SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 2 Acknowledgements I would like to thank each member of my committee for their hard work and support of me throughout this process. I would like to specifically thank Ryan Cain, my chair, for the amount of time and support he dedicated to getting me through this process. I would not have been able to finish when I did if it wasn’t for his help. I would also like to thank Dan Hubler for guiding me through Qualtrics and helping me make sense of my data. He truly understands the system and made my life easier. The last member of my committee I would like to thank is Louise Moulding, for the encouragement she gave me to finish the program as quick as I did. I would also like to thank all of my friends and family for their support and encouragement throughout my collegiate career. This process has been long and tiring, and I couldn’t have done it without them by my side. There are way too many people that have been there for me to name each as an individual. I would like to thank Weber State Athletics for the foundation they created for me once I began this Master’s process as well as my entire collegiate career. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 3 Table of Contents NATURE OF THE PROBLEM……………………………………………………… 7 Literature Review…………………………………………………………….. 9 Statistics of Smartphone Use by Undergraduates……………………. 9 Why and Where Smartphones are Used………………………………10 Usage of Smartphones and How Addiction Occurs…………………. 10 Smartphones as a Multimedia Tool………………………………….. 11 Benefits of Smartphones in the Classroom………………………….. 13 How Smartphones May be a Distraction……………………………. 15 Inappropriate Uses of Smartphones………………………………… 16 PURPOSE…………………………………………………………………………… 17 METHOD…………………………………………………………………………… 18 Participants………………………………………………………………….. 18 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………….. 21 RESULTS ………………………………………………………………………….. 22 DISCUSSION………………………………………………………………………. 25 Recommendations and Further Research…………………………………… 28 Limitations…………………………………………………………………... 28 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………… 30 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 4 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………… 31 APENDICES………………………………………………………………………… 34 Appendix A: Survey Instrument……………………………………………... 35 Appendix B: IRB Approval………………………………………………..… 42 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 5 List of Tables Table 1. Frequency and Percent of Respondents by Institution………………………... 19 Table 2. Frequency and Percent of Respondents from Institutions outside Utah……… 19 Table 3. Respondents Level at the Institution………………………………………….. 20 Table 4. Frequency of Respondents Belief of Smartphones being Beneficial………….. 22 Table 5. Frequency and Percentage of Checking Screen Time………………………… 24 Table 6. Examining Survey Items by Gender…………………………………………… 26 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 6 Abstract Smartphones and technology are becoming increasingly more popular. With the majority of college students owning these devices it brings up some controversy as to if they are beneficial to the classroom or not. There are multiple applications that can cause the students to become distracted during lectures, but there are also plenty of ways that professors can incorporate technology into the classroom. A plethora of research supports both sides of this controversy, so in order to address this subject the researcher created a survey that elicits students’ perceptions of in-class cellphone use. The researcher asked what the students are accessing during class with their devices and what the distribution of the students’ perceptions of benefits and consequences of the use of smartphones in the classroom is. The results of the survey showed that college students do prefer to use their devices in class and believe they are beneficial to learning. It also showed that throughout class time students were using their devices for unrelated class activities. Smartphones may be beneficial in the classroom but it is important for professors to incorporate smartphones into their lectures. Otherwise, smartphones may become a distraction to students’ learning. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 7 As we know, technology is being used every minute of every day around the world. Smartphones are portable giving us the means to have immediate internet access wherever we are. Smartphones are starting to become more acceptable to be used in any classroom to aid in learning. I have been in classes where smartphones are banned, but I have also found my smartphone to be useful in my modalities class where I was able to follow along with the lecture and participate in the class game called Kahoot!. However, some professors ban the use of smartphone in their classrooms because of the fear of distraction that come with them. In the literature, it explains how smartphones can be detrimental in the classroom because of distractions and social media. On the opposing side, smartphones can actually be beneficial in the classroom when professors incorporate them in a way to keep the students engaged in the material that is being taught. Throughout this study, I explore the students’ perceptions of smartphone use in the classroom. The