Impact of Cell Phone on Students' Usage

This research project critically examines the impact of cell phone usage by students in schools and its effects on their academic achievement. It discusses the positive and negative effects of using cell phones in higher secondary education and concludes that it depends on the individual how efficiently they make use of it.

Running head: IMPACT OF CELL PHONE ON THEIR USAGE BY STUDENTS.
IMPACT ON USAGE OF CELL PHONES IN SCHOOL AND ITS EFFECT ON
SECONDARY STUDENT ACHIVEMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Abstract
The following research project critically examine how the presence of Mobile Phone in
school impact on secondary students. With rapid increase in technology smartphone usage
has also got hiked in today atmosphere. The project includes the positive and negative effect
of using mobile phone by the students of higher secondary education. Related to the
background studies done in this areas various finding was noted regarding mobile phone
usage by the students. Using mobile phone is beneficial for student in learning process
however, it does cause disturbance. Lastly, from the above discussion it was concluded that
mobile phone has both pros and cons and it depend on the individual, how efficiently and
fruitfully make use of it.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Background............................................................................................................................4
Statement of research questions.............................................................................................4
Research questions.................................................................................................................4
Objectives...............................................................................................................................5
Literature search.........................................................................................................................5
Methodology..........................................................................................................................5
Search strategy...................................................................................................................6
Source of analysis..............................................................................................................6
Type and Result of the analysis.........................................................................................6
Finding.......................................................................................................................................7
Thematic synthesis of literature review.................................................................................7
Negative effect of using mobile phones:............................................................................7
Cheating- an unethical practice by students.......................................................................7
Distractions caused to students using phones....................................................................7
Cyberbullying a harmful aspect for students.....................................................................8
Disrespect to teachers is rising with mobile usage.............................................................8
Texting is being common in today’s generation................................................................8
Theft or loss of phone leads to stress.................................................................................9
Breakage of phone caused by accidents.............................................................................9
Invasion of privacy by using mobile................................................................................10

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Antisocial behavior of students hiked by using mobile...................................................10
Cell phone radiation causes cancer..................................................................................10
Positive effect of using mobile phone..............................................................................11
Emergency contacts are possible with mobiles................................................................11
Security and safety of student increases by using phone.................................................11
Mobiles supports collaborative learning..........................................................................11
Improves access to information by using mobiles...........................................................11
Cell phone can be used to aid memory............................................................................12
Mobile phone can be used as a participation tool............................................................12
Cell phone supports better organization and time scheduling for students......................12
Discussion................................................................................................................................13
Summary of finding.............................................................................................................13
Limitation of the research........................................................................................................14
Implication of the research.......................................................................................................14
Conclusion................................................................................................................................14
Reference..................................................................................................................................16

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Introduction
The aim of the project is to critically analyse the impact of mobile phone among the
students of high education, and how it is impacting on their daily activity. The research
project has used the thematic analysis for literature review using online database source. The
project further explained the positive as well as negative effect of cell phone on students and
its comparative analysis is done to come in conclusion.
Background
The issue of usage of mobile phones or cell phones in schools by students has been a
topic of debate for quite some time. According to the parents who supports the use of cell
phones, the devices helps to address their safety and security concerns and allows them to
communicate with their children. Teachers and school administrators on the other hand who
are opposed to the usage of cell phones in schools points out that the cell phones can be
disruptive to the class and can also be used for unethical purposes such as cheating or taking
unsolicited pictures. Several studies have also shown that using cell phones can distract the
students and take away their attention from the lessons delivered in the class as they get
engrossed with the devices, playing mobile games or massaging each other. However,
supporters for the usage of cell phones still suggests that using cell phones can have positive
outcomes as well, which can be systematically harnessed to increase the efficiency of
delivering knowledge and help the students with their studies. For the purpose of the study, a
systematic review of literature would be performed to explore the negative and positive
influences of using cell phones in schools.

