The usage of social media has increased tremendously through the years. As mentioned by Kuss and Griffiths (2017), social media is being used as several different mediums for instance it is used for communication, learning, and collaborating. , This has led individuals to develop problematic, compulsive as well addictive habits toward the usage of social media (Balakrishnan and Griffith, 2017). In regard to this issue, the use of social media has made an impact on the development of children and adolescents especially in terms of cognitive development.
Kircaburun (2016) has conducted a study on social esteem, daily internet use, and social media addiction as predictors of depression among Turkish adolescents. The researcher recruited 1130 adolescents between ages 12 and 18 from secondary and high schools in the southern region of Aegean. In terms of data collecting, the researcher used the Children’s Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and as Social Media Addiction Scale. It was found that self-esteem, daily internet usage, and social media addiction are the predictors of depression among adolescents in the Aegean region.
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The plus point of this paper by Kircaburun (2016) is that the participants that were recruited were based on random sampling. Carr (1994) mentioned that the finding of quantitative research is most likely to generalize a whole population or even a sub-population that involves a larger sample when it is randomly selected. Besides that, due to researching a specific result, quantitative research has a higher chance of participants' personal bias that it would likely enter the data spectrum which may affect the results of the study. Hence, collecting a large sample size would be beneficial to quantitative studies (Miller, 2020).
Besides random sampling, this study has a relatively large sample size which is 1130 adolescents. According to Patel, Doku, and Tennakoon (2003), it was mentioned that by acquiring a large sample size, is said to have a higher chance of representing the population, limiting the influences of outliers. Miller (2020) also stated that by having a large sample size, the statistical analysis would be reviewed in a deeper depth which then would result in the outcome of producing a greater credibility.
However, this paper has limitations The first one is that the researcher only focused on one region in this case it is Aegean. Researchers are at risk of that by testing a group from one region that does not necessarily represent the general population. With the certainty that we have enough data gathered for research, based on the mean of the data analysis would then represent a result that would be relatable or usable to the population (Miller, 2020). It would be an error if we compare the participants of this study which are from the southern region Aegean and the general population of Turkey. In a study conducted by Banerjee and Chaudhury (2010), they mentioned in their article that for instance, if they were to compare the mental health of lawyers in Delhi and the mental health of lawyers in India as a whole that would be a dangerous observation to consider. They further stated that it is unsure to which extent the sample study and the population of Delhi are similar to the larger population of the country.
Besides this, this study has another limitation whereby according to the researcher, he mentioned that this research was using quantitative scales as well as self-reports. The reason for this is biased. An individual tends to be influenced by social desirability whereby they tend to only report socially accepted experiences (Salters-Pedneault, 2020). The response bias affects the inaccuracy as well as it lack of precision of measurement qualities in the data analysis of a research. However, there are several reasons for an individual to respond which leads them to answer those questionnaires unwillingly or they are unable to respond accurately (Dodd-McCue and Tartaglia, 2010).
The next article to be reviewed is by Asmiarti and Winangun (2018). Their study was regarding the role of YouTube media as a means to optimize early childhood cognitive development. In this study, they recruited three young children between the ages of 2 to 3 years old. The three children belonged to different districts in the Pati Regency, Indonesia. The method these researchers used was qualitative research using the phenomenology research design whereby interviews and observation were carried out to collect data. They have found that YouTube videos are to be used as a means to optimize early childhood cognitive development in terms of language, imagination as well and color recognition.
This study has several advantages. First and foremost, the researchers were able to gain insights through non-participant observation in their natural settings. As mentioned by Denzin (1989), using the qualitative method, researchers would be able to derive specific description based on the feelings, opinion as well and experiences of the participants and therefore, interprets the meanings of their actions (Rahman, 2016). Researchers will have the opportunity to observe the problems as well as the behaviors of the participants directly. Furthermore, by carrying out an observation, researchers are able to gather specific insights regarding their participants. This is because, during this process, they have the tendency to understand the context of what is going on as a whole. Researchers tend to use this method as a way of gathering information regarding the participant’s choices and the problems they are facing every day (Miller, 2019).
Another advantage that was found in this study is that the researchers used an unstandardized interview method to gain information from participants. Punch (1998) stated that an unstructured interview is conducted as a method to understand the complexity of the participant’s behavior to which there would not be any limitation during the field of inquiry regarding the participants (Punch, 2014). In qualitative research, open-ended questions would be asked in order to collect information for the research. It does not only rely on the close-ended question alone. This procedure is to gather possible information that may be overlooked due to close-ended questions (Miller, 2019). With the direct interaction between researchers and participants, the data collection would be subjective as well as detailed (Rahman, 2016).
