EFFECTS OF MOBILE PHONE USAGE ON LEARNING PROCESS

Naik Sameer, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Accountancy, Akbar Peerbhoy College of Commerce & Economics, M.S. Ali Road, Grant Road (East), Mumbai – 400008

Abstract

Learning is a process of acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge. It is a two way process where the learner has to be involved in give-n-take of knowledge, but the greatest hindrance to the learning process is distraction. In today‘s times a major cause of distraction in the learning process is the handheld mobile device. Though as a human we should control the machine, recent trends show that the mobile controls human beings. This control and addiction of mobile phones is seen more in the youngsters who no longer use it a mere two way communication device, but more as an entertainment and social connectivity device. In my study I have tried to study the effect of mobile use on the learning process amongst college going students. The scope of this study is limited to selected students from a commerce college in Mumbai. The data collected has been analyzed to bring out a connection between mobile use and positive & negative effects on learning process. Similar studies have already been carried out all over the world on large scale. This paper is an effort to find if the impact of mobile phone usage on learning in commerce students is similar to what has been observed the world over.

Introduction: Mobile phones which were introduced as a communication device became a status symbol and today are more of a fashion statement. While a feature phone was used for making phone calls and SMS messing with the advent of smartphone it is being used for entertainment, information and social connectivity. The dominance and growth of mobile phones in life of Indians can be gauged from the figures given by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) which states that India is the second largest telecom network in the world. Whereas there were mere 71 million subscribers in April 2004, by April 2017 they have reached 1,199 million and keep growing at almost 0.5% every month.. Internet usage is also growing with nearly 7 out of 8 subscribers accessing internet from their mobile phones. As per an independent survey by Ericsson in 2015 out of the total subscribers nearly 31% were in the age group of 15 to 25 years. Learning is the process of acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences.Though traditionally a two-way process, what a student does is actually more important for their learning than what a teacher does. Hence learning activities are what students actually do in a class/course to learn. Today we are living in the age of distraction and lack of focus is one of the biggest hindrances to the learning process. Almost every student carries a mobile phone to college along with books and takes pride in being multi-taskers without realizing the harm itcauses.In an Indian household almost every item is social, except for the mobile, which qualifies as the first personal, protected and private item of possession. Due to which students in their late teens form an attachment with mobile phones and cannot function without their cellphone. While most of the educational institutions do not allow use of mobile phones, students still carry it sighting reasons like substitute for an expensive laptop, downloading study material and notes, using educational apps, taking photos, contacting peers and instructors, etc. But the same mobile phone can cause many problems like disturbing the class, recording without permission,

JAN-MAR, 2018, VOL-7/37 Page 95 cheating in exams, etc. The growth in coverage and affordability of mobile telephony services has resulted in more students using and being dependent on mobile phones. In this study an attempt has been made to examine the effects and their extent that the usage of mobile phone causes to the learning process both in and out of the classroom. Literature Review: Aoki and Downes (2004)[1]focused on the behavioral and psychological aspects of cell phone usage among college students. The study tried to find the trends in usage by the youth ―why college students in the U.S. use the cell phone what they think of the technology and how they use it.‖ They identified several factors like necessity in modern times, cost efficiency, safety and dependency as reasons behind why a technology is adopted. Castells,Mireia, Qiu and Sey (2004)[2] extensively looked into the rise of the mobile youth in a cross cultural perspective. Their stated 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 networked sociability. T. Tripura Sundari (2015)[3] in her research studied the effects of mobile phone use on academic performance of college going young adults in India. The researcher has analyzed positive and negative effects of mobile phone on learning achievements. Jeffrey and Titsworth (2013)[4] examined the impact of mobile phone usage, during class lecture, on student learning. The researchers had found a major difference in information grasped by students using mobile phone and those not using a mobile during the same lecture. The literature review shows that the usage of mobile phone has a significant societal influence. The technology is shaping attitudinal changes regarding public and private space of mobile phone users. Mobile phones can be a helpful academic tool, or a hurtful academic disruption depending upon the attitude and use pattern of the student owner. In my study I have tried to analyze the effects mobile phone usage has on the learning ability of students who due to various influences fail to realize the distraction that a mobile phone causes.