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Statement of research problem
The problem of this project was to determine the connection between positive and
negative effect of mobile phone on the studies of students as both effects are debatable.
Research questions
 How does the use of cell phone in schools or any institution can have positive impact
on the student way of learning?
 How does the usage of smartphone can harm the learning process of student and what
result will it cause in schools?
 Among positive and negative effort, which has the greater impact on usage of cell
phone in schools?
 What are the remedial measure taken to contradict the issue of using cell phone in
schools?
Objectives
The principal aim of the study is to critically evaluate the effect of presence of using
smartphone by the students in schools and institution and their impact in the process of
learning and in achievements of secondary students.
The objective of the following research topic are as follows:
 To evaluate the positive impact of using smartphone by students going to schools
 To critically examine the negative outcome of using smartphone in schools by the
students
 To investigate both good and harm of the smartphone being used by the students in
schools
 To give some remedial measure to contradict the problem stated.

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Key words: cell phones, positive effect, negative effect, disturbance, mode of learning,
higher secondary school, students.
Literature search
Methodology
This study is based on systematic review that include four multidisciplinary reviews that
assessed the consequences of mobile phone use on students of higher secondary education.
The study has used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
(PRISMA).
Search strategy
A comprehensive strategy for searching was done to obtain all required and relevant
studies by using the common terms addressing the objective of the research (positive “effect
of mobile phone on students’’, “negative effect of mobile phone on students”, “Impact on
school environment of using cell phone”. The search has included the data from 2013 to till
date. The key terms are used to map as heading under thematic analysis of literature review.
Source of analysis
The common literature search strategy used to determine the impact of cell phone in
schools are composed of five major databases source; MEDLINE, PubMed, Google scholar,
Cochrane library and Psyc-INFO. The search was restricted to students, publication date from
1st January, 2013 till date and publication language considered includes English. Out of 50
records searched, 25 were assessed thoroughly and the finding based on this was used to
synthesize thematic finding of the research.

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Type and Result of the analysis
The search showed many article in which many of them did not give exact data
regarding the topic. 10 reviews were followed to know negative and positive effect of mobile
phone used by the students. 2-4 articles from Google search has given result about the
comparison of both effects. On the basis of the search, thematic analysis of literature has been
highlighted in this project.
Finding
Thematic synthesis of literature review
The aim of the project is to determine the impact of cell phone on the students
involved in higher secondary education. Therefore, focus has been made to know the positive
and negative effect of using cell phone. From a systematic review of literature, several
effects/impacts of using cell phones in classroom by students have been identified, which
includes both positive and negative effects.
Negative effect of using mobile phones:
Cheating- an unethical practice by students.
Studied by Ugur and Koc, (2015) suggested that the usage of cell phones in
classrooms increased the rates of cheating and utilization of unfair means by the students
during the exams. Smetanink, (2014) suggested that students often revert to the usage of cell
phones discretely during the exams to seek unethical assistance from outside to score well.
Moreover, the accessibility to online resources can also be used by the students to cheat
during the exams. Cell phones can also facilitate the habit of cheating among students, as the
devices are easily concealable, which allows them to take pictures of question papers and
disclosing them to others.

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Distractions caused to students using phones.
Bjornsen and archer (2014) pointed out that cell phones can be a source of distraction
for the students as they can take away their focus from the classroom activities and sessions
and instead engage them in activities such as playing mobile games, browsing the internet or
social media or ‘chatting’ with friends during class. Due to this, the students often lose track
of the lecture sessions and thus unable to understand or utilize the knowledge shared by the
teachers. Cell phones can also make the students unmindful in the class and therefore can
adversely affect their academic performance.
Cyberbullying a harmful aspect for students
Bauman, Toomey and walker (2013) suggested that one real threat of using cell
phones by students can place them at risk of cyberbullying. Incidents of cyberbullying have
become increasingly prevalent, especially in countries where the usage of cell phones in
schools is high. Cell phones can be used to distribute and post inappropriate pictures or posts
about students, which can lead to incidents of bullying, including cyberbullying.
Additionally, the incidence of cyberbullying can also be contributed by the ease with which
information can be shared using cell phones on the internet and social media platforms. These
incidents can have significant adverse effects on the mind of the students being bullied and
can hamper their academic performance.
Disrespect to teachers is rising with mobile usage
Unrestricted usage of cell phones during classes can be disrespectful for the teachers
as it can break the flow of the lecture being delivered and thus distract the teachers as well.
Dashestani (2013) suggested that when the cell phones of students start to ring in the
classroom during a lecture or a teaching session, it can undermine the time and effort given
by the teacher to teach the students and therefore is disrespectful to them. Also, it can be rude

