The digital behavior of Piura students

Analysis on the contents consumption and interaction protocols, based upon data by the Center on Research of Public Opinion, University of Piura.

Main Task

Analizing the digital behavior of the Piura Region’s students and knowing the perils ththey are exposed on the Internet.

Specific Tasks

1. Identifying the levels oactual f bullying and cyberbullying  in private high-schools of Piura Region
2. Learning about the security protocols used by the Piura’s students on their social media  and researching the possible negative consequences of  an unadequate digital alphabetization.
3. Identifying the surfing habits those the students manifest on the Internet, and knowing the most used platforms to access the net.
4. Researching the digital socialization dynamics  of Piura’s students and learning about the control the parents do facing the surfing habits of their kids.
5. Knowing how the technological platforms affect the school achievement of the Piura’s students.
6. Identifying the digital ecosystem potentials in a new narrative and cognitive context.

Conclusions

1. The students of region’s private high-schools are exposed to the bullying by strangers on the Internet, starting from the experience of the last two years, 42% know partners who have been bullied, and 13% admit they have received requests for sexual parties through the net. The most alarming is 30% have been bullied by an unknown person in 2019, holding the bullying trend of the last four years. In this context, 48% consider those facts would not be denounced to the police.
2. Some cyberbullying manifestations are presented at the private high-schools of the region. 52% of students consider it is common to post offensive photographs, 35% assures it is habitual the identities impersonation on the net, and 26% point it is used to create accounts addressed for bullying on the social media.
3. The students of the region have no security protocols on their social media. 63% reveal their age, and 79% show their school’s name regretless. Also, 21% make public their cellphone number and even 11% undisclose their home address. Because of this, it is not rare that 77% of students recognize they were contacted once a time by strangers on their social media, and 72% admit it happened the same in the last year.
4. This explains that in 2019 more than a half of students (51%) have found fake identities wishing to contact them, and the worst – 32% would accept real dates with strangers.
5. The students of the region use to spend overnight  because of surfing the Internet. 58% accept they regularily spend time talking on whatsApp after midnight, and 35% do the same on Facebook. This makes no rare that 32% of students manifest –in the last two years- have spent asleep in classes because of it, while 31% consider their scores have disminished because of a disordered use of the Internet.
6. The conversation protocols have changed in the students of the region. They do not use phone calls or SMS to stay in touch with their friends but they mainly use WhatsApp (67%) and the Facebook Chat service (29%). Bothapps present different trends in the last years – the social mean leaves to turn into the main mean to chat, while WhatsApp goes gaining a land.
7. Internet is the main source to do homeworks, being Wikipedia (70%) the most consulted website, with the YouTube tutorials (81%). But the concerning is the students are accostumming to the academic cheating. 72% recognize they only copy and paste the information not identifying the source. This situation becomes most critical when it is proven 51% of students affirm the teachers do not use to penalize the cheating on the Internet.
8. The mobile telephone is the main electronic device which the students connect to the Internet (85%). In the opposite, only 24% of students regularily use the home PC and the rent in Internet cafés has practically disappeared (2%). Those results are explained why the parental control is difficult. 64% of students affirm not to have any control over their digital life or that is made sporadically. This trend holds over 50% in the last years (2016-2019).
9. The most used interaction platforms  in 2019 are Facebook (95%), WhatsApp ( 88%)), and Instagram. From registered trends in the last years (2016-2019), Instagram shows a sustained growth to reach 78% of preference this year. Meanwile, Twitter is not used by the students – only 12% use this app.
10. The Tv goes losing land in the students of the region. In 2019, only 27% affirm to watch traditional-format TV regularily. Facing this result, the preference for Netflix considerabily increases – while in 2016, 32% watched its contents, 64% do it regularily this year. From the amount of students who enter Netflix, just 20% uses an own account (or paid by their parents).
11. In the last years (2016-2019, the average age when the students begin to surf the Internet alternates between 10 to 11 years old. It is about a generation that not only uses the social media regularily but they also start to experience the online commercial transactions. Currently, 45% of students already know how to buy digitally.

Technical Facts

Universe: Students of 5th grade private high-schools in Piura Region.

Sample frame: Statistical information made by Piura’s Regional Direction of Education and updated by the 2019 School Census.

Sample design: Sampling was made in two steps:

• Cathegorized random sampling - :Having as cathegories, province (the 8 provinces of Piura), sex (man and woman), type of private managing (private and parish), and type of school (male, female, and mixed). It proceeds to determine the quantity of elements in the related sample to every cathegory for proportional affixation.
• Random sampling by conglomerates with proportional probability to size measure of the conglomerate, having  as sample unit to the schools.

Population sice: 4233 students of 5^th grade private high-schools in Piura Region.

Sampling unit: The school.

Sampling element: Student of 5^th grade high-school.

Sample size: Calculated under the supposition of finite population and maximum undetermination (p=q=50%) resulting a 422-student size.

Reliability rate: 95%

Error margin: ±4.49%

Representativity: 97.5%

Field Work

Technique to make the actual study: The poll technique was used, consisting to apply a questionnaire structured through a personal interview.

Field date: July 12th to 21^st, 2019.

Supervision: Partial re-interview until covering 30% of interviewers production.

Data Treatment

Funding: Self-funded.

Research ccrew:

Director: Dr. Fernando Huamán Flores

Analysts: Eng. Henry Palomino MorenoBach. Violeta Gonzáles Rafael

Team: Mauro Mendieta Leiva, María Fernanda Checa Seminario, Cristina Reusche Saavedra, Lucía Anastacio Coello, Dulce Casos Furlong, Nixxi Córdova Ramos (Students of School of Communications, subject Audiences Research, 2019-I semester.)