Running head: FINAL SUMMARY REPORT 1

Final Summary Report Paper

Elizabeth Blanton

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Nursing Synthesis

NURS 4242

Assistant Professor Wendi Liverman

October 26, 2018

Honor Code: “I pledge…”

FINAL SUMMARY REPORT 2

Final Summary Report Paper

Adolescents have increased their use of social media since its introduction in 2009 at an

alarming rate. In one study, as of 2015, 51% of youth used social media daily (Richards,

Caldwell, & Go, 2015); while in a second study, 25.2% of students reported using social media

for more than two hours every day, and 54.3% reported using social media for two hours or less

every day (Sampasa-Kanyina & Lewis, 2015). Schools have begun to address adolescent use of

social media by educating students about the risks of social media, primarily in middle and upper

school classrooms. Unfortunately, it has become apparent that younger students are using social

media as well.

At St. Catherine’s School, teachers educate fourth grade students about cyber-bullying,

digital footprints, digital citizenship, and the School’s acceptable use policy, but there is

inconsistency and a disparity in the quality of education regarding the topic of social media. The

process in which the School educates the students on social media needs evaluation and

improvement to ensure that fourth grade students learn the risks of social media use, particularly

regarding mental health. Currently, teachers may cover a short lesson on social media with

fourth grade students, but the technology department and fourth grade teachers do not coordinate

their lessons and may not consistently cover the adverse mental health effects caused by social

media use. The School is having problems with students using social media platforms as early as

second grade, leading to peer difficulties at school and resulting in impromptu lessons by the

Lower School Counselor to address the negative aspects of social media. In addition to the

increase in social media use by adolescents, current research has demonstrated that rates of

adolescent depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, suicide deaths have increased from

2010-2015, especially in females, after remaining stable for decades (Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, &
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Martin, 2017). It is significant to note that social media was first introduced in 2009, and 92% of

teens and young adults owned a smartphone by 2015 (Twenge et al., 2017). Researchers are

exploring the correlation between the rise in adolescent mental health issues and social media

use. The quality improvement project will aim to improve the quality and consistency of the

fourth grade students’ education about social media and its adverse effects on mental health.

The process of educating the fourth grade students about social media needs

improvement, because of the relevance and significance of the topic and the insufficiency and

inconsistency of the current curriculum. Fourth grade teachers may introduce a brief lesson on

social media, but coordination between teachers and the technology department is inconsistent.

There is no policy that determines when students in Lower School should be taught about social

media, and there is an inadequate system for maintaining the social media educational needs of

fourth grade students. These barriers impede the quality of the educational process and leave

room for improvement. With fourth graders at St. Catherine’s using social media, it is important

to begin educating students about the risks of social media in Lower School, rather than waiting

until Middle School, which has primarily been the focus of social media education at the School.

By beginning to educate students about the adverse effects of social media on mental health early

in their lives and improving the educational process, we can positively impact their mental health

as they progress into adolescence. Research is demonstrating that teens are the most vulnerable

population at risk for mental health issues from the use of social media (Richards et al., 2015).

Numerous research studies have established a link between social media usage and poor mental

health, including high levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation when social media is

used more than two hours per day (Sampasa-Kanyina & Lewis, 2015). Other common mental

health concerns impacted by social media include feelings of missing out, loneliness,
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hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression. Loneliness in particular has been demonstrated to be

worsened for adolescents who have an increased number of social media accounts (Barry, Sidoti,

Briggs, Reiter & Lindsey, 2017).

The short-term goal of the quality improvement project was to improve student learning

about the adverse effects of social media on mental health by 20% after one teaching session. A

secondary goal was to decrease students’ social media use by 20% after one teaching session

within ten days. Surveys were used to assess student learning and social media use. A pre-

learning survey was administered prior to the lesson and a post-learning survey was administered

after the lesson to assess the increase in student learning. The percent increase in correct

answers between the pre and post-surveys demonstrated the overall percent increase in learning.

The students’ baseline knowledge of social media was also assessed, and students were asked

about whether or not they had studied social media in school during third and fourth grade. The

social media usage survey was administered during the lesson, and the same survey was

administered ten days after the lesson to determine if their social media usage decreased. This

survey asked students about their social media usage, including the amount of time used and the

types of social media platforms used. During the planning process, it was important to gather

information regarding the current curriculum from the Lower School Technology Department,

Middle School Digital Responsibility Teacher, Lower and Middle School Counselors, the Health

and Wellness Coordinator, and the Fourth Grade Teachers. This provided a comprehensive view

of student education regarding social media, digital footprint, digital citizenship, and the

School’s responsible use policy.

To better understand the importance of the need for the social media education in the

quality improvement project, research was gathered from previous research reviews on the topic
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of the adverse effects of social media on mental health. While completing the First Plan-Do-

Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, one of the authors of a referenced research paper, Jean Twenge, visited

St. Catherine’s School to speak on the topic of social media and adolescent mental health, which

further clarified the research and reinforced the importance of the topic, particularly in reference

to adolescent females.