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to use cell phones during the recess periods and breaks, instead of interacting with other
students and therefore can adversely affect the development of social skills.
Texting is being common in today’s generation
According to Mokhtari, Delello and Reichard (2015), students often spend a
significant amount of time texting each other on cell phones. This takes away valuable time
and their focus from the classes and therefore hampers their academic performance. Another
variation of texting is called ‘sexting’ in which inappropriate and indecent texts and pictures
are shared between students using cell phones. This can lead to the intrusion of privacy of
other students and can cause distraction to the students as well as others around them.
Thomas and Bolton, (2013) further suggested that sexting can lead to harassment of the
students, increasing incidences of bullying, depression and stress among the students, all of
which can adversely affect their academic performance.
Theft or loss of phone leads to stress
Carrying cell phones to school also can increase the risks of the phones being stolen
or lost. Incidents of cell phones being stolen or lost can not only be distracting for the
students and others around them, it can also be a source of psychological and emotional
stress, especially since the students tend to be very fond of the devices. Losing cell phones
can also instil in them a sense of fear of being scolded by parents. Dastan and Gurler (2016)
further suggested that incidents of theft of cell phones can also adversely affect the reputation
of the schools.
Breakage of phone caused by accidents
According to Eargle (2015) carrying cell phones in schools can also increase the risks
of accidental damages and breakage of the device. This can also lead to the students being
distracted from their studies, thereby hampering their academic performance. Incidents of cell

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phone breaking can also be a financial encumbrance for the student and their families which
can also be a source of stress and distraction. It can be pointed here that incidents of cell
phones breaking can also create a hazardous environment for the students as it can increase
risks of shock and injury from the broken electronic parts.
Invasion of privacy by using mobile
Park and Jang (2014) suggested that the rampant use of cell phones in several schools
across Australia have resulted in the invasion of privacy for the students. Since the cell
phones are tiny in size and can be concealed easily, it can be used to take inappropriate
pictures of the students which can result in the invasion of their privacy. Moreover, the
connectivity of most cell phones to the internet can lead to those pictures being freely
uploaded and shared over the internet, which can attract sexual offenders and thus put the
safety of the children at risk.
Antisocial behaviour of students hiked by using mobile
Den Hamer and Keijer (2014) suggested that using cell phones by students can
increase the propensity of antisocial behavior among them. The easy accessibility of the
internet from these mobile devices, while at school can cause the students to behave
erratically and be influenced by negative characters more easily. Craun, Bourke and Coulson
(2015), pointed out that children having access to internet can interact with potentially
criminal personalities on the internet, who can brainwash them to adopt antisocial behaviour.
According to Lemieux, Bricknell and Prenzler (2015), several incidents of school shootouts
in the United States and Australia have occurred when young impressionable children are
brainwashed by criminal organisations to take part in violent crimes.

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Cell phone radiation causes cancer
Radiation from cell phones is another negative aspect of the negative impact of cell
phones on the student. Different studies have shown that the radiation produced from the cell
phones can interfere with the sleep patterns and brain development and therefore can have
significant adverse impact on the academic performance of the student on the long term.
According to the studies, the radiations emitted from cell phones can also be carcinogenic
and can increase risks of several diseases later in life.
Positive effect of using mobile phone
Emergency contacts are possible with mobiles
Katz (2017) suggested that a large number of parents believe that the cell phones
provide them with a mode for emergency contact with their children during an emergency.
This can include emergencies at home or school in which the parents or the children can be
worried about each other, and the presence of a cell phone can allow them to communicate
with each other easily.
Security and safety of student increases by using phone
From the study by Le et al. (2015) It is said that cell phone has been a mode for easy
contact, it is also regarded as mean of safety and security of students. In situation of illness or
danger, students have the option to contact their near one through cell phone. It is beneficial
for them to carry the cell phone with them. In any circumstance say, if student feels unsafe
while coming home and sense some danger or they have undergone any accident or injury,
they can contact their parent immediately. Thus, it can be solution for any unforeseen
emergency.

