Study Shows Internet Helps More Than Hurts College Students

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According to a study conducted by Houghton Mifflin, the Internet has been found to help students more than distract them from course study and research.

Houghton Mifflin interviewed 896 students about their Internet use and over half (59%) said that the Internet has aided them in studying for classes. The most popular tool has been the online quiz; More than 3 quarters reported that they used this method the most. Video tutorials (29%) were next, followed by the use of tutors online and study groups online (24% and 16%, respectively).

Another popular tool that is being used is the e-Book. E-Books are basically electronic books, or the digital version of normal textbooks. And, despite the high cost of regular books or e-Books, 75% of students surveyed attribute their classroom success to the use of books.

Houghton Mifflin also stated that sales of books with online companion parts were up 100% in the last three years. This suggests that although we are a technology-based society, textbooks still play an important role. Katie Rose, the Houghton-Mifflin lead research and marketing staff member of the College division, agreed in the study.

“Online study tools are a new resource that today’s wired students can take advantage of that past generations didn’t have access to,” she said. “We’re finding that students are increasingly using online study tools in tandem with their textbooks.”

This highlights a basic principle outlined by Boston University Humanities professor Jeffery Vail.

“In my 15 years of teaching, I’ve found that good study habits are inevitably linked to better academic performance. This is as true for freshman as it is for returning students,” he stated in an interview.

Other interesting statistics were gathered from the study. Of the 896 students interviewed, 44% admitted they were procrastinators when it came to studying, waiting until the last minute to do so. 35% preferred the late hours to cram for the next exam, while almost half liked the mid-day. As far as distractions go, students are almost equally enticed by music or the computer (44 and 43 percent) with caffeine and food ranking third at36%.

Houghton Mifflin is a leading publisher of textbooks in the United States, garnering $1.4 billion in sales. They recently merged with Riverdeep, a courseware specialist, back in 2006.