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Ministry of Health

Foundation Programme

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using

Whatsapp among Students in Oman

Suleiman Al-Humaimi, NU888

Group 20

21 June 2015

Foundation Center, Muscat Oman

Submitted to:

Ms. Doryl S. Cabiao Supervisor

DECLARATION OF ORIGINAL WORK

This declaration is made on the ____21 st ___ day of __June 2015.___ (date) (month, year)

Student’s Declaration:

I Suleiman Al-Humaimi, NU888, (PLEASE INDICATE STUDENT’S NAME, STUDENT

NO.,) hereby declare that the work entitled Advantages and Disadvantages of using

Whatsapp among Students in Oman is my original work. I have not copied from any other

students’ work or from any other sources except where due reference or acknowledgement

is made explicitly in the text, nor has any part been written for me by another person.

___ June 21, 2015___ ___Suleiman Al-Humeimi, (NU888)__ Date submitted Name of the student (StudentNo.)

2

ABSTRACT

This research paper investigated the advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp

among students in Oman, specifically at the Foundation Centre, Ministry of Health. The

objectives of the research were to determine the extent of using Whatsapp and how it affects

the students’ performance, identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using

Whatsapp among students in Oman and to provide some recommendations to overcome the

negative effects of using Whatsapp. The literature review discussed various studies that have

been conducted in relation to the use of Whatsapp by students. A questionnaire was

formulated and distributed to 25 randomly selected students, and then the data was analyzed.

The results showed that all of the respondents were using Whatsapp and about 60% of them

had their Whatsapp on for 24 hours. It was also noticeable that almost all of the respondents

(24 out of 25) wished that they can use Whatsapp in studying. Whatsapp, as perceived by

students has advantages and disadvantages. It was then recommended that teachers and other

authorities in the academe should try to experiment in incorporating Whatsapp in studying.

3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In full gratitude I would like to acknowledge the following individuals who

encouraged, inspired, supported, assisted, and sacrificed themselves to help my pursuit of a

high education degree.

In the institute, I would like thank my supervisor, Ms. Doryl Cabiao, for sharing

expertise, and sincere and valuable guidance and encouragement extended to me. I would

also like to thank the Head of the English Department, Mr. Redha Al-Qubtan, for his help and

support.

In my family I thank my parents, and my brothers and sisters for supporting me

emotionally and mentally whenever I feel tired working with this research.

Without the support, encouragement, and dedication to assist me, this research would

not have been possible.

4

Table of Contents

Page

Declaration of Original Work …………………………………………………………….. i

Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………… ii

Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………...……….. iii

Chapter 2: Introduction

Background of the study ………………………………………………......………1

Statement of the Problem …………………………………………………......…...2

Objectives ………………………………………………………………...…...…...2

Chapter 2: Literature Review …………………………………………………...……...….3

Chapter 3: Methods and Procedure ……………………………………………..…………5

Research Approach ……………………………………...………………..………..5

Research Instrument…………………………………………………….….………5

Samples/Respondents……………………………………………..……….……….5

Data Collection Procedures ………………………………………………………..7

Chapter 4: Results and Discussion…………………………………………………………8

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations ……………………………………………12

References …………………………………………………………………………………13

Appendix 1: Questionnaire ……………………………………………………………….14

Appendix 2: Questionnaire Results ……………………………………………………….16

Appendix 3: Transcript of Recorded Interview ………………………...……………….. 17

Appendix 4: Map of the Location ……………………………………………………….. 18

Appendix 5: Request Letter to Conduct a Study ………………………………….… …. 19

Appendix 6: Raw Data from Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) ………. 20

5

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of the Study

Social media is defined as Internet networks that provide an online community for

users to interact in a fast, convenient manner. Within social media networks, users are able to

create profiles, share information, and view other users’ comments (Brubaker 2013). As the

Internet, mobile phones, and text messaging spread to the general public, people quickly

became accustomed to communicating with peers or groups of people via text from an

electronic device.

