Evaluation of the Effect of Smartphone-based Virtual Social Networking on Academic Performance of Undergraduate Nursing Students

Due to the increasing use of smartphone-based virtual social networking and the impact of these networks on various aspects of peoplechr('39')s lives, this study aimed to investigate the effect of using smartphone-based virtual social networking on the academic performance of nursing undergraduate students.

This study included 200 undergraduate nursing students at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran, who were systematically and randomly divided into case and control groups. A questionnaire on the amount of using virtual social networks was utilized to assess the membership status in smartphone-based virtual social networks, working hours with virtual social networks, reasons for using these networks, and membership duration. The obtained data were then analyzed using SPSS software (version 16) through the Chi-square test, independent t-test, and analysis of variance.

The mean working hours with social networks in the case and control groups were obtained at 0.9±1.58 and 0.5±1.18 hours per day, respectively, which showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=0.046). The membership duration in these networks was in 57% of the freshmen in the case group and 70% of the control group before entering the university.

The increasing use of smartphone-based virtual social networking reduces the studentschr('39') academic performance and grade point average.