Impact of Mobile Phone Usage On The Academic Performance of Students
Impact of Mobile Phone Usage On The Academic Performance of Students
Impact of Mobile Phone Usage On The Academic Performance of Students
Navpreet Kaur
Email- [email protected]
Abstract
The presented research focused to examine the extent of Mobile Phone usage and its
influence on the academic performance of the students. A survey was conducted among 50
college going students of Chandigarh University, Gharuan to get the results. While selecting the
sample two criteria were taken into consideration. The participants should be college going
students and mobile phone users. The findings of the study suggest that Mobile Phone usage
effect the academic performance of students as they stuck to this device during their classes. Also
the results indicate that the Mobile Phone usage has become an addiction among the young
students.
whole world. (Soyemi, 2015). The total refinements were made to improve the
functions and size/shape of this device. Cell with family and friends, to access internet,
phone started being used as calculators, to get weather information, for navigation,
pagers, email devices and address books. as a watch, for reminders, to click
(Pinkasovitch, 2010). Now-a-days the photographs and capturing videos and many
Mobile Phones are replaced by smartphones. more. Today a Mobile Phone is more than
Smartphone is like a magic device in the just a device that is used to make Phone
hands of people which offers different calls. It is a companion that acts as a guide, a
applications like video calling, web friend, a communication device, a computer
browsing, weather information, calendar, or a personal secretary. Globalization has
camera, navigator and many more. It is a changed our lives and one of the ways in
portable device that combines the functions which it is changing our lives, every day, is
of cell phone with the functions of computer how we communicate; thanks to
(Hamblen,2009). Because of their function advancements in Information and
and cheap cost, smartphones are very Communication Technologies (ICT). One of
popular among the users. the ICT’s which is seeing rapid
advancement is Mobile Phone. (Rabiu, et. al,
The decrease in the size and the price
2016)
of this device played an important role in the
adoption of this device not only by the No doubt Mobile Phones helped the
businessmen but by the laborers also. people in different ways, but some negative
Though Media has been influencing every effects are also there. In some cases the
aspect of human life from the time of its Mobile Phone use has become an addiction
emergence, but now its power has been and people remain stuck to their Mobile
increased tremendously with the Phones during the significant part of their
development in Mobile Phone technology. working hours, reading, playing and even
Mobile Phones have affected our culture, sleeping. Mobile Phones have affected our
patterns. pattern
disconnected or off the internet (Trnkova, checking the device, and “Textiety” – the
2015). “Textaphrenia” and “Ringxiety” – the anxiety of receiving and responding
false sensation of having received a text immediately to text messages (Gutierrez,
message or call that leads to constantly 2016).
Academic performance refers to how students. They tried to find the reasons
students deal with their studies and how they behind why a technology is adopted in a
complete different assignments given to particular way. They identified several
them by their teachers. (Bedassa, 2015). A attitudinal factors based on the exploratory
number of researches and studies have been study including, necessity in modern times,
conducted in different regions of the world cost efficiency when compared to landline
and the results have proved that there is a Phone, safety or security, and dependence.
relationship between student’s social media
The biggest challenge faced by the
usage and their academic performance. The
teachers during class hours is to control the
continuous use of social media distracts the
Mobile Phone usage by the students but the
students from their studies and has the
use of this device seems uncontrollable
potential of affecting their academic
among students which leads to distractions.
performance. The rampant use of social
In response to the question asking the
networking, texting and chatting on Mobile
purpose for using cell Phone in class room,
Phones result in lower grades and poor
the respondents revealed that they send SMS
academic performance of students. The
in classrooms in the top order of priority and
researches have proved that some students
read SMS received. They tend to also
have the habit of keeping their Mobile
answer a voice call and make a voice call as
Phones on during classes and studies, even
well from the class room. (Sundari, 2015).
in the library, thereby distracting others.