In January 2015, WhatsApp was the most globally popular messaging app with more

than 700 million active users (Olson, 2014) with India alone having a user base of more than

70 million. WhatsApp Inc., based in Mountain View, California, was acquired by Facebook

on February 19, 2014, for approx. US$19 billion (Newsroom.fb.com, 2014).

Whatsapp messenger has been popular among people especially the teenagers. Recent

updates such as calling have improved its functionality.

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in Oman. Half of Oman’s phone users

subscribe to data packages, and most of these are using WhatsApp, Viber and other free

messaging services. These days, a lot of students use Whatsapp even when they are in the

classroom. It seems to be that this messaging application has become an important part of

their daily routine.

The effects of using Whatsapp has become a topic of a lot of researches especially its

effects when it comes to students. With this in mind, the researcher attempted to find out the

advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students in Oman.

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Statement of the Problem

This research aimed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of using

Whatsapp among students in Oman. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents with regard to the following:

1.1 Age

1.2 Gender

1.3 Use of Whatsapp

2. What are the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among

students?

Objectives

The objectives of the study are as follows:

1. To determine the extent of usage of Whatsapp and how it affects the students’

academic performance.

2. To identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among

students in Oman

1.1 Positive effects

1.2 Negative effects

3. To provide some recommendations to overcome possible negative effects of using

Whatsapp.

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Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature

The Use of Whatsapp

WhatsApp is an instant messaging app for smartphones that operates under a

subscription business model. The proprietary, cross-platform app uses the Internet to send

text messages, images, video, user location and audio media messages (IPG Media Lab,

2013).

It’s not just teenagers who like to use this application. Business people, from those in

the media to hard-nosed executives, find it useful to keep tabs on what’s happening, share

information and root out leads.

During the storms and rain that swept through Oman in April, for instance,

photographs and videos of flooded wadis and rain soaked streets were quickly circulating on

WhatsApp, uploaded by people on the ground and viewed almost instantaneously.

“People and businesses now think of WhatsApp as a new platform to raise awareness

about a product or different activities,” agrees Jansait Qoughondoqa, head of community

management at social media consultancy The Online Project. “It is proven by numbers that

WhatsApp is the fastest method to promote anything – be it a joke, rumour or even help for a

needy family.” (Gill, 2013).

Effects of Whatsapp on Students

In Saudi Arabia, a study has been conducted to explore the impact of using WhatsApp

mobile learning activities on the achievement and attitudes of online students using mobile

devices at the university. Researcher conducted an experiment in the 2014 academic year.

The results of the present study show that mobile learning based WhatsApp social

networking has a high positive impact on the achievement test of students. Students prefer

this innovative educational technology based mobile learning (Amry, 2014).

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Similarly, a research was done in Ghana to investigate on the Impact of Whatsapp

messenger usage on students performance in tertiary institutions. In this study, 50 students

from five tertiary institutions were interviewed and 500 questionnaires were administered to

students from same institutions. The study revealed that, whatsapp instead of making

communication easier and faster thereby enhancing effective flow of information and idea

sharing among students, rather has impacted negatively on the performance of tertiary

students in Ghana .The study among other things unveiled the following: whatsapp takes

much of students study time , results in procrastination related problems, destroys students’

spellings and grammatical construction of sentences, leads to lack of concentration during

lectures, results in difficulty in balancing online activities (whatsapp) and academic

preparation and distracts students from completing their assignments and adhering to their

private studies time table (Yeboah & Ewur, 2014).

Since WhatsApp is relatively a new phenomenon, little research exists regarding its

influence on interpersonal communication in general, and between high school teachers and

their students in particular (Church & de Oliveira, 2013). An examination of the use of

WhatsApp in a South African university class registered positive feedback from students who

claimed that it was an easier way to communicate with their teachers and the rest of the class,

that it was productive of fruitful discourse on relevant issues in an informal environment

where students could learn intimately and authentically, and that it was also fun (Bere, 2013).

