The Negative Effects of Cellphone
Usage in a Classroom
Krishn Virwani
Abstract
The notion that cell phone usage creates a negative impact on classroom
learning is a familiar one as it agrees with the popular brief that it causes
distractions.
. This paper discusses the impact of students’ usage of technological devices
in the classroom
Literature review
Digital distraction in a classroom
McCoy
digital devices such as smartphones are progressively increasing and
obstructing students’ attention in the classroom.
Negative impact on student behavior and concentration
Rise of digital devices in a classroom is not helping
Distractibility and Multitasking from
Mobile Media Usage
Levine, Waite, and Bowman
Mobile phones are a source of interruption which has a negative impact on
the human mind whilst concentrating
multitasking heightens an individual’s vulnerability to reduced concentration
Happens to teachers and students( divided attention)
mobile devices increase distractibility leading to attention deficits and reduce
concentration that can affect learner’s grades in the long run.
Effects of Social Networking in
Classroom on Student Grades
Wang
Digital devices allow for Blended classes
Stollak et al mentioned that modern learners have an obsession for social media
Smartphones that support networking have a considerable influence on students’
grades. Undergraduate scholars rank among the largest population of social media users
who have currently registered online accounts with Facebook
In a study conducted at Whitmore School of Business and Economics, it was discovered
that mobile phone use for social networking during teaching sessions significantly relate
to students’ grades.
The core reason is that digital devices and social media trigger multitasking since a
learner can be chatting, messaging, dialing, and at the same time, listening to their
instructors. As a consequence, this divided attention draw away students’ concentration
in learning; thus, leading to academic underperformance
Impairment Academic Performance by
Cellphones
classroom usage of cellphones tends to impair academic performance
Students use them for texting, dialing, and even creating virtual networks
that distract them from learning
excessive use of digital devices can cause addiction
Introduction
Cellphone founded 40 years ago
Very beneficial(outside classroom) but has its disadvantages(inside classroom)
The notion that cellphone usage has a negative impact in classrooms is a
familiar one, and one that I believe in.
Method
20 participants
Pace University New York city campus
Questionnaire / survey
10 close-ended questions
2 open-ended questions
Measures
Questionnaire
10 close ended questions
2 open ended questions
“How do we restrain ourselves from using cellphones in a classroom?”
“What would your reaction be if a light punishment was imposed on students
who use their cellphones is the classroom?”
Inform screen time
Results
20 participants (15 male, 5 female , 95%student)
90% were between the ages of 20-24 and the other 10% were between 25-40 years of age
All participants own a mobile cellphone and have at least one social media platform
85 % claim to use their cellphones in class
All participants agree that cellphones distract us from the main academic material, however only 30%
strongly agreed with this point
15% of participants have a higher screen time than the national average
75 % of participants were against the ban of cellphone usage
“take classes you are interested in”, “Leave the cellphone in your bag” and “Shutting down your device
during class time” 3 of the best suggestions to help stop using your cellphone as a distraction.
Students were mostly not welcome to the ban of cellphones in class as it may result them to “drop the
class”, “feel offended” or “rebel against the professor”.
Discussion
Research has shown that cell phones are a major cause of distraction for students
while in the classroom
Lee et al. found that a majority of teachers have complained of being distracted by
some of their students who use their phones in class when the teaching is going on
Wang et al. found that when students use cell phones during the course, not only do
they affect their academic performance but also the welfare of the entire class
this study has established that 90% of the participants who agree that the cell phone is
a source of distraction believe that turning it off while in class would help them
achieve a better grade, although it should not be banned similar to felisoni and godoi’s
findings
the use of cell phones in class should be kept at minimal if learning is to be maximally
effective
controlling the use of cell phones in class would go a long way in helping students to
concentrate better
Limitation
Small sample size
students giving dishonest responses
Tiredness
Implication
Research implications:. Current research mostly focuses on students in
America and it should be broadened to international terms as this will provide
a more accurate result
Policy implications: New and Stronger policies regarding device usage in class
should be enforced and monitored
Social Implications: overuse of cellphones in classrooms has a negative impact
on academic performance. Students should think about this next time they
reach for their phone to do anything not academically or emergency related
tasks
Work Cited
Felisoni, Daniel Darghan, and Alexandra Strommer Godoi. "Cell phone usage and academic performance: An experiment." Computers & Education
117 (2018): 175-187. cef.fgv.br/sites/cef.fgv.br/files/4_cell_phone_usage_and_academic_performance_an_experiment.pdf
Lee, Seungyeon, et al. "The Effects of Cell Phone Use and Emotion-regulation Style on College Students' Learning." Applied Cognitive Psychology
31.3 (2017): 360-366.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ian_Mcdonough/publication/316169063_The_Effects_of_Cell_Phone_Use_and_Emotion-
regulation_Style_on_College_Students%27_Learning/links/59d26938aca2721f4369ab5b/The-Effects-of-Cell-Phone-Use-and-Emotion-regulation-Style-
on-College-Students-Learning.pdf
Levine, Laura E., Bradley M. Waite, and Laura L. Bowman. "Mobile media use, multitasking and distractibility." International Journal of Cyber
Behavior, Psychology and Learning (IJCBPL) 2.3 (2012): 15-29. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a4f2/c472fb28793fde9995277e9d1fa080e2200c.pdf
McCoy, Bernard R. "Digital distractions in the classroom phase II: Student classroom use of digital devices for non-class related purposes." (2016).
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=journalismfacpub
Stollak, Matthew J., et al. "Getting social: The impact of social networking usage on grades among college students." Proceedings from ASBBS
annual conference. Vol. 18. No. 1. 2011.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthew_Stollak/publication/303818592_Getting_Social_The_Impact_of_Social_Networking_Usage_on_Grad
es_Amongst_College_Students/links/5564788508ae9963a1202113/Getting-Social-The-Impact-of-Social-Networking-Usage-on-Grades-Amongst-
College-Students.pdf
Wang, Minjuan, et al. "The impact of mobile learning on students' learning behaviours and performance: Report from a large blended classroom."
British Journal of Educational Technology 40.4 (2009): 673-695. www.drdanielnovak.com/uploads/4/9/0/0/4900150/bjet2009.pdf
