Mobile Phone Usage by University Students and Its Impact on Learning

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to check the use, purposes and impacts of mobile phone on students' learning. The population of the study was students studying in the Universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities. Stratified Random sampling technique was applied to select the respondents and questionnaire was constructed to collect the data. The conclusions of the study are: students use mobile phone during the lecture, disrupt the teaching learning process and waste their time, remain busy in text messaging. Students are neither aware of legislation regarding the ban about the use of mobile phone in educational institutions nor in favour of it. They are not attentive to the negative effects about the use of mobile phone such as criminal activities, reduction in the concentration level, health hazards and eroding of their intelligent brains. The educationists may think to design ways for positive use of this technology in the field of education. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Headnote

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to check the use, purposes and impacts of mobile phone on students' learning. The population of the study was students studying in the Universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities. Stratified Random sampling technique was applied to select the respondents and questionnaire was constructed to collect the data. The conclusions of the study are: students use mobile phone during the lecture, disrupt the teaching learning process and waste their time, remain busy in text messaging. Students are neither aware of legislation regarding the ban about the use of mobile phone in educational institutions nor in favour of it. They are not attentive to the negative effects about the use of mobile phone such as criminal activities, reduction in the concentration level, health hazards and eroding of their intelligent brains. The educationists may think to design ways for positive use of this technology in the field of education.

Key words: Students, Mobile phone, Learning, Effects, positive and negative effects.

Introduction

Over the last five years, it has been observed that mobile phone use has become very common by all the segments of the society in the world likewise in Pakistan. The students studying in schools, colleges and Universities make use of it for positive and negative purposes. It is indebted to the mobile phone companies who have put forth a range of mobile phones at very low cost. Moreover, there are lots of Network Services Providers with various features, which make that network more attractive for the students. These facilities are helpful in providing mobile learning opportunities to students studying at different levels. Mobile learning projects have illuminated the potential for mobile devices to support learning and bring changes in Higher Education Approaches (Cross, 2004). Typically these might involve the use of sophisticated devices running specialist software packages and focus on using mobile devices as part of highly student centered learning experiences at remote locations rather than in traditional learning settings. Few studies have explored how to harness existing infrastructures of personal mobile devices or the protocols of social communication for study purposes. Furthermore, little is known about how mobile mediated communication might complement more traditional learning and teaching contexts. Though it is a good approach to disseminate knowledge but it is also adversely affecting a stratum in our society that is students. Addiction to mobile phone is becoming so common that youngsters feel a group pressure to remain inter-connected and reachable round the clock. Children start to use it at an early stage of their lives. There seem to be a connection between intensive use of cell phones and academic compromising behavior such as bad grades and decreasing concentration level etc. Keeping in mind the fact that invention is for us and we are not for the invention. Students should not overwhelm themselves by this invention rather it should be used smartly to enhance their abilities rather than hindering in their way. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze different uses of mobile phones and its impact on the learning of the students (Benish, 2012).

Literature review

Benish (2012) conducted study to explore the usage of mobile phones for nonacademic purposes by the university students during lectures. The population of the study was the Master level students of National University of Modem Languages Islamabad. Descriptive method was applied and open ended questionnaire were constructed to collect the data of the study. It was concluded that the students may use them for playing games, sending jokes, communicating to their friends, etc. Most of the students use it to disturb the instructors and peers, but they still believe such usage is legitimate. The research revealed that 93% of the students responded that their cell phones are on quiet mode, 6% leave them open, and less than one percent completely shut down during the lecture. Most students (83%) state that they try to hide their activity with the cell phone from the instructor. 46% of the sample group responded that they would answer calls that are not urgent, and on doing so they leave the class. However, the society should find ways to restrict the usage of useful technologies that are found to be harmful in certain circumstances. They use different metaphors to communicate their gossips to fellow students. A metaphor is the replacement of an idea or concept with one that, for the emitter/sender, has a certain objective or subjective meanings (Marcos, 1993). They are (metaphors) not only a resource for communication and expression, they also have a deeper meaning as they formulate an essential mechanism of the mind (Martinez, Sauleda, & Huber, 2001), which structures much of an individual's conceptual and theoretical system by the help of metaphorical relationships. It works as a lens, a screen, or a filter of who we are and how we see ourselves in a given situation (Saban, 2010). One finds metaphors to be present in the context of the discovery of scientific knowledge, especially in the context of explanation and communication (Pramling, 2009).