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Chapter 3: Methods and Procedure

This chapter discusses the research approach, the population, description of

respondents, research instruments, and data collection procedure.

Research Approach

Given the research purpose of identifying the effects of using Whatsapp among

students in Oman, quantitative research is adopted as the main methodological frame by

analysing the common responses to a questionnaire. A quantitative method concentrates on

objective measurements and numerical analysis of data gathered through questionnaires,

polls, and surveys (Babbie, 2010).

Samples/Respondents

The respondents of this research were composed of 25 randomly selected students of

the Foundation Program, Ministry of Health. Each respondent was given a questionnaire to

fill in.

Research Instrument

To get the data needed for this research, the researcher came up with a questionnaire

that was drafted based on the literature review. The questionnaire consists of two parts. The

first part was composed of background questions to determine the respondents’ profile.

1. Name: (Optional)

2. Gender: Male Female

3. Age: ______________

4. Do you use Whatsapp messenger? Yes No; If your answer is Yes, proceed to the

next question. If your answer is No, you may now stop here.

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5. How much time do you spend in using Whatsapp?

1-2 hours / day

3-4 hours / day

5-6 hours / day

More than 6 hours / day

My Whatsapp is on 24 hours a day

6. Why do you use whatsapp? Check all that applies.

For studying/academic work

To get general information

Chatting with friends

To connect with family

The second part of the questionnaire was composed of 10 statements where

respondents had to answer based on how they feel about each statements by choosing either

Agree, Disagree, or Neither Agree nor Disagree. The following were the statements on the

second part of the questionnaire:

1. I enjoy using Whatsapp.

2. I learn many things through Whatsapp.

3. Whatsapp helped me to communicate with my family when I am far from them.

4. I feel guilty whenever I use Whatsapp instead of studying.

5. When my friends and I decided to discuss school project through Whatsapp, we

always end up talking about a different thing.

6. I always sleep late because of using Whatsapp.

7. I am always updated with current news because of Whatsapp.

8. I sometimes check my phone to see Whatsapp messages even when I am in class.

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9. I lose focus and concentration when I am studying if my Whatsapp is on.

10. I wish that we can use Whatsapp in studying.

Data Collection Procedures

The researcher went through the following steps in order to get all important data for

this research.

1. The researcher obtained approval from the supervisor for the questionnaire to be

used in research.

2. The questionnaire were photocopied and distributed to selected students from the

Foundation Centre. The questionnaires were distributed on 1 June and collected back the next

day.

3. The data were then plotted to MS Excel for analysis.

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Chapter 4: Results and Discussion

This chapter presents the analysis and interpretation of the data gathered.

4.1 Results

4.1.1. Profile of Respondents

The respondents were comprised of 60% female and 40% male (Figure 1). Figure 2

shows that 72% of them were 19 years old, 8% were 18 and another 8% were 20 years old,

and the remaining 12% were aged over 21. All of the respondents were using Whatsapp.

Most of the respondents said that their Whatsapp is 24 hours on (60%), 20% said they were

using Whatsapp for more than 6 hours a day, 8% said they were using it for 3-4 and 5-6 hours

in a day, and only 4% said that they were using Whatsapp for 1-2 hours a day (Figure 3).

Table 1 presents the reasons of the students in using Whatsapp. It shows that all of the

respondents are using Whatsapp to chat with friends and to communicate with their families

and only 10 respondents use it for studying.