(Sundari, 2015) In this era of Information &
Technology, the most of the things or work
Aoki and Downes (2004) focused on
we do is online. Paper less work is
the behavioral and psychological aspects of
encouraged by most of the offices and
cell Phone usage among the College
Review of literature
A number of researches have been article Mobile Phones and Youth: A look at
conducted to find the effects of mobile the US student market. According to an
phones on the people. The basic purpose of article Do You Pretend to Talk on Your
these researches was to know the effect of Cellphone to avoid Other People written by
Mobile Phone usage on the health, education Linda Sharps (2011), “People use mobile
and behaviour of people. phone not only to communicate but also
Chigona, et.al. (2008), in research paper pretend to use cellphone to avoid other
Uses & Gratifications of mobile internet people or in any situation that
among South African students have written, require them to stand around awkwardly in
“Most of the gratifications identified can be front of other people”.
clustered around the themes of contribution Acharya, et.al (2013) in research
to identity-formation, maintenance of peer- paper A Study on Some of the Common
group networks, and emancipation from Health Effects of Cell-Phones amongst
local settings, maintenance of romantic College Students have written “Almost
relationships, escape from parental everyone uses cell phones for a greater part
surveillance, co-ordination of group of the day. Headache, irritability/anger, lack
activities, organization and management of of concentration, poor academic
social life, as a primary contact medium, performance, anxiety, eye strain and lack of
bonding device for friends and family, sleeping are the common effects of mobile
personal security, constant availability and phone on the health of people”. Effects of
keeping in touch with geographically-distant mobile phones on health and mental health
relations". A few studies have interestingly of people is a global concern. Every day, we
compared the use of mobile phones among are swimming in a sea of electromagnetic
teenagers to smoking. “Adolescents’ quest radiation (EMR) produced by electrical
for an individual identity and for peer appliances, power lines, wiring in buildings,
bonding, functions which used to be fulfilled and other technologies that are part of
by habits such as smoking, are now taken modern life. Exposure to electromagnetic
over and supplied by the use of Mobile radiation is growing and becoming a serious
Phones”, written by N. A. Selian (2004) in health threat.
internet enabled phone usage does not affect communicate with one another. This
the academic performance of the students research was conducted among the students
but distractions by the usage of phone were of Elon University between the ages of 18
notably admitted. and 22. Field observations and a survey
Mobile Phones and Teenagers: were conducted to gauge the level of
Impact, Consequences and Concerns - engagement that Elon University students
Parents/Caregivers Perspectives by Shanthi have towards their devices, and with each
Vaidyanathan Ravichandran (2009), other in face-to-face situation. The findings
focussed on understanding the impact of of the research proved that the students were
Mobile Phones from parents/caregivers’ addicted to their Mobile Phones.
(PACG) perspective. Both survey and The Dark Side of Mobile Phones by
extensive interviews were employed to Naomi S. Baron (2010) was also read by the
explore the research question. The survey researcher. The data for the research was
and interview participants were collected using a convenience sample of 18-
parents/caregivers of teenagers. The findings 24 year-old university students in Sweden,
from this study revealed that the US, Italy, Japan and Korea. This
parent/caregivers’ perceptions on teenagers’ research paper not only focused on the role
Mobile Phone use are not satisfactory. Every of this technology but also explain the dark
interviewed PACG expressed concerns on side of Mobile phone usage.
internet via teenagers’ Mobile Phones and a The research paper titled as Mobile-
very high number of them expressed phone addiction in adolescence: The Test of
negative impacts outweighing positive Mobile Phone Dependence (TMD) by
purposes of Mobile Phones. Chóliz M. (2012) Published in Prog Health
Students’ Cell Phone Addiction and Sci (Vol. 2, No. 1) includes the information
Their Opinions, a research paper by Tessa related to the physical and psychological
Jones (2014), which was published in The motivations behind the use of Mobile
Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Phones by the adolescents and reasons
Communication (Vol. 5, No. 1) has written behind the addiction of this device. A survey
about the essential role of Mobile Phones in was conducted among 2,833 adolescents
communication across the world and the between 12 and 18 years of age. The study
drastic changes the way human interact and was conducted at 16 schools and high
schools. The main objective of this study phone usage among the youngsters. The
was to develop a questionnaire for the research was conducted among 500 students
diagnosis of mobile addiction and the results of university in Pakistan. The findings of
of the present research was focused to know this study revealed that, majority of
the dependence of adolescents on Mobile respondents have definite priorities between
Phones for which Likert scale was used. their responsibilities and commitments and
Mobile phone to youngsters: Necessity their cell phone usage. Very few are those
or addiction by Ishfaq Ahmed, Tehmina who always exhibit the extreme addictive
Fiaz Qazi and Khadija Aijaz Perji (2011), behaviors and the rest is the majority who
which was published in African Journal of are not frequently involved in addictive
Business Management (Vol.5, No. 32), usage patterns.
focuses on exploring the pattern of mobile
Objectives of Research
After reviewing the related literature, the 2. To study the impact of mobile
researcher has mentioned the objectives of phones on the academic performance
the research as under: of students
3. To study the level of penetration of
1. To study the intensity of mobile
Mobile Phones in the lives of
phone addiction among the
youngsters.
youngsters.
