THE Effect OF Mobile Phones ON Students PDF

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Research: The effect of mobile phones to students...

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1

Background of the Study A mobile phone is a device that can basically make and receive calls over a radio link while

moving around a wide geographic area. (Pew Research center, 2010). It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network. The ancient types of Mobile phones support limited services and examples were shown in Fig. 1.1. Such as, calling, sending messages and very few for taking pictures. However, the modern phones support very wide range variety of other services apart from making and receive calls and examples were shown in Fig. 1.2. These include; text messaging, MMS, e-mail, internet access, short range wireless communications [(Infrared, Bluetooth, File Transfer Protocol, (FTP)], business applications, gaming and photography.

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Fig. 1.1. The Ancient Types of Mobile Phones Source: Olanrewaju (2014) Field Work

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Mobile phone is one of the most rapidly growing new technologies in the world (Rebello, 2010). In 2001, cell phone users were less than a billion worldwide with the majority of the users from the developed countries. By the end of 2010, however, mobile phone users had reached five billion worldwide with subscriptions from developing countries outnumbering that of the developed countries (Kelly, 2009; Rebello, 2010). Obviously, this increase includes a sharp increase in the number of cell phones used by the younger generations. This area of interest was chosen because of the unregulated usage and over dependent attitude on these devices especially among our secondary school students. Interestingly, this is obviously imperative as Geser & Junco (2006); and Merson & Salter (2010) had observed that the youth have consistently displayed higher level of attachment to their mobile phones which could serve as distractions to them because of the time channeled to the phones.

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Fig. 1.2. Other Ancient Types of Mobile Phones Source: Olanrewaju (2014) Field Work

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However, in recent years, different types of mobile phones have been produced by different phone manufacturers. Each comes with different features for different/ specific function(s). We have different variety of mobile phones as named by their manufacturers, they include, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sagem, Sendo, Siemens,T-mobile, Thuraya, Vodafone, Sony ericsson, Bluebird, alcatel, Blackberry, and so on. We now have those that can make video calling, ping, take clearer pictures/photographs, surf the internet and lots more. They are also built/ installed in/ with different capacities, mode of operation and features/applications. For example, 17mega Pixel phones normally will produce clearer pictures/photographs, Skype is an application for video calling, Blackberry and other android enabled devices can ping. Some are android enabled; examples are, HTC, Tecno, and so on which are basically the latest of all kinds of mobile phones widely used by both young and old, especially among students (Olanrewaju, 2015). This study therefore, attempts to find out the impact of mobile phones use among students in both private and public schools on their academic performance. Also, to check whether or not there will be significant difference in the performance of students using mobile phones in Public and Private Schools. 1.2

Statement of the Problem In the past one decade, Mobile phone was not as rampant among users compared to how it is

now being used; especially among secondary Schools’ students. Recently, mobile phone which comes in different types/models each for specific tasks/functions is one of the basic essential gadgets possessed by an average school student which relatively might certainly influence such students’ academic performance. This study therefore, seeks to address the impact of mobile phones on student performance in secondary Schools. 1.3

Objectives of the Study The general objective of this study is to assess the impact of mobile phones on student

performance in secondary Schools. 5

The specific objectives are to: 1. ascertain the extent to which mobile phones are being utilized in secondary Schools among the students. 2. find out the extent to which the use of mobile phones will affect students’ performance in secondary School. 3. comparison of student performance in Public and Private Schools using mobile phones. 1.4

Research Hypotheses 1. There is no significant difference in the number of secondary Schools’ students using mobile phones and those who do not. 2. There is no significant relationship in the extent to which the use of mobile phone affects students’ performance in secondary School. 3. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students using mobile phones in Public and Private Schools.

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Significance of the Study This study is meant to reveal the impact of mobile phones on student performance in secondary Schools. It would expose the students to the implications of spending too much time on their mobile phones. Also, can serve as precautionary measures towards achieving good academic result for students.

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Operational Definition of Terms -

Impact: The effect of something on another thing.

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Mobile: Anything that can be carried from one place to another.

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Phone: Electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds.

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CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW This study reviewed related literature from books, journals, and internet; organized under the following sub-headings: i.

Meaning and Concept of Mobile Phone

ii.

Student Performance

iii.

Impact of Mobile Phones on Students’ Performance

iv.

Review of Related Literature.