Figure 1. Gender

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Male40%

Female60%

Figure 2. Age

Figure 3. Time spent in using Whatsapp

Table 1. Reasons for using Whatsapp

REASONS FOR USING WHATSAPP

No. of Respondents

Chatting with friends 25To connect with family 25To get general information 20For studying 10

14

188%

1972%

208%

21 +12%

1-2 hours4% 3-4 hours

8%

5-6 hours8%

more than 6 hours20%

24 hours on60%

4.1.2 Students’ perceptions on the effects of using Whatsapp

Figure 4 presents the perceptions of students in relation to using Whatsapp. All of the

respondents agreed that they enjoy using Whatsapp (statement 1) and Whatsapp help them to

communicate with their families (statement 3). About 92% of the respondents agreed in

statement 3 saying that “I learned many things through Whatsapp”. Most of them (60%) also

agreed that they feel guilty whenever they use Whatsapp instead of studying. Students who

agree and who disagree got the same percentage (40%) with statement saying that “When my

friends and I decided to discuss school project through Whatsapp, we always end up talking

about a different thing”. Seventy-two percent agreed that they were always updated with

current news through Whatsapp while 8% disagreed and 20% neither agreed nor disagreed.

With regards to statement 8 saying “I sometimes check my phone to see Whatsapp messages

even when I am in class”, 60% of the respondents agreed with it. More than half of the

respondents (52%), however, disagreed that they lose focus and concentration when studying

if Whatsapp is on. Almost all of the respondents (24 out of 25) wished that they can use

Whatsapp in studying.

Figure 4. Perceptions on using Whatsapp

15

05

1015202530

AGREEDISAGREENeither Agree nor Disagree

Discussion

The result of the survey revealed that majority of the respondents were female. Most

of the respondents were 19 years old. All of the respondents were using Whatsapp and

majority of them have their Whatsapp on for 24 hours. It is not very surprising since

nowadays, people can subscribe to data plans from different mobile companies at a low cost.

Students also gave reasons on why they use Whatsapp. All of the respondents said that they

use it to connect with their families. A lot of the students from the institute came from the

different regions in Oman, therefore, it is probable that using Whatsapp is the most

economical and easiest way to communicate with their families back home. Also, all of the

respondents said they use Whatsapp to chat with their friends. Studying ranked the lowest as

a reason for using Whatsapp.

With regards to the students’ perception on the effects of using Whatsapp, all of the

respondents enjoyed using Whatsapp which would be a positive thing. Most of them also said

that they learn many things through Whatsapp. Most of the students have a guilty feeling

whenever they use Whatsapp instead of studying and most of them also check Whatsapp

messages while in class. Majority of the students also sleep late because of using Whatsapp.

This means that using Whatsapp may interfere with their study habits, similar with the result

of the study of Yeboah & Ewur (2014). On the contrary, most of the students disagreed that

they lose focus and concentration if Whatsapp is on. Almost all of the respondents hoped to

use Whatsapp in studying. This is one thing to look into as Bere’s research (2013) mentioned

some positive impact with the use of Whatsapp in learning.

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Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation

This chapter presents the conclusion and recommendation for this research. This study

investigated on the perceived effects of the use of Whatsapp by Omani students.

Conclusions

Considering the findings of this research, it can be concluded that using Whatsapp

have both positive and negative effects for students. Since most of them live far from their

families, Whatsapp serves as a tool for easy communication. Students may be affected

negatively by using Whatsapp since it can cause lack of sleep. It may also hinder their study

habits if they use Whatsapp while in class. Students also feel distracted when they use

Whatsapp instead of studying. In contrast, using Whatsapp posed not only negative effects.

Since the students are more interested in using mobile phones and other forms of

technological gadgets, using Whatsapp can be a promising tool for education

Recommendations

With this, the researcher is recommending that teachers and other authorities in the

academe should try to experiment in incorporating Whatsapp in studying. It may be an

informal type of learning, but it may also be beneficial to both teachers and students since

students will be more interested in learning. To students, the researcher is recommending that

they should try to limit the use of Whatsapp, especially if they feel that it is already taking too

much of their time, rather than doing something more important, like studying. It is also

recommended that other researchers do further studies about this topic and investigate deeply

on the impact of Whatsapp.

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References

Amry, A. (2014). The results of the present study show that mobile learning based WhatsApp

social networking has a high positive impact on the achievement test of students.

Students prefer this innovative educational technology based mobile

learning. European Scientific Journal, 10(22).

