College Students’ Use of the Internet and Academic Performance
... of the World Wide Web began. There were 2 million hosts and 600 websites. (Gregory, 2003) The Internet is now used by approximately 130 million people in 171 countries around the world and works as a major tool that people use to gain and share information. (Andrew & Miriam, 2000) Among this tremendous population of Internet users, college students are a particular segment. They are treated as a unique population because they occupy a middle position between childhood and adulthood, work and leisure. (Steve, 2002) This segment of people generally uses the Internet as a daily routine to communicate, share files and search information for assignments. According to Steve Jones’s (2002) research, 86% of college students have gone online, compared with 59% of the general population. Eighty-five percent of college students own personal computers, and 66% percent of them use at least two email addresses. In recent years, students, parents, educators and institutions regard the Internet as a helpful resource for education. An online survey reports that 68% of parents, 69% of students, and 69% of teachers think that using Internet has improved students’ academic performance. (AT&T, 1998) Steve Jones’s (2002) research also suggests that 79% of students claim that Internet use has had a positive impact on their college academic achievement. Forty-six percent of college students agree that email enables them to express ideas to professors that they would not have expressed in class. However, while the Internet has achieved a record-breaking popularity, educators and the public have expressed concern about heavier use of the Internet may prompt negative outcomes. Researches that have been done in th...