Premium
Influences of social network sites on the occupational performance of adolescents in a secondary school in C ape T own, S outh A frica: A phenomenological study
Author(s) -
Mthembu Thuli G.,
Beets Charmaine,
Davids Gafeedha,
Malyon Kelly,
Pekeur Marchelle,
Rabinowitz Avital
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
australian occupational therapy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1630
pISSN - 0045-0766
DOI - 10.1111/1440-1630.12085
Subject(s) - thematic analysis , psychology , focus group , occupational therapy , social network (sociolinguistics) , habit , developmental psychology , qualitative research , medical education , social psychology , medicine , sociology , social media , psychiatry , social science , political science , anthropology , law
Background/aim The habit of using social networking sites among adolescents has grown exponentially; there is little accompanying research to understand the influences on adolescents' occupational performance with this technology. The majority of adolescents are engaging in social network as part of their daily routines. Occupational performance is the act of doing and accomplishing a selected occupation that results from the dynamic transaction among the person, the environment and the occupation components. This study aimed to explore the influences of social networking on occupational performance of adolescents in a high school in W estern C ape P rovince, S outh A frica. Methods A phenomenological approach was used. Adolescents aged 13–17 years in a high school were purposively recruited for the study. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with four participants (two adolescents and two teachers) and two focus groups were undertaken with adolescents, analysed using thematic analysis. Results Four major themes emerged: ‘It's a good way to keep in touch’, ‘It's part of me and it's not a bad thing’, ‘There is a time and place for it’ and ‘There's an urgency to be on the phone’. Conclusions This study highlighted that social networking sites play a major role in the social life of adolescents, though it can result in occupational imbalance on their occupational performance. Furthermore, this study contributes to the knowledge of occupational therapists who work with adolescents in communities and health promoting school settings. Thus, collaboration between teachers, parents and occupational therapists can help to develop adolescents’ time management and learning skills.