Facebook lower GPA!!! You sure????? :/

Study Finds Link Between Facebook Use, Lower Grades in College
April 13th, 2009 by Jeff Grabmeier Facebook

(PhysOrg.com) -- College students who use Facebook spend less time studying and have lower grade point averages than students who have not signed up for the social networking website, according to a pilot study at one university.

However, more than three-quarters of Facebook users claimed that their use of the social networking site didn't interfere with their studies.

"We can't say that use of Facebook leads to lower grades and less studying - but we did find a relationship there," said Aryn Karpinski, co-author of the study and a doctoral student in education at Ohio State University.

"There's a disconnect between students' claim that Facebook use doesn't impact their studies, and our finding showing they had lower grades and spent less time studying."

While this was a relatively small, exploratory study, it is one of the first to find a relationship between college students' use of Facebook and their academic achievement.

Typically, Facebook users in the study had GPAs between 3.0 and 3.5, while non-users had GPAs between 3.5 and 4.0.

In addition, users said they averaged one to five hours a week studying, while non-users studied 11 to 15 hours per week.

Karpinski conducted the study with Adam Duberstein of Ohio Dominican University. They presented their research April 16 in San Diego at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association.

The researchers surveyed 219 students at Ohio State, including 102 undergraduate students and 117 graduate students. Of the participants, 148 said they had a Facebook account.

The study found that 85 percent of undergraduates were Facebook users, while only 52 percent of graduate students had accounts.

Students who spent more time working at paid jobs were less likely to use Facebook, while students who were more involved in extracurricular activities at school were more likely to use Facebook.

Science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and business majors were more likely to use Facebook than were students majoring in the humanities and social sciences.

"Other research had indicated that STEM majors spend more time on the Internet than do other students, so that may be one reason why they are more likely to use Facebook," Karpinski said.

There were no differences in Facebook use between different members of racial and ethnic groups that were part of the study, or between men and women.

Younger and full-time students were more likely to be Facebook users.

Findings showed that 79 percent of Facebook users claimed it did not have an impact on their academic performance. In open-ended questions on the survey, users claimed they didn't use Facebook frequently enough to notice an impact, and emphasized that academics were a priority for them.

Karpinski emphasized that the results don't necessarily mean that Facebook use leads to lower grades.

"There may be other factors involved, such as personality traits, that link Facebook use and lower grades," she said.

"It may be that if it wasn't for Facebook, some students would still find other ways to avoid studying, and would still get lower grades. But perhaps the lower GPAs could actually be because students are spending too much time socializing online."

Karpinski said it was significant that the link between lower grades and Facebook use was found even in graduate students. She said that graduate students generally have GPAs above 3.5, so the fact that even they had lower grades when they used Facebook -- and spent less time studying - was an amazing finding.

The popularity of Facebook is evident in college lecture halls, Karpinski said. Faculty members who allow students to use laptops in class have told her they often see students on the Facebook site during class.

"It's not going away anytime soon, and we need to learn more about how Facebook use is affecting students," she said.

As for herself, Karpinski said she doesn't have a Facebook account, although her co-author does.

"For me, I think Facebook is a huge distraction," she said.

Source: The Ohio State University (news : web)

Okay, time to get off blogging and news reading! Off to study!

- wong chee tat :)

Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra in Sanskrit

Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra in Sanskrit

(Taisho Tripitaka 0256)

prajna paramita hridaya sutra
(perfect wisdom heart sutra)

aryavalokitesvaro bodhisattvo
(Saintly Avalokateshvara bodhisattva)

gambhiram prajnaparamita caryam caramano vyavalokayati
(deep perfect wisdom action perform luminously)

sma panca skandhas tams ca sva bhava sunyam
(saw five bundles them own nature empty)

pasyati sma iha sariputra
(crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty. Shariputra:)

rupam sunyata (...) va rupam rupan na prithak
(form emptiness evidently form form not different)

sunyata sunyataya na prithag rupam
(emptiness emptiness not different form)

yad rupam sa sunyata ya sunyata sa rupam
(this form that emptiness this emptiness that form)

evam eva vedana samjna samskara vijnanam
(like this feeling thought choice consiousness)

iha sariputra sarva dharma sunyata
(oh Sariputra all dharmas emptiness)

laksana anutpanna anruddha avmala anuna aparpurna
(mark not born not pure not increase not decrease ?)

ta (...) sariputra sunyatayam
(therefore Sariputra in the middle of emptiness)

na rupam na vedana na samjna na samskara na vijnana
(no form no feeling no thought no choice no consciousness)

na caksuh srotam na ghrana jihva kaya manah
(no eye ear no nose tongue body mind)

na rupa sabda gandha rasa spistavya dharmah
(no form sound smell taste touch dharmas)

na caksur dhatur ya van na mano vijnanam dhatur
(no eye-area up to no mind-consciousness area)

na vidya na vidya na vidya ksayo na(*) vidya ksayo
(no clarity no clarity no clarity exhaustion no clarity exhaustion)

ya van jaramaranam na jaramarana ksayo
(up to old age no old age exhaustion)

na duhkha samudaya nirdoha margajna
(no suffering end of suffering path)

na jnanam na prapti na bhismaya tasmai na prapti
(no knowledge no ownership no witnessing no thing to own)

tvad bodhisattva prajnaparamita asritya
(therefore bodhisattva perfect wisdom dwells)

viha ratya citta varano vidya ksayo na vidya ksayo
(in dwell thought no obstacle clarity exhaustion not clairty exhaustion)

ya van jaramaranam na jaramarana ksayo
(up to old age no old age exhaustion)

na duhkha samudaya nirodha margajna
(no suffering end of suffering path)

na jnanam na prapti na bhismaya tasmai na prapti
(no knowledge no property no witnessing no thing to own)

tvad bodhisattvanam prajnaparamita asritya
(therefore bodhisattva perfect wisdom dwells)

viha ratya citta varano citta varano
(in dwell thought no obstacle thought no obstacle)

na siddhitvad atrasto vipa ryasa ti kranto
(no existence fear fright inverse reverse ? separate)

ni stha nirvana tya dha vyava sthitah
(perfectly stands nirvana three worlds thing experiences)

sarva buddhah prajnaparamitam asritya
(all buddhas perfect wisdom dwell)

(a?)nuttaram samyaksambodhim abdhisambuddhah
(unexcelled ultimate perfect insight together ? buddhas)

ta smai jnata vyam
(therefore should know ?)

prajna paramita maha mantram maha vidyamantram
(perfect wisdom great charm great clear charm)

anuttara mantram asamasama mantram
(unexcelled charm unequalled equal charm)

sarva duhkha prasa manam sa tyam ami thyatvat
(all suffering stop terminate genuine real not vain)

prajna paramita yam ukto mantrah tadyatha
(perfect wisdom declaired charm saying)

GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
(gone gone totally gone totally completely gone enlightened so be it)

- wong chee tat :)