The impact smartphones have had on education in developing countries

Introduction 

The use of smartphones is a growing trend in developing countries, which significantly impacts higher education. Increased mobile phone usage in the learning process can enhance the learning experience in several ways. The many ways that increased mobile phone usage impacts the learning process include motivation, collaboration, and portability. By virtue of being portable, mobile phones allow learners to move with the technology anywhere around the world and can retrieve or obtain course information and enhance several learning settings. Moreover, increased students’ interaction via social media networks and other channels that are accessed on smartphones help them to share information and knowledge through the formation of groups that significantly enhance collaborative learning. Increased smartphone usage by college students as a learning device helps them to be more engaged and motivated in the learning process. Additionally, it also increases the participation of groups in activities that are carried out during classroom learning. However, studies on the impact of the rapid use of smartphones on higher education in developing nations have not enjoyed sufficient research work. This report, therefore, will attempt to examine the influence that the rapid growth in smartphone usage has on higher education in developing nations to bridge the knowledge gap. 

Background 

In the recent past, there has been a rapid increase in handheld wireless communication systems which led to the development of mobile wireless generations ranging from 1G-5G. These generations vary in terms of functionality in four different aspects, including data rates, switching schemes, bandwidth, and radio access. The first generation mobile phones were introduced in 1980, which had only a voice communication service which was based on a system known as Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS). The system was entirely analog in nature, whose bandwidth ranged from 10-30 KHz. It had an estimated data rate of about 10 Kbps. Its radio access scheme was the Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), with an all circuit used to support voice services as switching. This first-generation mobile phone incorporated technologies such as Mobile Telephone System (MTS), Push to Talk (PTT), Improved Mobile Telephone Service (IMTS), and Advanced Mobile Telephone System (AMTS). 

The first generation mobile phone had many standards in different countries. For instance, the United States used Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) while the United Kingdom had the Total Access Communication System (TACS) ( Bulbul et al., 2017 ). Most European countries also used different standards of the first generation mobile phone. However, the 1G phone had a low capacity whose voice calls had no security. Additionally, it was quite unreliable with poor handoff and voice links. Consequently, it led to the development of the second generation phone (2G), which had improved features such as higher system capacity, security, coverage, and spectral efficiency, among others. 

The second-generation phone (2G) was based on a system known as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). Its main features included digital signals for transmitting voice, power speeds of 64 Kbps, longer battery life, improved voice clarity, picture messages, short message service (SMS), and Multimedia Messages Service (MMS). Other features that were incorporated into the 2G phone included Worldwide Wireless Web (WWW) and e-mail access. 

The second-generation phone was succeeded by the third-generation phone (3G). This phone provided additional and enhanced features which were distinct from the first and second-generation phones. These enhancements included features such as faster and higher browsing using WAP and web, improved video and audio streaming, more security, video conferencing, higher data speed, 3D gaming, higher download speeds, and larger broadband capacities, among others. However, the third generation phone had some downsides, such as fluctuating download speed due to variations in signal strength. However, expanding the 3G phone gave rise to the fourth generation phone (4G) technology. 

The 4G phone addressed the limitations experienced in the 3G phone and is ten times faster. Its main distinguishing feature is the Long Term Evolution (LTE). It has several access technologies, including WMAN, WLAN, and cellular, which are integrated into one platform providing different services. It has the capability of transmitting several data and multimedia across the world with higher frequency ranges of between 2-8GHz, packet switching, faster download speeds, and multi-carrier, among other features. Additionally, it has a higher voice quality, easily accessed social networks and the internet. However, like its predecessors, it also had its limitations, which included a system that is difficult to implement and high battery usage. These limitations led to the need to develop the fifth-generation phone (5G) technology. 

Research on this technology is still ongoing, which will help deal with all the limitations experienced with the previous technology. Some of the features expected to be incorporated in 5G technology include improved clarity in TV programs, a Wireless Worldwide Web that is supportable, high capacity, and an improved data rate, among others. 