2.1

Meaning and Concept of Mobile Phones A mobile phone is a phone that can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link while

moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network. In addition, modern phones also support wide range variety of other services such as text messaging, MMS, e-mail, internet access, short range wireless communications (Infrared, Bluetooth), business applications, gaming and photography. (Pew Research center, 2010)

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Fig. 2.1. The Modern Types of Mobile Phones. Source: Olanrewaju (2014) Field Work

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The use of technology is a global imperative due to its contributions to human existence and has enhanced the socio economic relations globally. Wireless communication has emerged as one of the fastest diffusing media on the planet, fuelling an emergent “mobile youth culture” (Castells, Fernandez-Ardevol, Qiu, and Sey, 2007). Thus, increased popularity of cell and smart phones in recent years has attracted research attention. Cell phones are seen as a mixed blessing. Teens say phones make their lives safer and more convenient. Yet they also cite new tensions connected to cell phone use (Pew Research Center, 2010). As cell phones have become more available, they are increasingly owned and used by teens. Further, as handsets become more loaded with capabilities ranging from video recording and sharing, to music playing and internet access, teens and young adults have an ever-increasing repertoire of use. Indeed, we are moving into an era when mobile devices are not just for talking and texting, but can also access the internet and all it has to offer (Pew Research Center, 2010). 2.2

Student Performance Students academic gain and learning performance is affected by numerous factor including

gender, age, teaching faculty, students schooling, father/guardian social economic status, residential area of students, medium of instructions in schools, tuition trend, daily study hour and accommodation as hostelries or day scholar. Many researchers conducted detailed studies about the factors contributing student performance at different study levels. Graetz (1995) suggested “A student educational success contingent heavily on social status of student’s parents/ guardians in the society. Considine and Zappala (2002) noticed the same that parent’s income or social status positively affects the student test score in examination. According to Minnesota (2007) “the higher education performance is depending upon the academic performance of graduate students. Durden and Ellis quoted Staffolani and Bratti, (2002) observed that “the measurement of students previous educational outcomes are the most important indicators of students future achievement, this refers that as the higher previous appearance, better the student’s academic performance in future endeavours. 9

Lot of studies have been conducted in the area of students achievement and these studies identify and analyze the number of factors that affect the academic performance of the student at school, college and even at university level. Their finding identify students’ effort, previous schooling, parent’s educational background, family income, self motivation of students, age of student, learning preferences and entry qualification of students as important factors that have effect on student’s academic performance in different setting. The utility of these studies lies in the need to undertake corrective measures that improve the academic performance of graduate students.

It is generally assumed that the students who showed better or higher performance in the starting classes of their studies also performed better in future academic years at degree level. Everyone can be surprised with this assumption if it could be proved scientifically. From the last two decades it has been noticed significantly that there is great addition in research literature and review material relating to indicators of academic achievement with much emphasis on this dialogue, whether traditional achievement measures of academic performance are best determinants of future academic gain at university or higher level or innovative measures. However, it is also observed that many of the researchers are not agree with this view point or statement. Reddy and Talcott (2006) looks disagree with these assumptions that future academic gains are resolute by preceding performance. In their research on the relationship between previous academic performance and subsequent achievement at university level, they found that students learning or studying at graduate level and the score secured did not predict any academic achievement at university level. They also cited Pearson and Johnson (1978) who observed that on the whole grade association of only 0.28 between graduate level marks and university degree achievement.

It is also confirmed in the study of Oregon State University (2003) on graduate admissions that normal measures of educational potential and academic performance such as high school GPA (Grade Point Average) scores showed only 30% of the deviation in initial or starting (first) year at college. It is important to note that even these studies do not agree with the former studies who explored that previous achievement affect the future performance of the students in studies, they 10

confirmed that the admission scores are related to academic performance at university level but to a very minimal extent. McDonald et.al (2001) also suggested that the scores of graduate level studies still out perform any other single measure of cognitive aptitude in predicting success at university level.

Parent’s socio-economic condition, which includes parents’ academic and professional qualification, revenue and occupational affiliation, is also associated with academic gain of students. The results of many studies confirmed that academic achievement of students is contingent upon parent’s socio-economic condition. So the students belonging from higher social economical backgrounds will perform better than other students associated with low social economic backgrounds. “Social and economical status of student is generally determined by combining parents’ qualification, occupation and income standard” (Jeynes, 2002). Among many research studies conducted on academic achievement, it is not very surprising to observe that Socioeconomic status is one of the main elements studied while predicting academic performance.

Graetz (1995) conducted a study on socio-economic status of the parents of students and concluded that the socio economic background has a great impact on student’s academic performance, main source of educational imbalance among students and student’s academic success contingent very strongly on parent’s socio economic standard. Considine and Zappala (2002) also having the same views as Graetz (1995), in their study on the influence of social and economic disadvantage in the academic performance of school students noticed, where the parents or guardians have social, educational and economical advantage definitely strengthen the higher level success in future. But it is also noted that these parents make available sufficient psychological and emotional shore up to their children by providing good educational and learning environment that produce confidence and the improvement of skills needed for success.