Palen, Salzman and Youngs (2000) have studied behavior of new mobile phone users over a period of six weeks after acquisition of mobile phones. Using interviews and voicemail, their study noted that pattern of mobile phone usage varied over time and there was significant deviation between the user predicted usages to their actual usage. However, they noted that new users over a period of time became more accepting of the use of mobile phones in public places. Their study found people initially adopted cell phones for safety, security and business in nearly all subjects in their study reported the use of their cell phones for social interactions had grown over a period of time.

Pew (2009) conducted study about the use of mobile phone from 12 to 17 years of the age group through telephonic interview. The data revealed that 88% of the respondents use it for text messaging, 64 % use it for exchanging pictures, 32 % use it for exchanging video, 31 % use it for instant messaging, 23 % use it for networking sites and 21 % use it for networking.

According to Grinter and Eldridge (2001), teenagers use text messages to arrange and adjust times to talk, coordinate with friends and family. Besides, nowadays mobile phones are equipped with various features that enable communication and entertainment for teenagers. Nurvitadhi (2003), conducted study of mobile phone usage of adolescents in Japan and USA found that a large number (69.53%) of Japanese adolescents preferred using the text messaging service while American adolescents (35.5%) favored the game features of the mobile phone. Japanese adolescents (40.21%) were also found to use more of MP3 features of mobile phones as compared to other features of the mobile phone. However, when the mobile phone becomes popular in the 21st century, initially the perception of mobile phone usage in the public was quite negative.

Mireia, Qiu, and Sey (2004) extensively looked into the rise of the mobile phone use among youth in a cross cultural perspective. Their sated hypothesis was that there is a youth culture that finds in mobile communication an adequate form of expression and reinforcement. The researchers cite evidence for the emergence of collective identity resulting from peer- grouping based on the networked sociability. They examine evidence in the United States where owning a mobile phone for a teenager has become a rite. This compilation brings up a wide variety of unique culture attributes for each of the countries or regions studied. However, there is little by the way of direct cross- cultural comparison for specific demographic segments. According to the International Telecommunications Union (2009), United Nations agency, are currently around 4.6 billion mobile phone subscribers across the globe, which is more than 50% of the world's population.

Teenagers have adopted text messaging as their primary form of text-based communication, preferring it even over e-mail (Lenhart, 2009). There are several reasons for the popularity of text messaging. It is quicker, cheaper, brief and free from greeting words. (Faulkner & Culwin, 2005). According to Grinter and Eldridge's (2001) content analysis of 477 messages by 10 teenagers in the United Kingdom revealed that they logged their texts and participate in discussion groups to explain their usage. About 40% of their texts included abbreviations, with over half of them being dropped letters or known abbreviations. It is also concluded that text messaging is more convenient. Phones can be switched to silent mode, so they do not disturb others, and allows texting to be done surreptitiously and away from parents or teachers.

Side effects of owning a mobile phone by teenagers

According to Hakoama (2009), over the past decade the world has seen rapid growth in cell phone users. Everyone from older adults to kids in high school seem to carry one glued to their ears, without understanding the possible health risks associated with the use of cellular telephones. Long term use of cellular phones for more than 10 years does show increased risk for acoustic neuroma and glioma. Adding that the risk is highest for exposure, meaning tumor on the same side of the brain where phone mostly held. The effect of mobile phone radiation has on human health is the subject of recent interest and study, as a result of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout the world. Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, which some believe may be harmful to human health. A large body of research exists, both epidemiological and experimental, in non-human animals and in humans, of which the majority shows no definite causative relationship between exposure to mobile phones and harmful biological effects in humans. This is often paraphrased simply as the balance of evidence showing no harm to humans from mobile phones, although a significant number of individual studies do suggest such a relationship, or are inconclusive. Other digital wireless systems, such as data communication networks, produce similar radiation.

