Psychology of Children Who use Mobile Phones
New research found that “94 Percent of High School
Students Used Phones during Class”, Israeli Study Finds,
Of Israeli high school pupils 94% access social media via
their cell phones during class, reveals a new study conducted by the University
of Haifa. Only 4% reported not using their cell phones at all during class. It
was also found that in classes with more permissive teachers, cell phone use
was lower than in classes where the teacher imposed strict discipline.
"The students use their mobile phones in various
ways -- to surf the Internet and access social media, to listen to music, take
photos, play games, and send text messages and photos," the researchers
point out. "Based on our findings, there is almost no moment during any
class when some pupil isn't using their cell phone."
Although the vast majority of high school students in
Israel have cell phones, the extent of their use has never been examined in
depth. This new study sought to determine the scope of use, types of use, when
they are used (in which classes), and whether there was a correlation between
cell phone use in class and the type of discipline the teacher imposes in the
classroom. The study, which was conducted at the University of Haifa's School of
Political Sciences by Dr. Itai Beeri and Dana Daniel, a research student in the
pre-doctorate research studies track, included 591 pupils in grades 9-12 and
144 teachers of various subjects in three Jewish high schools. The identities
of the participants and the schools were not disclosed.
Most
common uses
As noted, 94% of the pupils admitted to accessing social
media or file-sharing sites (such as Facebook and YouTube) during class, from
time to time or even more frequently. Some 95% of the pupils take pictures or
make recordings during class for non-study purposes; 94% send e-mails and text
messages; 93% listen to music during class and 91% actually talk on their
phones during class.
The researchers also sought to determine the frequency of
the students' cell phone use during class (from "never" to "very
often"). The data indicates that on average, every pupil uses a cell phone
in 60% of his or her classes.
"What stands out is the high use of interactive,
multi-user functions, which can be very disruptive during the course of the
lesson, and which have potential for long-term, ongoing and cumulative
disturbance and damage that far exceeds the physical boundaries of the
classroom or the time spent in class," the researchers noted. They also
stated that, "The potential damage stemming from heightened cell phone use
during class casts a pall on the entire educational system, on the school
atmosphere, on the educational achievements of the class, on the pupil's own
learning experience and on the teacher's burnout having to cope with discipline
problems in class."
Does
the teacher or class subject matter?
Cell phones are use more frequently in humanities classes
than in math and science classes, and as the difficulty of the subject matter
rises (in subjects such as math or English, which have higher- level classes),
cell phone use goes down. Age also influences cell phone use: 10th graders use
their phones in class most frequently, while 12th graders use them the least.
Use of cell phones in class drops when the teacher is more experienced, but the
gender of the teacher has no influence on class phone use.
The researchers also sought to determine whether there
was a link between a teacher's discipline style (as reported by the teacher
himself) and the extent of cell phone use in their classes (as reported by the
students). Surprisingly enough, in classes where the teacher was more
permissive ("I don't think students have to obey regulations and
behavioral rules just because of someone holding authority"), cell phone
use was less, while with students with a tougher teacher ("When I tell my
pupils what to do, I expect them to do it immediately, without asking
questions"), cell phone use increased.
"The research data shows that the use of cell phones
during class has become routine," the researchers said. "Even if on
an individual level such use is only occasional, in the standard learning unit
-- a class of 30 to 40 pupils -- in nearly every class a majority of pupils are
using their mobile phones in some fashion. At any given moment, at least some
of the pupils are using their cell phones, and there is no teacher who hasn't
been forced to cope with the phenomenon of cell phone use on a regular
basis."
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1399470
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1399470
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