Hypotheses of research
Based upon the objectives of research the 2. Mobile phone have affected the
researcher has mentioned the hypotheses as academic performance of students in
under a negative way
3. The level of penetration of mobile
1. During the last few years tendency of
phones is very high in the lives of
mobile phone addiction has been
youngsters.
increased
Methodology
As per the requirement of the present students to collect the data. The researcher
topic a survey was conducted among 50 selected the sample purposively because the
graduate and undergraduate students of mentioned university has the crowd of
Chandigarh University, Gharuan. The students from different states of India and
students of age group 20-25 years were other countries. The second reason was that
selected by keeping in mind the equal ratio it was easier for the researcher to approach
of male and female students. For this the students personally and to keep a watch
purpose a questionnaire was constructed and over their behaviour
the researcher herself approached the
The present research was conducted How many Mobile Phones do you have?
among the college going youngsters to know
the impact of Mobile phones on their
academic performance and usage of this No of Male Female %
device. The 50 respondents were asked Mobile
about the no. of Mobile Phones do they Phones
have. 82% respondents accepted that they
1 19 22 82
have only one Mobile Phone, 12% said they
have two Mobile Phones and 4% of them 2 4 2 12
possess three Mobile Phones.
3 2 0 4
Any other 0 1 2
To understand the impact of Mobile How often do you check your Mobile
Phones on the academic performance of Phone?
students the students were asked about the
Response Male Female %
usage of this device during their classes.
28% of respondents accepted that they use
After every 7 6 26
Mobile Phones during their classes while
two
32% said that sometimes they use this
minutes
device during the classes. On the same 20%
accepted that they do not use this device After every 8 5 26
during the class hours. five
minutes
Do you use your Mobile Phone during
classes? After one 9 8 17
hour
Response Male Female %
Any other 1 6 14
Yes 8 6 28
Respondent’s addiction towards this
No 2 7 18 magic device was again studied from a
different angle by asking the above
Sometimes 15 12 54
mentioned question. 26% of respondents
accepted that they check their Mobile Phone
after every two minutes and the same
The students are addicted to Mobile
percentage of students ie 26% accepted they
Phones or not, to know this factor the
check it after every 5 minutes. On the other
respondents were asked how often they
side 17% accepted they use it or check it
check their Mobile Phones. 26%
after one hour.
respondents accepted that they keep on
checking their device after every two The impact of Mobile Phone usage
minutes, 26% mentioned the checking of on the academic performance of students
this device after every Five minutes while was studied by asking about the time spend
34% check it after one hour. by them on this device. 18% 0f respondents
keep on using Mobile Phones for the whole
day while 30% use it for 6-9 hours. Half of Response Male Female %
the respondents ie 50% accepted that they
spend 3-5 hours on this device while there Yes 20 15 70
were only 2% respondents those who said
No 8 7 30
they use this device only for 1 hour in a day.
Necessity 8 9 34
70% of respondents accepted that it
Status 0 0 0
distract the respondents from their studies
symbol
while 30% said that the usage of this device
don’t interrupt their studies. Both the 17 16 66
above
Do you think that the continuous use of
mentioned
Mobile phone distracts you from your
studies?
Conclusion
The usage of Mobile phone has been communication has improved through new
increased tremendously with the media and social networking sites but its
advancement of technology and have both long term usage leads to addictive behavior.
positive and negative aspects. The Findings of the present research indicated
that the college going students are finding that they check their Mobile Phones
influenced by Mobile Phones usage to after every two minutes or five minutes. A
greater extent and due to this their academic significant percentage of students spend
activities are left to suffer. As per the their whole day by using Mobile Phones or
research findings a significant percentage of 6-9 hours in a day, which clearly indicates
students accepted that they have two to three the addiction and overuse of this device. The
Mobile Phones, though the purpose of condition becomes more serious when the
keeping two to three Mobile Phones was not 70% of respondents accepted themselves
asked but from the result the importance of that Mobile Phone usage distracts them from
this device in the lives of youngsters could their studies. The result of present study
be predicted. The situation seems more real clearly shows the Mobile Phone dependence
when 28% students accepted that they use among the youngsters and proves that the
their Mobile Phones during their classes. younger generation is addicted to this
The addiction of Mobile Phones among the device.
youngsters can be identified from the next
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