Khan (2009) conducted research on the topic: Adverse Effects of Excessive Mobile Phone Use. The main objective of the study was the impact of the use of mobile phone on the health of the students. The population of the study was the students studying in the Universities of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was developed to collect the data of the study. The research findings show that the excessive use of mobile phones may lead to symptoms such as headache, impaired concentration and memory and fatigue. It is also concluded that that the students are totally unaware of negative effects of the use of mobile phone on their health.

Academic distraction

Some students have the habit of keeping their mobile phones on during classes and studies, even in the library. They do so to show their classmates about the latest ringing tones. They distract other students, and even the teacher in the class. Some even put on vibration mode and are distracted by the vibration from calls during classes and school hours, diverting their concentration on who is calling at the moment (Benish, 2012).

The mobile phone with different memory capacity is used to download and store music of different lyrics and tones. The songs are being listened every now and then with the use of earpiece in the school and at home forgetting their academic work which is supposed to be their priority. Some even play these songs in the class, distracting the serious minded students, while the constant use of the earpiece makes it difficult for some of them to understand conversation. Once a student brings a book to study, and a call comes, that is the end of the study after the call, because their concentration will be on the call answered.

Most students spend hours playing different games in the phone namely real football games, soccer games, snakezia, car race, puzzle games etc. They enjoy these games to an extent of neglecting their academic work, assignments, homework etc. They even discuss these games at school encouraging others how interesting the games were, storing games in the memory instead of their studies. Analysis of performing an art/creative work and playing mobile phone games in twenty-nine secondary schools revealed that 50% can play mobile phone games very well, 27% can do their art/creativity work well while 23% can neither do the art/creative work nor play games well. In order words, the academic works suffers it most (Benish, 2012).

The cost of purchasing a mobile phone is expensive to students of secondary schools that have little or no earning source. Most of them prefer buying phones with their school fees to paying it. When this mobile phone is bought, the student has to recharge it and make calls, send text messages, browse and download some files. All these things cost money which can be used for their academic pursuit. The cost of repairing and replacing damaged/lost ones are not left out, because, the fact remains that once a student has started using phones, it must be repaired or replaced when damaged or lost. All these are unnecessary expenses for students.

Development of negative behaviour

Once a child (student) started using a mobile phone, the numbers will be distributed to different kinds of people who will develop a social relationship with him/her. Most of these phones are multi-media in nature such that they download and watch all sorts of pornographic pictures and movies. Telling lies has become a common thing to students with their mobile phones. Imagine a student in another place for days, told the parents that she went on excursion, which resulted to pregnancy after some months. Some of them are too proud of themselves when they have expensive phones. Some practice stealing in collaboration with he to buy/ replace their phones. Some other atrocities like kidnapping, stealing etc are being carried out by some students with their mobile phones.

Most students are unable to concentrate on their studies because of the free calls (night calls) from different networks. These calls start 12:30am and end 4:30-5:00am, and some students make these calls daily, how can they learn when they are dizzy or sleeping in the class? How can they be mentally balanced health wise when they don't sleep normally like students? Some of them risk themselves making these calls outside the room because of the distractions to others in the same room. The hours spent in making these calls, if utilized, can make the student emerge the best in academic activities.

Most of the students don't study again because of the points mentioned above; rather indulge in exam malpractice during internal and external examinations. Some make use of the calculator in the mobile phone, while others store some information in it. The worst of it is that others use it to send objective answers to those in the examination hall. The constant use of text messages also negatively affects the English language learning of the students. It contributes to the poor usage of proper English by secondary level student.

Merits of mobile phone usage

According to Patrick (2010) following are the advantages of using mobile phones by the students:

1. Cell phones may be useful at the time of emergency when there is natural or manmade calamities occur in the academic institution.

2. Working parents can be in touch with their children and guide them sitting in office.

3. Public phones are full of bacteria and the students may save themselves by using their personal phones

4. Students may discuss their academic problems with the classmates through the use of messages.

5. Students may download material related to the topics of study and share them in the class with the help of mobile phones and the like after school.