Method of Study: Due to various constraints the study has been kept small in scale covering data collection from 150 students only. The data was collected from respondents of a commerce college located in heart of South Mumbai. Data collection was done by adopting two methods to get an in-depth cause effect analysis. First 150 students were randomly selected from under graduate and post graduate sections. Special care was taken to select students from all classes from first year UG to last year PG so as to cover the entire spectrum of age group regarding whom the study was to be made. Out of the total 150 respondents 89 were males and 61 were females. The respondents are all students from Commerce stream pursuing graduation and post-graduation. Most of the respondents come from lower middle class and middle class families from localities like Kurla, Mumbra, Nagpada, Kumbharwada, etc. Some respondents earn and learn due to their lower financial background. A majority of respondents were from families where they were the first generation to receive college education. The data was collected first through a questionnaire prepared with 15 questions to cover all the aspects of the study. After collecting the data around 25 respondents were randomly selected and personally interviewed to get an analysis of the reasoning behind their

JAN-MAR, 2018, VOL-7/37 Page 96 response.For cross reference analysis some data was also collected from the college library and Unfair Means Committee. The study is limited to study the effects of use of mobile phones on learning process of UG and PG students of commerce stream from a college. The study is a first attempt to study the relationship between the above factors and also other factors related to mobile usage.

Data Analysis and Interpretation: Out of the total 150 respondents only 9 (including 7 females) didn‘t carry a mobile to college, which proves that mobile phone is no longer a luxury item but a necessity created due to various factors like peer pressure. Out of the students who didn`t use a mobile phone, girls were not permitted due to their orthodox family backgrounds. The following data was collected in response to the question regarding the number of years for which the respondents were using mobile phones.

Years of use 0-3 4-6 7-9 10 & above Total No. of Students 77 34 15 05 141

Considering that the students are pursuing UG or PG course, from the above data it can be stated that most of them have started using mobile phones in college. It also indicates to the possibility that the students take the ban on use of mobile phones in schools more seriously as compared to college.Out of the 141 respondents using and carrying mobile phone only 07 students are using a basic feature phone. Out of the remaining 134 smart phone users the ones who were interviewed admitted that they find it more attractive due the entertainment features like camera, apps, movies, music, etc. They also admit that using a feature phone in college makes them feel out of place due to peer pressure of staying in touch through Facebook, Whatsapp, etc.In response to the question regarding the funding or source to buy the mobile phone 42 students stated that they bought it from own funds, only 05 students had got it from their employers whereas the majority of 94 students had got it through their parents. In a related question nearly 75% of the students who got their phones from self or parent‘s source admitted that they had convinced their parents that the mobile will be useful for their education. So while most of the parents fell to the reason that their ward will be using the mobile for their education, some of them have given it to their kids (especially girls) as a safety tool which can be used to call parents in the case of an unforeseen emergency.Out of the 141 respondents carrying a mobile phone to college 58 admitted about accessing social media while in class, 41 admitted that the they respond to messages & chats in class and only 5 admitted to taking calls during lectures. These students admit that their attachment with the mobile phone has reached an addiction level due to which they respond to the messages/ chats even in lectures since they can`t control the urge. 92 students agreed to the fact that they feel distracted by the mobiles in a classroom when the instructor is teaching. Some of these students feel distracted by their own mobile phones while others feel distracted by the ringing or buzzing of other`s mobile. Even though the students admit to the distraction caused they are not eager to give up their mobile phone which is evident from the response to the question

