
in most cases. While it is notable that most schools have
restricted internet usage to prevent students from accessing
certain websites, technological advancement in the United
States and other nations allows the majority to bypass the
restrictions easily (Craik 1). Argumentatively, even if they
would not bypass the restriction, some of the most common
sites of distractions include YouTube and Facebook. They are
readily available from smartphones and laptops that offer
students a virtual platform for interaction and socialization,
which unfortunately a form of distraction that lowers their
working memory.
Moreover, with an increase in the number of devices, which
students can use to access the internet, the regulation and
restriction of sites are less significant. For example, the
majority of school computers lack drivers and software that
support certain distractive aspects of learning such as games.
However, the fact that students have laptops and smart phones,
which have similar capabilities, means they can play their
games with ease online. Moreover, the numerous gadgets such
as iPhones and android phones have preinstalled applications,
for example, YouTube and Facebook, which only serve to
increase the ability for students to access online materials.
According to a recent research, the majority of students,
especially girls, use YouTube and Facebook for social
connections and not academic purposes (Kirschner and
Karpinski 1237–1238). Therefore, while researchers have not
ascertained the level of impact to academic that internet usage
has, its distraction lowers their ability to focus on scholarly
learning.
Similarly, the availability of the internet means that students
easily access online resources for their academic assignments.

3. While the online platforms, for instance, allows students to
access library data and do their homework with ease, it also
offers them options from non-academic sources. According to
data from recent studies, the majority of students prefer to use
Wikipedia for academic assignments and not scholarly options.
Consequently, Wikipedia and other blogs have gained fame
from availing information in many topics, which students easily
access without the need to log into their library databases.
Because the information from many blogs and Wikipedia are
already synthesized, they prefer it to other academic scholarly
sources where they have to do an in-depth analysis before
compiling the final draft. Unfortunately, the authenticity of the
blogs and Wikipedia is not similar to scholarly peer review
articles (Teplitskiy, Lu, and Duede 2–3). Therefore, most
students who opt for Wikipedia and other online sources for
information obtain substandard information and by extension do
not learn the accurate one. In other words, while the online
databases serve to present easier ways for students to obtain
information for learning, they also offer them shortcuts that
speed their process of doing assignments, for instance, and
waters down their academic materials.
Furthermore, internet usage and addition attract habits such as
loneliness, tiredness, staying up late, and missing classes.
According to recent research, internet addiction has negatively
altered face-face communication. With many youths preferring
to make online connections with peers, scientists and parents
worry that they are losing the art of face-to-face
communication. In academic performance, while online learning
is easy without face-to-face communication, it deprives
student’s f the ability to create connections with others in their
proximity (Ellore, Niranjan, and Brown 2–3). The effect is
reduced technical communication skills that are necessary for
interpersonal relationships once they go for attachments or after
college. In the long run, a retrospective look at the effect of
online addiction shows that majority of them receive

4. substandard communication cues, such as dealing with public
stage fright, because they have built their world online.
Additionally, the other effects such as tiredness, which
accompany addition, reduce the ability for students to
concentrate in class. Because internet access is not merely
limited to school premises, the addition extends after they leave
classes. They go home and visit online sites for interaction
sports, and gaming. Unfortunately, because of the global nature
of the internet, some of the friends they interact with have a
different timeline. It exposes them to changes in the circadian
rhythm, necessitating them to stay up late to chat or play with
their peers from different parts of the world. The effect is
reduced interest and communication in the classroom.
Furthermore, because of an extensive social network that is
online-based, the majority have reduced interaction, especially
in academic activities that require group discussion (Kubey,
Lavin, and Barrows 366–367). The implications are diverse,
especially if teachers do not pay attention to the performance
track of students. According to a recent research, one effect of
little sleep from internet addition for students is the need to
overcompensate in studies during exam periods. The students
are forced to study for long hours and constantly around
examination times to account for the time and focus wasted
through internet distractions.
(Add transitional lines here)
However, critics argue that the adoption of the internet has
brought about the ability for youths to multitask. They argue
that many students can listen and use the internet without
significant interruption in their studies. They use the model of
adaptability to explain the changes in the ability to integrate the
internet into scholarly activities. Nevertheless, little empirical
evidence exists to collaborate the ability of students, especially
boys, to multitask and concentrate in class.
In conclusion, while the internet remains a significant source of

5. information, it also exposes students to negative effects that
reduce their academic performance. While empirical data is
inconclusive about the degree of influence, internet addiction
negatively impairs the factors that are associated with better
performance such as high working memory, focus, and
attendance of classes. Nevertheless, further research is needed
to ascertain the level of negative implications and better ways
of implementing online learning activities without disruption of
the quality of education.
Works Cited
Craik, Fergus I. M. “Effects of Distraction on Memory and
Cognition: A Commentary.” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (2014):
n. pag. PubMed Central. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
Ellore, S. B., S. Niranjan, and U. J. Brown. “The Influence of
Internet Usage on Academic Performance and Face-to-Face
Communication.” Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Science
2.2 (2014): 163–186. Print.
Kirschner, Paul A., and Aryn C. Karpinski. “Facebook® and
Academic Performance.” Computers in Human Behavior 26.6
(2010): 1237–1245. ScienceDirect. Web. Online Interactivity:
Role of Technology in Behavior Change.
Kubey, R W, M J Lavin, and J R Barrows. “Internet Use and
Collegiate Academic Performance Decrements: Early Findings.”
Journal of Communication 51.2 (2001): 366–382. Wiley Online
Library. Web.
Olesen, Pernille J. et al. “Brain Activity Related to Working
Memory and Distraction in Children and Adults.” Cerebral
Cortex 17.5 (2007): 1047–1054. academic.oup.com. Web.
Teplitskiy, Misha, Grace Lu, and Eamon Duede. “Amplifying
the Impact of Open Access: Wikipedia and the Diffusion of
Science.” Journal of the Association for Information Science

6. and Technology (2016): n. pag. Google Scholar. Web. 20 Mar.
2017.