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Mobiles supports collaborative learning
Student who has cell phone can use this as mean for education. All smartphone comes
with various learning application where student can indulge themselves in collaborative
learning. This application comes with the sharing feature where more than two students can
share common learning platform (Gikas & Grant, 2013). Many of the programs resemble
those present in laptops or computer. While smartphones are portable and come with internet
connection, can check the fact instantly.
Improves access to information by using mobiles
By allowing the use of smartphone in schools' student can expand their learning
experience outside. They can quickly access any information from anywhere. In case of need
of any information in classroom or outside they can just get those in one click. Student are
fascinated towards technology, and having study app and e-books, allows them to get indulge
in extra learning (West, 2013).
Cell phone can be used to aid memory
In study Kuznekoff and Titsworth, (2013) It has been noted that cell phones are useful
to students when studying and learning for exams or tests. Most of the cell phone comes with
camera so, students can make use of it in taking pictures of notes and reviewing everyday can
help to learn the fact easily. This can be a mean for quick learning
Mobile phone can be used as a participation tool
Smartphone can be proved to be an excellent participation tool in schools and
classrooms. For example, there are many websites where teacher can make questions for
students. They can give reply by texting (Fonseca et al., 2014).

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Cell phone supports better organization and time scheduling for students
From the studies Henderson, Selwyn and Aston (2017) it can be said that use of cell
phone can make student stay in organized way and can excel in any tasks or project. There
are many applications available that help them to schedule the timing of their project. For
example, “my homework application” can aid students with alternative to paper and they can
also receive reminder regarding deadline of task and get notified about the new homework
and project from school. Many applications are available in keeping their notes in organized
form. Student can effortlessly type their records during study time and can access it in
schools or home by using their smartphone. This help to keep their notes in organized form.
Discussion
Summary of finding
Mobile phone is the tool that allow any person to make calls or text, however their
dimension has increased to greater extent. With dramatic growth of smartphone technology
students are being fascinated towards it. The following research project will help to evaluate
the effect of using cell phone in students. By conducting the research work, it can be noted
the various pros and cons of usage of cell phone. The main research question is whether its
implementation in schools and in classroom teaching improves or create negative effect on
the institution. This paper reflects the finding of the study on investigating smartphone in
higher secondary education. By researching it is stated that use of cell phone can be
beneficial as it provides access in teaching and give high learning materials through
availability of internet. Students of higher education use the cell phone a medium for learning
because they deliver many opportunities, they are portable and convenient in use and give
high level learning experience (Ciampa, 2014). However, from the finding it can be said that
implementing smartphone in classroom atmosphere is a challenging mission. Teachers needs

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to include cell phone in teaching to construct an attractive environment of learning and
interaction with the students. However, they also need to mitigate or minimize the distraction
that may arise from the usage of smartphone. Some barriers are disturbance, dependency, less
physical interaction and lack of skills of self-learning and researching (Hong et al., 2014). To
avoid such obstacle of using smartphone within higher schools, perfect rules and regulations
should be set up before teaching and secondary school student need to accept and follow
those rules.
Limitation of the research
The research regarding this is gaining popularity day by day, though, the evidence
given for such research is still incomplete and limited. The number of databases taken is less
for thematic analysis which can be the major limitation to get perfect result. As research was
from global studies, Hence, there might have some methodological and debatable concern
regarding the research. The study has not shown any primary and secondary data that would
have made finding more accurate.
Implication of the research
Exploitation of mobile phone use in today’s time by the students has raised the
concern regarding its impact on higher secondary students. The major implication of the
research extracted from finding is that it clearly highlights the negative effect of mobile
phone if they are misused by the students, so some measures need to be taken by the school
authorities to monitor its usage and avoid unethical use of mobile phone in campus. However,

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the research also implicated that using cell-phone can assist the students in learning, so a
proper policy should be forwarded by the schools that limits its usage rather than fully
restricting it.
Conclusion
From the above research it can be concluded that cell phone has become the integral
part of life in every individual. The use of cell phone has affected the lives of billions of
people around the globe. With rise in technology smartphone are modifying with latest
features. Cell phone are rapidly developing with pace of technology and the device are
capable of giving a good quality learning for students and help in improving the performance
of students. Many schools especially secondary institutions are seeing smartphone usage as a
part of studying in classroom as well as outside the schools. Student often use their
smartphone to interact with their faculty and teachers when they are outside the schools. They
also use to accomplish their group projects. However, it creates a lot of disturbance which
can hamper the learning process. Lastly it can be summarized by saying that tough there are
many advantages and disadvantages of cell phone, all it counts on the self-usage at an optimal
level.

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