JAN-MAR, 2018, VOL-7/37 Page 97 regarding mobile free classrooms. The students admit that they feel uncomfortable without their cell phones around. When asked about having classrooms equipped with mobile jammers only 43 students agreed to be comfortable studying in such classes. The remaining 98 students said that they won‘t be comfortable studying in such classrooms which shows the level to which the addiction of mobile phones has reached. Students are ready to learn with disturbance but not ready to stay aloof from these devices. Hence one end of the learning process is not attentive during the lectures.While only 41 students agreed to the fact that they are tempted to use the mobile phones as a tool to cheat in exams, the data collected from the college Unfair Means Committee paints a different picture. The committee data shows that there has been an increase of students using mobile phones to cheat in exams is increasing over the years. In spite of warnings students are found to be in possession of mobiles during exams and with innovations like smart watches, Bluetooth devices, etc. it has become more difficult to monitor students during examinations.Another important aspect of the learning process is textbooks, notes and reference material which the students use to revise or recollect the information given during lectures. But mobile phones have had a drastic effect on this also. 64 students (nearly half of the respondents) agreed that they don`t take down notes which the teacher dictates or illustrates on board. These students prefer taking images of the same from other students who have taken it down diligently or images of the board after the lecture. This clearly shows that the students prefer to take the easier route out instead of putting efforts to learn. In response to another question 88 students agree that due to image sharing on smartphones thru various chat applications they get the notes before examination even without attending college on regular basis. The students feel that their efforts are reduced due to this without realizing that they are missing out on the personal give-n-take of knowledge in classrooms. The technology of image transfer has also had an effect on use of textbooks and reference books by students. 92 students have agreed to the fact that mobiles have reduced their dependency on textbooks since all the material required for studying is now available on mobiles. This fact is supported by the data available from college library which shows that students visit to library and use of reference text books has reduced. Students use the mobile phone to study by using the images without realizing the effects it has on their health like hampering eyesight, etc. They have to realize that it‘s more comfortable reading a book then constantly reading from the mobile screen. Another bad influence in on the student`s language and vocabulary, due to constant use on chat lingo and abbreviations on mobiles which the students end up using same during exams also.Out of the 141 respondents 110 agree to using their mobile phones to surf educational sites and using apps with educational content. If the students are actually doing the same it is an good sign since they can gain valuable knowledge for overall learning. 109 agree that the mobile is a useful tool in the learning process, which can be true if the students realize the positive potentials that a mobile has to influence their learning. Only using the mobile as a communication and entertainment device will not assist in the learning process.

JAN-MAR, 2018, VOL-7/37 Page 98 1. Students using feature phones were more likely to take down notes in lectures and also

depended on text books as compared to smartphone users.

2. Students also felt that the mobile which was a means to stay in touch with their friends has actually invaded their studying time also with constant messages and calls from the same friends.

3. In the recent times with falling prices of smartphones and availability of cheap mobile internet, students have started using mobiles for entertainment more like surfing nets, watching videos etc. which has reduced their study time.

4. Students are also show a tendency to shift mobile operators if they find network issues in places where they spend more time, which explains why the students are so adverse to the idea of classrooms with mobile jammers.

5. Even though in the questionnaire students state that they use the mobile for surfing educational content, on personal verification it is observed that most of the students who convinced their parents with the argument seldom use the phone for educational purpose.

Conclusion: Many research studies all over the world have focused and proved that the rampant use of social networking, texting and chatting on mobile phones has an adverse effect on academic performance of the students. In my study also the finds are similar, that the college students are badly under the influence of mobile technology. It is no longer a device for them an inseparable part of them. This proximity to the device is hampering their involvement in the learning process. The learning process is always a two way process where the learner has to acquire knowledge, skills etc. either from the teacher or books. But the rampant use of mobile phones is causing a distraction for the students which deviates them away from learning. . In this study I have not enumerated the effects which mobiles have on the other person involved in the learning process i.e. the teacher. But he/she too is disturbed and distracted due to mobile phones.While some students have realized the potential damage that it causes, efforts need to be taken to make the other students aware about the same. Enforcement of strict mobile policies is possible in classroom but once out of the class students again immediately reach out for their mobiles. Hence efforts will have to be taken to divert the students away from the mobile not only in the class but also outside since learning process is not limited only to the classroom.The study carried out for this paper was very limited and restricted to students from only one college but the interferences drawn after analysis are similar to the ones drawn in similar researches, with slight variations due to economic and academic factors

References

Aoki K, Downes EJ. Analysis of young people`s use of and attitudes towards cell phones. Telematics and Informatics 2004; 20(4):349-364

Castells M, Mireia F, Qiu J, Sey A. The Mobile Communication Society. October 27, 2005. http://anneberg.usc.edu/international_communication/WirelessWorkshops/MCS.pdf

T Tripura Sundari Effects of mobile phone use on academic performance of college going young adults in India. IJAR 2015: 1(9):898-905

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