Objectives of the study

The objectives of the study were:

1 to check the purposes of the use of mobile phone.

2 to analyse the proportionate use of mobile equipments.

3 to find out the impacts of the use of mobile phone on students' learning.

Delimitation of the Study

The study will be delimited to:

1. Only the Education department of the Universities situated in Islamabad and Rawalpindi city.

2. Only to the students who are enrolled in Master programme

Methodology

Methodology of the study has been discussed under the following headings:

Population and Sampling

Population of the study was the students studying in Master of education programme in the formal Universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad city. There are five Universities in the two cities that are running MA Education programme. They are PMAS- Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Fatima Jinnah Women University Rawalpindi, Foundation University Rawalpindi, International Islamic University Islamabad, National University of Modem languages Islamabad. Fatima Jinnah Women University was not included in the sample selection because all the students in the MA programme were female. Stratified random sampling technique was applied to select the respondents of the study. Random sampling technique ensures equal participation of all the students in the sample, and in this way it is appropriate to generalize the results of the study. 15 male 15 female students from each University were randomly selected. In this way, the total number of students from the four universities were 120 among them 60 were male and 60 were female students.

Method and Instrument of the study

It was a descriptive study and survey method was applied to collect the data of the study. The variables of the study were the different usage of mobile phone and its impact on the learning of the students. These variables are studied in natural setting; therefore, the questionnaire was constructed to collect the data of this study. Open and close ended form of questionnaire was constructed and the items of the instrument were related to the objectives of the study. It was constructed by the researcher himself and validated by the experts. It was pilot tested and some of the items were deleted and modified. The researcher approached the students himself to collect the data of the study. Collected data was analyzed applying simple percentage formula for drawing conclusions of the study

Analyses and Interpretation of data

The table 1 indicates that 86.66 % of the male and 95 % of the female used mobile phone for attending calls and texting message during the lecture where as only 5 % of the female and 13.33 % of the male did not use it (mobile phone) during the lecture. The overall use of the mobile phone during the lecture by the male and female students was 90.83 % where as 9.16 % of the sample group responded that they did not use the mobile phone during the lecture. It is revealed from different studies that human beings cannot perform two tasks at one time. It will definitely distract the attention of the students from their studies and brings academic loss at the end. It will also distract the attention of the teacher as well as of the fellow students during the learning process in the classroom (Benish, 2012).

The table presents data about the facilities used in the mobile phone by the students. It revealed that 20 % of the male group use for SMS where as 76.67 % female sample group used it for this purpose. The overall use of cell phone for SMS was 48.33 % of the sample group. 70 % of the male group uses it for voice conversation where as 18.33 % of the girls uses it for this purpose. It is reflected that girls are more inclined to the text messaging as compared to boys. 3.33 % of the boys use it for E-mail and net purposes where as 1.66 % of the girl of the given sample use it for net and E-mail purposes. The overall use of cell phone for voice conversation was 44.16 %. It is revealed that the students less use this facility because of cost on the call where as the different companies offer message packages at subsidized rate.

The analyses of the table revealed that 91.66 % of the male and 93.33 % of the female of the sample group preferred to use mobile phone for communication purposes whereas 8.33 of the male and 6.66 '% of the female of the sample group prefer landline for communication purposes. The overall use of mobile phone was 92.5 % whereas 7.5 % was using landline. It signifies the rising popularity trend among students about the use of mobile phone because of its convenience, transportability and less cost.

The table 4 indicates that 10 % of the male and 5 % of the female sample group knew about the ban on the use of mobile phone in the educational institutions whereas 90 % of the male and 95 % of the female sample group lack awareness about the ban of using cell phone in the educational institutions. It reflects that the school authorities and top level administration is least concerned about the implementation of the legislation at ground level. Nobody check the students about the use of cell phone in the educational premises.

The analyses of the table 5 reveals that 60 % of the male and 15 % of the female sample group responded that ban on the use of mobile phone is conducive for learning where as 40 % of the male and 85 % of the female were against it. The overall percentage of all the sample group in favour of the statement was 37.5 % where as 60.83 % was against it. It reflects the students are not in favour of the ban about the use of mobile phone in the educational institutions and the concerned department may work to motivate and prepare students to accept the legislation. They may educate them about the demerits o fusing mobile phone in the educational institutions by the students and loss to their studies.