findings are at odds with each other where it shows some benefits to smartphone use in the classroom but also shows that students use them inappropriately. The findings support the literature and I investigate what students are accessing when they are on their smartphones during class. NATURE OF THE PROBLEM Smartphone usage among college students is at an all-time high. According to the Education Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) in 2014, the majority of college undergraduate students own smartphones. Technology and the usage of smartphone devices are increasing every year (Dahlstrom & Bichsel, 2014). With technology constantly changing and society constantly wanting the newest and most improved devices, it seems as if people are almost inseparable from their smartphone. Individuals use smartphones at home, in restaurants, at the airport, while riding a bike, sitting at work, to name a few (Davies, 2017). SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 8 One place where a smartphone can be particularly useful is in the college classroom. The students can use their devices as learning aids to access a variety of information and content the professors provide (Anshari, Almunawar, Shahrill, Wicaksono, & Huda, 2017; Wong, 2018). Because technology usage is increasing, students have already developed the skills needed to operate and perform the appropriate functions from their mobile device, such as participating in an interactive presentation or accessing a website at the instructor’s request (Soloway, 2013). It is advised that professors have a strong instructional design when using smartphones in the classroom to keep students on task (Grinols & Rajesh, 2014). While smartphones may be beneficial in a college classroom, misuse of these devices may result in negative consequences. Professors sometimes ban the use of smartphones in their classes due to the fear of misuse (Chen, Seilhamer, Bennett, & Bauer 2014). Students have become so attached to their smartphones that they have their smartphones near them at all times (Schaposnik & Unwin, 2018). While sitting in class, students will check their smartphones multiple times to ensure they are not missing any notifications they may have received. Students may become bored and use their smartphones to distract themselves (Chotpitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018; Schaposnik & Unwin, 2018). By using their smartphones during classroom time, students pay less attention to their professors therefore missing out on important instruction and lectures being discussed (McCoy, 2013). Throughout this literature review I will show how the literature is mixed between the benefits and consequences of using smartphones in a classroom. The research base contains contradictory findings that smartphones are both an opportunity and a problem for learning. There are numerous benefits to learning in the classroom when smartphones are involved. In SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 9 contrast, students use their smartphones everywhere which can be a distraction and cause them to be less engaged. In the following sections I summarize the research. Literature Review Statistics of Smartphone Use by Undergraduates As a society, we utilize our smartphones for a variety of reasons. A study by Dahlstrom and Bischel (2014) reported that more students own a smartphone now than ever. According to the same study, 86% of undergraduate students own a smartphone and 47% of them own a tablet. Students have access to the internet to use their smartphones to aid in classroom learning and smartphones have overtaken personal computers and laptops as the most common way people access the internet (Chopitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018). Among undergraduate students who own an internet capable device, 92% own at least two devices and 54% of students connect at least two devices to the college/university network at the same time (Dahlstrom & Bichsel, 2014). Technology and smartphones usage are increasing every year. The number of undergraduate students that own a smartphone has increased by 10% from 2013 to 2014 (Dahlstrom & Bichsel, 2014). With all of this data proving the use of technology is on the rise it is important to take a further look into what it is being used for. According to Psylla, Sapiezynski, Mones, and Lehmann (2017), women are more likely to be on their smartphones than men. It has been shown that women communicate more than men. Women have more contacts in their phone, talk on their phones longer, are more active with online engagements and exchange more messages than men (Psylla et al. 2017). Although, men score significantly higher in self-esteem and narcissism. Males also show a lower level of homophily (Psylla et al. 2017). SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 10 Why and Where Smartphones are Used Smartphones have become a great way to connect with people through social media and texting. Smartphones have reached a great importance in the daily lives of students because of how adaptable they are (Vidales-Bolaños & Sádaba-Chalezquer 2017). Since smartphones are adaptable there is a variety of locations that they are used (Davies, 2017). A few of these locations may be at home, walking around the