Influence of Technology on Higher Learning 

The use of smartphones in institutions of higher learning has been on the increase as the new technology becomes a means of accessing information and knowledge. However, the influence of technology and usage in developing countries are both positive and negative. 

Positive impacts 

Higher learning institutions in emerging economies are beneficiaries of improved mobile technology. The services that smartphones provide can be harnessed to become effective tools in education and not just mere devices. They help students easily access a wide array of learning materials. Emerging economies are often faced with the challenge of internet access which can easily be resolved by the use of smartphones. These devices can help students learn faster and perform well outside their lecture halls. They will be able to easily access the internet, which will help in the easier retrieval of academic materials. 

Smartphones can also keep them updated on recent developments in the academic world and global trends needed for research and learning. By providing fast and easier internet access, smartphones have been able to greatly influence higher learning institutions in developing countries. It saves students time and money using internet cafes and campus computer rooms for learning and research (Tuncay, 2016). They enhance easier access to learning and teaching, which gives lecturers and other teaching staff an easier time in the learning process. Research shows that a greater percentage of university students in developing economies own smartphones and can use them. Mobile phone devices help students with distance learning and interactive education. Recent developments in wireless communication have contributed greatly to the development of distance learning from print media to interactive and digital education ( Boumosleh and Jaalouk, 2018 ). In this regard, smartphones have played a great role in bridging the gap between instructors and distance learners to help in a two-way interaction between users. 

Negative Impact 

The use of smartphones can also have a negative impact on students and higher learning in general. They can act as the main source of distraction to students due to the many features they have, such as social media, text messages, e-mail services, online games, and TV programmes. Additionally, students can use these devices to cheat by accessing information online when doing examinations. A study conducted indicated that in developing countries, students in higher learning institutions are increasingly using smartphones and waste much of their time doing on-academic activities such as using social media to chat, taking selfies, and sharing one other, among others. Research has also indicated that such activities prevent students from performing well in their studies (Gowthami et al., 2016). Other challenges faced by students in higher learning institutions in developing countries include fewer experts on campus to repair smartphones, unstable power supply, and high costs of data subscriptions, among others. 

Findings 

By using a literature research survey approach, the study found out that the impact of rapid technological advancement in mobile phones and their usage in higher learning institutions in developing countries has led to both positive and negative consequences in education. However, mobile technology has had a more positive than negative impact on higher learning in such countries. The study also found out that advancements in mobile telephony have changed the meaning of distance learning education and created a departure from print media to one that is interactive and digital in nature. 

Source: PEW RESEARCH CENTER 

Conclusion 

This paper drew literature from various sources on technological advancements in mobile telephony, the history of mobile telecommunication networks, and the impact of such advancements on higher education in emerging economies. It gives a detailed explanation of the positive and negative impact smartphones have had on education in developing countries. However, it shows that there is a need to sensitize students in higher learning institutions on how best smartphones can be used to enhance their academic performance. It concludes that the positive impact of mobile technology on higher learning education in emerging economies outweighs its negative impact by far. 

References 

Boumosleh, J., & Jaalouk, D. (2018). Smartphone addiction among university students and its relationship with academic performance. Global Journal of Health Science , 10 (1), 48-59. 

Bulbul, A. A. M., Biswas, S., Hossain, M. B., & Biswas, S. (2017). Past, present and future of mobile wireless communication. IOSR Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering, 12 (5), 55-58. 

Gowthami, S.,Venkata Krishna Kumar, S.(2016).Impact of smartphone: a pilot study on positive 

and negative effects. International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Applied Science 

(IJSEAS) , 2 (3) 473-478. http://ijseas.com/volume2/v2i3/ijseas20160353.pdf 

Tuncay, N. (2016).Smartphones as tools for distance education. Journal of Educational and 

Instructional Studies in the world, 6 (3), 20-30 

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED605968.pdf