A cross-cultural qualitative examination of social-networking sites and academic performance

Social-networking site (SNS) use, specifically Facebook (R), has remained a controversial subject for many educators and media. Recent studies discuss the negative and positive impacts of SNSs on students' academic performance. This qualitative study examines the impact of SNSs on students' academic performance via open-ended survey responses in the United States (US) and Europe. Responses were examined using the Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA). Findings from this study indicate the differences in perceptions between students in the US and Europe. Overall, common themes indicated that the majority of students claimed they feel SNSs do not impact their grades. Many European students (32.0%) indicated that they use SNSs for their school work, whereas 31.7% of US students mentioned being a responsible student. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.