On other hand Pedrosa et.al (2006) in their study on social and educational background pointed out those students who mostly come from deprived socio-economic and educational background 11

performed relatively better than others coming from higher socio-economic and educational area. They named this phenomena educational elasticity. It is obvious and true that the criteria for categorizing socio-economic standard in different countries are different depending of their norms and values. The criteria for low socio-economic status for developed country will be different from the criteria of developing nations and same will be in the case of developing and under developing countries. “The total income of families, monthly or annually and their expenditures also put a great effect on the learning and academic opportunities accessible to youngsters and their chances of educational success. Furthermore, he also pointed that due to residential stratification and segregation, the students belonging to low-income backgrounds usually attend schools with lower funding levels, and this situation reduced achievement motivation of the students and high risk of educational malfunction in future life endeavors” (Escarce, 2003).

Considine & Zappala (2002) observed that children comes from those families having low income make known more subsequent models in terms of learning outcomes; low literacy level, low retention rate, problems in school behaviour and more difficulty in their studies and mostly display negative attitude towards studies and school. The view point of Considine and Zappala is more strengthen by this statement of Eamon, According to Eamon (2005) “Those students usually come out from low socio-economic status or area show low performance in studies and obtained low scores as compared to the other students or their counter parts”.

It is also assumed that children learning outcome and educational performance are strongly affected by the standard and type of educational institution in which students get their education. The educational environment of the school one attends sets the parameters of students’ learning outcomes. Considine and Zappala (2002) quoted Sparkles (1999) showed that schools environment and teachers expectations from their students also have strong influence on student performance. Most of the teachers working in poor schools or schools having run short of basic facilities often have low performance expectations from their students and when students know that their teachers have low performance expectations from them, hence it leads to poor performance by the students. 12

Kwesiga (2002) approved that performance of the students is also influenced by the school in which they studied but he also said that number of facilities a school offers usually determine the quality of the school, which in turn affect the performance and accomplishment of its students. Sentamu (2003) argue that schools influence educational process in content organization, teacher and teaching learning and in the end evaluation of the all. All these educationists and researchers agreed with this principle that schools put strong effect on academic performance and educational attainment of students.

Students from elite schools are expected to perform good because they attend these elite schools and the main reason behind is that these schools are usually very rich in resources and facilities. Some researchers have the view that school ownership and the funds available in schools do indeed influenced the performance of the student. Crosne and Elder (2004) noticed that school ownership, provision of facilities and availability of resources in school is an important structural component of the school. Private schools due to the better funding, small sizes, serious ownership, motivated faculty and access to resources such as computers perform better than public schools. These additional funding resources and facilities found in private schools enhance academic performance and educational attainment of their students. It is also very pleasing that students from Govt schools colleges and universities in Punjab Pakistan are providing the laptops by the Punjab Government, so that the students could interact with the whole world and know about the latest developments and innovations.

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Impact of Mobile Phones on Students’ Performance Apart from the negative effect through the usage of these phones by the students, it also

have some other effects; which maybe psychological. The addictive nature of cell phones has concerned psychologists for years. Recently, psychologists have warned that phone users are especially at risk of becoming addicted to their devices. In a recent study by Wargo, (2012), the subjects checked their phones 34 13

times a day. People may check their phones out of habit or compulsion, but habitually checking can be a way to avoid interacting with people. Some people can experience withdrawal symptoms typically associated with substance abuse, such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression, when they are without their phones and all these are embedded to the course of academic relapse of students who fall into this category. Surprisingly, these addictions take strong toll on the student without them noticing it and some of them find it hard to believe that they are addicted to their phones. Thus, giving more credence to the amount of time meted out to these phones than academics. Chóliz, (2010) pointed out that excessive use of and dependency on the cell phone may be considered an addictive disorder. In order to address some of the issues attached to cell phones researchers chose different area of interest and teasing them out. Theory on adolescent egocentrism, pointed out heightened self-consciousness during adolescence. The theory adolescent egocentrism stated that it is a stage of self-absorption where the world is seen only from one's own perspective. Thus adolescents are highly critical of authority figures, unwilling to accept criticism, and quick to find fault with others. Adolescent egocentrism helps explain why teens often think they are the focus of everyone attention. Also, adolescence is a time of considerable physical and psychological growth and change, which falls in line with the study of the student in the secondary Schools being examined, on cell phone usage and acquisition among other. Most students like to keep track ahead of their pe...