Bere, A. (2013). Using mobile instant messaging to leverage learner participation and

transform pedagogy at a South African University of Technology. British Journal of

Educational Technology, 44(4), 544- 561.

Brubaker, E.V (2013). The relationship between Facebook TM Activity and Academic

Performance among African American Students, Lynchburg. Liberty University.

Church, K., & de Oliveira, R. (2013). What's up with Whatsapp? Comparing mobile instant

messaging behaviors with traditional SMS. Proceedings of the 15th International

Conference on Human-computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (pp.

352-361). ACM.

Gill, J. (2013). NO WHATSAPP, NO LIFE. Y Pulse Of Oman.

IPG Media Lab,. (2013). The Power Of Real Time: A Media Trial From IPG Lab & AOL.

Retrieved 1 April 2015, from http://ipglab.com/2013/12/03/the-power-of-real-time-a-

media-trial-from-ipg-lab-aol/

Newsroom.fb.com,. (2014). Facebook to Acquire WhatsApp | Facebook Newsroom.

Retrieved 1 April 2015, from http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/02/facebook-to-

acquire-whatsapp/

Olson, P. (2014). WhatsApp Hits 600 Million Active Users, Founder Says. Forbes. Retrieved

1 April 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/08/25/whatsapp-

hits-600-million-active-users-founder-says/

Yeboah, J., & Ewur, G. (2014). The Impact of Whatsapp Messenger Usage on Students

Performance in Tertiary Institutions in Ghana. Journal Of Education And

Practice, 5(6).

18

Appendix 1: Questionnaire

Ministry of Health

Foundation Programme

Advantages and Disadvantages of using Whatsapp among Students in OmanI am Suleiman Al-Humeimi, a student at Foundation Programme. As part of the Mini-Research Project course, I am conducting a study on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Whatsapp among students. This questionnaire is my data collection instrument, so I will be very grateful if I can have some of your time to fill it in.

Section A: Put () tick in one of the squares in each of the following items. Write your response when appropriate

1. Name: (Optional) _______________________

2. Gender: Male Female

3. Age: ______________

4. Do you use Whatsapp messenger? Yes No; If your answer is Yes, proceed to the

next question. If your answer is No, you may now stop here.

5. How much time do you spend in using Whatsapp?

1-2 hours / day

3-4 hours / day

5-6 hours / day

More than 6 hours / day

My Whatsapp is on 24 hours a day

6. Why do you use whatsapp? Check all that applies.

For studying/academic work

To get general information

Chatting with friends

To connect with family

19

Section B: To what extent do you agree with the following:

A: Agree, D: Disagree, N: Neither Agree nor Disagree

Item AGREE DISAGREENEITHER

AGREE NOR DISAGREE

1 I enjoy using Whatsapp.

2 I learn many things through Whatsapp.

3

Whatsapp helped me to communicate

with my family when I am far from

them.

4I feel guilty whenever I use Whatsapp

instead of studying.

5

When my friends and I decided to

discuss school project through

Whatsapp, we always end up talking

about a different thing.

6I always sleep late because of using

Whatsapp.

7I am always updated with current news

because of Whatsapp.

8

I sometimes check my phone to see

Whatsapp messages even when I am in

class.

9I lose focus and concentration when I

am studying if my Whatsapp is on.

10I wish that we can use Whatsapp in

studying.

Thank you for your time and cooperation.

20

Appendix 2: Questionnaire Results

Section A:

2. Gender: 10 Male 15 Female3. Age: 18 y/o=2; 19 y/o=18; 20 y/o=2; 21+ y/o = 34. Do you use Whatsapp messenger? Yes - 25 5. How much time do you spend in using Whatsapp? 4% 1-2 hours / day 8% 3-4 hours / day 8% 5-6 hours / day 20% More than 6 hours / day 60% My Whatsapp is on 24 hours a day6. Why do you use whatsapp? Check all that applies.