The actual implementation of the quality improvement project and First PDSA Cycle

took place between October 1, 2018 and October 19, 2018 in the fourth grade classrooms at St.

Catherine’s School. Fourth grade teachers were present during each of the lessons. Lessons

were taught at times that were convenient for each of the four classes. The schedule was as

follows: October 1, 2018 at 8:45am in Mrs. Cavallo's Class, October 2, 2018 at 2:05pm in Mrs.

Hiscock's Class, October 3, 2018 at 8am in Mrs. McCallum's Class, and October 9, 2018 at

8:20am in Mrs. Coughlan’s Class. Data about social media usage was also collected on October

19, 2018 in all four classes. An initial barrier to the First PDSA Cycle was that there was not

enough time to complete the full lesson in each class. Part of the lesson had to be omitted in

each class to keep the lesson to 30 minutes. Other than this initial barrier, the lessons went

smoothly, were well received by the students, had strong and active participation by the students,

and the goals were met. Fourth grade teachers also provided positive feedback. Future PDSA

cycles will be completed in coming years, as new fourth grade students enter the grade level.

The format of the PDSA cycle may be altered slightly to accommodate the schedule of the

students, such as teaching the lesson in the Family Life Class or with the Lower School

Counselor.

Data from the First PDSA cycle demonstrated a 35% increase in learning by fourth grade

students after one lesson on the adverse effects of social media on mental health. This exceeded
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the goal of 20%. Each learning survey question demonstrated a different rate of increased

learning, but the overall increase was 35%. The different rate of increased learning per question

indicates that in future cycles, emphasis could be placed on different topics to improve overall

learning. The surveys also showed that most students have previously learned information about

social media in third or fourth grade. 58% of students stated in the surveys that they had

previously studied social media. The surveys did not capture specifically what information was

studied and at what time. This data demonstrated that there was a need for improved learning

regarding social media among fourth grade students. The social media usage surveys

demonstrated that 18 out of 71 students in fourth grade are using a social media platform, which

is approximately 25% of students. Students stated that the social media platforms they used

included, Snapchat, TickTok (formerly Musical.ly), Instagram, Roblox, YouTube, live.ly, House

Party, and WhatsApp. By targeting this age group with social media education, the School can

positively effectuate a change in unhealthy social media habits in those students who are

currently using social media or instill healthy habits in those students who have not yet begun to

use social media. Finally, there was a 33% decrease in social media usage by fourth grade

students ten days after the social media lesson; however, the data was not consistent in its

accuracy. Therefore, the reliability of the results is in question. For example, the number of

students who originally stated that they “previously used social media” decreased from ten to

two. This number should have increased, considering that the number of students who currently

use social media decreased. In addition, the variety of social media platforms that students said

they used increased, which is contradictory to what would be expected if overall social media use

decreased.

Teaching a lesson to fourth grade students about the adverse effects of social media on
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mental health did appear to have a positive effect on students and led to an improvement, as it

improved students' understanding of social media as evidenced by the 35% increase in learning

assessed in the learning surveys. The secondary goal may have been met by decreasing social

media use by 33%, but as previously stated, the results are not reliable. The information

gathered about social media use by fourth grade students was very helpful to the School in

gaining a better understanding of how widespread social media use was among fourth graders.

This information will be helpful in planning future PDSA cycles and in revising the social media

curriculum. All of the data gathered from the surveys was also shared with fourth grade parents

in a letter home. The School received positive feedback from parents, who appreciated the

School’s efforts in addressing the issue of social media with fourth grade students. School staff

found the data to be helpful in better understanding the educational needs of the students and the

social media usage patterns of the fourth grade students. School members have found that usage

of social media often impacts students at school in their peer relationships, and the School is

better able to assist students if they know what platforms are being used. One piece of

information that would have been helpful to collect in the surveys was the number of fourth

grade students who own smartphones. Smartphones impact social media use, and it would have

been interesting to see the correlation between smartphone ownership and increased social media

use.

Overall, this was a successful quality improvement project and First PDSA Cycle. It will

be interesting to see if future PDSA cycles are as successful, especially as social media usage

changes among different age groups. It will be important for the School to stay abreast of

current trends in adolescent social media usage and to maintain strong relationships with students

and parents to support the needs of their students.

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References

Barry, C.T., Sidoti, C.L., Briggs, S.M., Reiter, S.R., & Lindsey, R.A. (2017). Adolescent social

media use and mental health from adolescent and parent perspectives. Journal of

Adolescents, 611-11.

Richards, D., Caldwell, P.Y., & Go, H. (2015). Impact of Social media on the health of children

and young people. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 51(12), 1151-1157.

Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., & Lewis, R.F. (2015). Frequent Use of Social Networking Sites Is

Associated with Poor Psychological Functioning Among Children and Adolescents.

Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 18(7), 380-385.

Twenge, J.M., Joiner, T.E., Rogers, M.L., & Martin, G.N. (2017). Increases in depressive

symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010

and links to increased new media screen time. Clinic Psychological Science, 6(1), 3-17.