As there were strengths in this study, there are limitations as well in this study. One of the limitations is that it is associated with the reliability and the validity of the information collected by the researcher. The researchers in this study should be able to deduce the relevant information that is needed in this study in order to have valid results. It is stated by Patton (2002) that researchers must make sure that during the interview phase, they are to collect data that reveals the objective of the study. He also further mentioned that there are no specific tests that can be conducted to obtain reliable and valid data in qualitative research. Seale (1999) stated that a qualitative researcher should ensure the reliability of a study in terms of trustworthiness (Golafshani, 2003). Trustworthiness is the main content of analysis in a qualitative method. It is crucial to include this throughout the data analyzing process that involves the preparation, organization as well and reporting of the results (Elo et al., 2014). Creswell and Miller (2000) further mentioned that as for validity, it is suggested that validity is affected by the perception of the researchers which is shown in the techniques.
Another limitation of this study is that researchers are limiting their findings to one specific group in Pati Regency, Indonesia instead of generalizing the results as the research approach that was used was the phenomenology method. How are the results beneficial to the population in Indonesia if the data collected represents one particular group in the country? A large amount of data needs to be analyzed which could be a disadvantaged individual in generalizing the individual prospect (Maxwell, 2013). Moreover, this study has a small sample size by which there are only three participants were recruited. Hence, this small sample size is unable to represent the entire population of Indonesia. As stated by Lam (2015), he admitted that he does not wish to claim wider generalization due to his small sample size in his study (Rahman, 2017). Therefore, there is a need to carry out follow-ups in order to maintain the accuracy throughout the process which would be time-consuming (Miller, 2019).
The next journal focuses on the TV programs that are watched by children, especially cartoons. Young children are exposed to TV at an early stage which brings negative effects to their brain development. There are three factors that affect the brain development of a child. Firstly, the relationship between the child’s genes and brain development however it is said that the surrounding environment molds the functionality of the brain. The next factor is that thinking, as well as imagination, is the strongest factor to affect the function of the brain till the age of 12. Lastly, the early mind setting predicts the children’s future actions (Habib and Soliman, 2015). In a study conducted by Haasan and Daniyal (2013), the researchers concluded that watching the channel Cartoon Network has a great impact on children in terms of dressing, lifestyle, violent and aggressive behaviors, and also their language.
The last article that is to be reviewed is by Ghilzai et al., (2017) titled Impact of Cartoon Programs on Children’s Language and Behavior. These researchers analyzed the effect of language change as well as the behavioral development of children due to the overindulgence of watching cartoons. The method that was carried out was a mixed method approach where 30 mothers as well as the sibling of younger children aged between 5 to 12 years old were required to answer an open-ended interview questionnaire. Besides that, the researchers also carried out an experiment with one of the participants by which he was exposed to numerous cartoons aired on TV and that he was interviewed after watching the cartoons. This study found that children exposed to such cartoons have higher language acquisition. However, along with that, the children have shown aggressive and violent behavior with their siblings as well as their friends.
Similar to the previous journal articles, this study has strengths. One of the strengths of this study is that it uses both quantitative as well as qualitative methods in other words this method is called the mixed method. Ghilzai et al. (2017), conducted an open-ended interview questionnaire as well as they conducted another interview with a participant. By conducting such a design in research, it enables the researchers to investigate more complex areas of the human and also their social world. As to which The quantitative method addresses “how” and “why” questions whereas the quantitative method addresses “how often” and ‘how many”. Hence, by conducting a mixed-method approach, a researcher is able to obtain new empirical insight (Malina, Nørreklit, & Selto, 2011). Hence, by using mixed methods, a wider perspective can be derived on the intended subject (Moss 2017).
The next strength of this study is that it regards data collected in both methods quantitative and qualitative which simply means that there is more data to analyze. Mixed method research investigates more than one approach that produces statistical analysis along with observation that results in a more comprehensive outcome (Moss, 2017). According to Teddlie & Tashakkori (2003), researchers are able to examine and provide a relevant interpretation of the data collected (Hughes, 2016). Besides producing more data, a mixed-method design is capable of offering more gateways for future researchers (Moss, 2017).
However, there is a limitation in this study to which it needs to be addressed. The number of participants in this study is relatively unbalanced by which 30 mothers and siblings of the participants were required to fill in the questionnaire whereas in terms of gathering qualitative data, only one participant was involved during that interview session. It would be difficult to draw findings based on this data. It is stated by Wisdom and Creswell (2013), that a mixed-method approach increases the complexity of evaluating the data of a study. These researchers further mentioned that a researcher who is planning on conducting a method of research needs to take extra steps in terms of planning to make sure that all aspects of the research in described accurately. Moreover, describing the data in a mixed method design tends to be complicated as well it is time-consuming as data and interpretations are often in an abstract form (Hughes, 2016). Besides that, mixed methods are prone to having difficulties in collecting accurate data. , The mixed method approach increases the likelihood of epistemological contradictions and would lead to contradictions in the data collected from qualitative and quantitative (Cojocaru, 2010).
In conclusion, the three research designs approach has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, before conducting research, a researcher is to foresee the limitations and strengths that influence the results of their study. Hence, proper planning and studying have to be done carefully before research is carried out.
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