25 For studying/academic work25 To get general information20 Chatting with friends10 To connect with family

Section B:

Item AGREE DISAGREENEITHER

AGREE NOR DISAGREE

1 I enjoy using Whatsapp. 25 0 0

2 I learn many things through Whatsapp. 23 2 0

3Whatsapp helped me to communicate with my family when I am far from them.

25 0 0

4 I feel guilty whenever I use Whatsapp instead of studying. 15 8 2

5

When my friends and I decided to discuss school project through Whatsapp, we always end up talking about a different thing.

10 10 5

6 I always sleep late because of using Whatsapp. 20 5 0

7 I am always updated with current news because of Whatsapp. 18 2 5

8I sometimes check my phone to see Whatsapp messages even when I am in class.

15 10 0

9 I lose focus and concentration when I am studying if my Whatsapp is on. 12 13 0

10 I wish that we can use Whatsapp in studying. 24 1 0

Appendix 3: Transcript of Interview

21

Example transcription of recorded interview

(M=Michelle, aged 13, female; I=interviewer)

(//=overlap)

I: Let’s begin with ‘how I see myself’. Can you just go through the pictures that you’ve used

and explain what pictures you’ve used and why you’ve used them?

M: Yeah. I’ve used this woman [Kelly Rowland] because she’s quite fashionable and I see

myself as a fashionable person. I’ve used a picture of a Liverpool football team because I see

myself as quite a supportive person towards the team. I put a love heart because I’m quite a

loving person. I also put a laptop because I like to explore things and try new things.

I: What about the pictures of Kat, Alfie [EastEnders characters] and, is that Lemar?

M: Bow Wow.

I: Let’s start with Kat and Alfie, why have you used them?

M: Because Kat, erm Alfie’s quite cheery and he makes people smile sometimes so I just like

Alfie, and I also have a temper to so I put Kat.

I: And what about Bow Wow?

M: I put him because I like him (laughs).

I: So if you were going to sum up how you see yourself, what words would you use that the

pictures are trying to express?

M: Creative, fashionable, quite a happy person, quite tempered sometimes, powerful,

respectful.

I: OK, you said that you can have a temper//

M: //yeah//

I: //sometimes//

M: //yeah.

I: When you say get a temper do you mean you get angry?

M: Yeah.

I: What types of things make you angry?

M: My sister borrows stuff from me and, um, sometimes I don’t get things my own way.

I: Sometimes you don’t get things your own way.

M: Yeah.

Appendix 4: Map of the Location of Institute of Health Science

22

Appendix 5: Request Letter to Conduct a Study

23

March 12, 2015

Mr. Redha Al-Qubtan

Head of English Department

Foundation Programme, Ministry of Health

Dear Sir,

Warm greetings!

I am Suleiman Al-Humeimi, a student of the Foundation Programme. I am conducting a

research entitled “Advantages and Disadvantages of Using WHatsapp among Students in

Oman.” With this, I would like to seek for your permission for me to distribute questionnaires

to the students at the institute for me to gather the data I need for my research.

Your approval will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely yours,

Suleiman Al-Humeimi

Appendix 6: Raw Data from Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)

24

Q1Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid

Strongly Agree 7 26.9 26.9 26.9Agree 6 23.1 23.1 50.0

Neither Agree Nor Disagree 7 26.9 26.9 76.9

Disagree 6 23.1 23.1 100.0Total 26 100.0 100.0


Percent

Valid

0 1 3.8 3.8 3.8Strongly Agree 11 42.3 42.3 46.2

Agree 6 23.1 23.1 69.2Neither Agree Nor

Disagree 4 15.4 15.4 84.6

Disagree 3 11.5 11.5 96.2Strongly Disagree 1 3.8 3.8 100.0

Total 26 100.0 100.0


Percent

Valid



Disagree 3 11.5 11.5 100.0Total 26 100.0 100.0


Percent

Valid



Disagree 1 3.8 3.8 96.2Strongly Disagree 1 3.8 3.8 100.0

Total 26 100.0 100.0

25

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