The table 6 indicates that 90 % of the male and 38 % of the female sample group responded that excessive use of cell phone affects their concentration on studies where as only 10 % of the male and 36.66 % of the female were against it. 76.66 % from the overall sample group of male and female responded that use of the mobile phone lose their concentration on studies where as 23.33 % of the sample group responded that it did not affect their studies as far as the concentration factor is concerned. It is reflected that the students have become addicts as far as use of cell phone is concerned.

The table indicates that 56 % of the male and female sample group viewed that use of cell phone improve their performance in studies and 17 % responded that it improves much better. 10 % of the sample group responded that it affected negatively in their performance in studies and 10 % viewed that it had no effect at all. It is reflected that the students have become excessively habitual in the use of mobile phone and it has become part and parcel of their lives.

Graph 1 indicates that 13.5 % of the male and 52 % of the female sample group viewed that their mobile phone was confiscated by the teacher where as 86.66 % of the male and 90 % of the female responded that it was never confiscated by the teacher. The overall checking and confiscation of the cell phone of the sample group was 11.66 where as 88.33 % of the sample group responded that they were never checked by the teacher at all. It is revealed that the administrations of the educational institutions do not check students of keeping and using mobile phones in educational institutions. They are neglecting the legislation made by the Punjab Assembly.

Discussion and Conclusions

Following are the conclusions of the study:

It is concluded from the data that the majority of the students use mobile phone for attending calls and text activity during the lecture. It may disrupt the teaching learning process in the classroom and waste the precious time of students as well as of the teachers. It is an established fact that we cannot perform two tasks at one time. It may become the cause of the wastage of intellectual and financial resources, and has damaging effect on the quality of the education. The students instead of concentrating on their study may keep themselves busy in exchanging metaphorical messages that is also irritating for the teacher. The use of this technology may be banned in the academic institutions. As compensation, the communication arrangements to meet the immediate needs of the students may be established and properly monitored in the educational institutions.

It is also concluded that female student spend their longer hours on messaging process as compared to the boys on mobile phone. Their hands are always glue on mobile phones. The use of mobile phone for voice conversation among boys is greater as compared to the girls. Only small number of students uses mobile phone for internet and e-mail purposes. It is reflected that this facility is costly, and as a result, it is not used by the students living in the developing countries of the world. The use of mobile phone instead of landline phone is rising gradually. This is because of the availability of mobile set and call packages at very low price. They do not use the mobile phone for academic purposes and enhance their learning but exchanging gossips and tit bits. In this way, this technology is not properly used by the students studying in the universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities of Pakistan. The educationists have to think about the ways to check the misuse of mobile phones in the educational institutions and methods of motivating students to properly use it for educational purposes.

The constitutional amendments and legislation are made to ensure uniformity, justice and equality among people. They are not only changes in the book of constitution rather changes in the working and behaviour of the people. It is also revealed from the data that the majority of the students studying in the Universities of Pakistan are unaware of the ban on the use of mobile phone in the educational institutions. It is reflected that the administration is least concerned about the application of the constitutional amendments in our schools and colleges. The school administration do not check student about the use of mobile phone and the laws only exist on paper.

The majority of the students are not in favour of the ban on the use of mobile phone in educational institutions. They do not agree to the fact that the mobile phone disrupts the learning process in the classroom. The educational administrators and counselors may take steps to educate the students about the negative effects of the use phone on their studies as well as on their health. They think that it has positive effects on their studies. They have become the addicts as far as mobile use is concerned.

Cell phones are the most dynamic communication devices of the digital age and it has proved to be one of the highly beneficial tools for many tasks and activities along with some negative effects and wrong use of this device for criminal activities. It all depends on how it is being used. The main negative effects are the reduction in the concentration level of students, health hazards, tiredness, headache, addiction to mobile phone and criminal activities. Their intelligent brains start to erode because of non-availability of peace, rest and relaxation.

References

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