In the 21st century, there has been a global upsurge in the utility of cell phones. A study done by Pew Internet revealed that more than 82% of American adults have cell phones (Peslak, 2011). Among teenagers, cell phones play a crucial role in their daily lives. Ordinarily, the youths perceive cell phones as symbols of status and continuously carry them within reach. Recent statistics from the American Life Project and Pew Internet provide that 74% of students in colleges use cell phones to access educational materials online, among other needs (Lee et al., 2017). A different study noted that cell phone usage among college students helps them feel safe and efficiently manage their time (Frimpong et al., 2016). Traditionally, cell phone manufacturers designed their products to allow users to communicate through voice calls and text messages. Over time, cell phones evolved with added features that helped users interact on social media platforms, watch and share videos, and even listen to music. Besides the numerous benefits that college students get from cell phone usage, increased use of the devices within educational institutions consumes students' time, impacts academic performance negatively, and examination cheating is easier.
College students spend a lot of time on their phones, an issue that impacts their engagement in other activities such as physical exercise and educational projects. Research uncovers that college students may be spending averagely 8-10 hours every day on a mobile phone in the US. Available statistics also discloses that 40-50% of students in colleges do not participate in physical activities, an utter contravention of the American’s physical activity guidelines (Penglee et al., 2019). Also, the use of cell phones in times of physical exercise may reduce a physical activity’s intensity, preventing an individual from achieving the desired exercise goals. Sedentary behaviors inspired by increased screen time have detrimental effects on college students' physical and mental well-being. Particularly, physical inactivity decreases fitness levels, promotes obesity, and reduces an individual’s self-esteem (Penglee et al., 2019). Besides the health risks associated with more time spent on cell phones, college students may achieve poor educational outcomes due to failure to participate exclusively on related academic activities, such as research projects. Institutional policies designed to reduce screen time among students may play an instrumental role in reducing time wastage on cell phones and promoting students’ mental and physical health through physical exercise.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Cell phone usage during classroom hours interferes with student’s concentration, leading to poor academic performance. Findings from several studies indicate that most college students carry their cell phones to class (Lee et al., 2017). Impulsive phone usage in class disengages students academically, where students check their social media accounts, send and respond to text messages, and explore new applications during class time (Lee et al., 2017). Rather than concentrating fully during class time, studies reveal that 89% of college students diverted their concentration to other nonacademic endeavors using their cell phones (Lee et al., 2017). Using cell phones during classroom hours for purposes not related to academics has damaging consequences to students’ grade point average, mental well-being, and the entire learning process (Lee et al., 2017). Specifically, cell phones reduce students’ concentration in class, impairing the reception and retention of the information given by their instructors. Available evidence shows students may lose at least 30% of the instructions given in class while texting. Students should, therefore, strive to minimize distractions during class time by distancing themselves with their cell phones for improved educational performance and outcomes.
Cases of exam malpractice have been on the rise with the increased proliferation of technology and cell phones within higher learning institutions. Despite the grave consequences of cheating in exams, 62% of students within the US admit having witnessed their colleagues cheating in exams. Besides, in the UK, cheating cases using cell phones have risen by 42% since 2012 (“What impact is technology having on student cheating?” 2018). Ordinarily, students switch on their devices, take snapshots of their classmates’ work, and then transfer the material to their answer sheets. Some students also activate their cell phones’ texting applications, infrared or Bluetooth devices during exam time to share related examination information with other students taking the tests. Besides, students take pictures of their notes and review them when sitting for a test, while others use their phones to get answers from online platforms (Taleb et al., 2017). Cheating during examinations creates unmerited competition, damages academic integrity to a greater extent, and may have a detrimental impact on the educational outcomes. Therefore, college students should refrain from academic malpractice by becoming more disciplined and preparing sufficiently before examinations.
Cell phone usage among college students has become a common phenomenon in recent times. Present-day cell phones offer students a wide range of services, including access to the internet and social media. Besides the increased benefits, uncontrolled use of cell phones may lead to time wastage, diminished academic performance, and an increased exam malpractice rate. The apparent consequences place a high demand on education policy formulators to devise measures to regulate cell phone usage among college students.
References
Frimpong, K., Asare, S & Otoo-Arthur, D. (October 2016). The Effects of Mobile Phone Usage on the Academic Performance of Ghanaian Students, a Case of Presbyterian University College Asante - Akyem Campus. International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies (IJIRAS) Volume 3(11).
Lee, S., Kim, M. W., McDonough, I. M., Mendoza, J. S., & Kim, M. S. (2017). The effects of cell phone use and emotion-regulation style on college students' learning. Applied Cognitive Psychology , 31 (3), 360-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3323
Mohammad Abu Taleb, B. R., Coughlin, C., Romanowski, M. H., Semmar, Y., & Hosny, K. H. (2017). Students, mobile devices and classrooms: A comparison of US and Arab undergraduate students in a Middle Eastern University. Higher Education Studies , 7 (3), 181. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v7n3p181
Penglee, N., Christiana, R. W., Battista, R. A., & Rosenberg, E. (2019). Smartphone use and physical activity among college students in health science-related majors in the United States and Thailand. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 16 (8), 1315. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081315
Peslak, A. (2011). An Empirical Study of Cell Phone and Smartphone Usage. Issues in Information Systems . Vol 12 (1). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290812639_An_empirical_study_of_cell_phone_and_smartphone_usage
What impact is technology having on student cheating? (2018, February 26). The NYU Dispatch. https://wp.nyu.edu/dispatch/2018/02/26/what-impact-is-technology-having-on-student-cheating/