store, at the airport, in the bathroom, in the classroom, etc. People can take their smartphones with them wherever they go and have immediate access to communication (Davies, 2017). There has been research conducted that show that adolescents feel that smartphones are the way to keep in touch with their friends after school hours and if you don’t have a smartphone then they feel secluded. (Vidales-Bolaños & Sádaba-Chalezquer 2017). The study also indicated that smartphones significantly impacts the social relationships of individuals in a positive way, which is a main reason why they are used. Usage of Smartphones and How Addiction Occurs According to Rideout, Foehr, and Roberts (2010), 20% of media consumption in adolescents and young adults comes from smartphones. The use of every type of media has increased over the past 10 years. Throughout the day, it has been shown that an average of 6 to 7 hours is spent using media. (Rideout et al. 2010). Davies (2017) mentions that the majority of smartphone use goes towards checking emails. Other uses of smartphones are checking social media, getting directions, playing music, and online shopping. Over the years, smartphones have played an increasingly significant role in the daily lives of others (Nijssen et al. 2018). People rely on their smartphones to maintain relationships and even help complete jobs. Since smartphones are becoming a major part of everyone’s lives, that SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 11 they are starting to take over the place of memorizing facts because this sort of information can be easily accessed (Nijssen et al. 2018). Instead of trying to think and recall information that was once learned, when someone can’t remember the answer to a question, they immediately reach for their phones to figure out the answer (Nijssen et al. 2018). Studies show that people have become dependent on their smartphone and like to always have physical contact with it even if it is not in use. (Schaposnik, & Unwin 2018). Adolescents like to constantly have their smartphones with them. It is the last thing they touch before they go to bed and the first thing they reach for when they wake up in the morning. (Rideout et al. 2010). Some adolescents even sleep with their smartphone under their pillows. In a study conducted by Schaposnik and Unwin (2018), observations were made that people would physically carry their smartphones in their hand even when they had bags or pockets to hold them. This indicated that people wanted to have their smartphones readily available for any notification and ease of access. Smartphones as a Multimedia Tool Smartphones and related technology have increasingly become more popular in today’s society, and teachers and professors are taking advantage of using smartphones in their classrooms to help the students learn. Incorporating mobile technology into teaching will offer more flexible education and promote creative ideas. To get these ideas, students will use their smartphones to gain one-way access to information and content that is uploaded to learning management systems by their professors. Students can use these systems to follow along with the lecture or get access to their required assignments (Wong, 2018). Students also use their smartphones to access teaching materials and other supporting information and documents (Anshari et al. 2017). Another way smartphones can be used as a learning tool is to exchange SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 12 information with peers through social interaction and the use of technology to collaborate (Anshari et al. 2017). There are many different uses for mobile devices to aid in learning. Students use smartphones as learning aids for many reasons such as they provide convenience, portability, comprehensive learning experiences, multiple information sources, and multitasking (Anshari et al. 2017). As far as convenience and portability goes, smartphones fit in pockets, purses, backpacks, etc., easily, and can be taken where ever the students need to be. It is convenient for the students to have such a small device that is useful for personal and educational purposes. Students used their smartphones for learning practices such as, acquiring new knowledge, revising or practicing what had been taught, seeking help from instructors, and communicating with peers (Wong, 2018). To aid in learning, students will use their smartphones to follow along with what is being taught and to look up the information that was provided in class. They may also use their smartphone to email their professors or peers with any questions or clarifications they need. Smartphones are an innovative means to remain in contact with professors or peers outside of class time (Anshari et al. 2017). Students can reach out to their professors by email if they have any questions on their assignments and are not currently in class. They can also keep in touch with their peers when working on group assignments. Another smartphone feature that is useful for college students is downloadable applications. Loleski, Loleska, and Pop-Jordanova (2017) researched how certain mobile applications can help improve people’s focus, concentration, and motor skills. They found that students who use these applications outside of class time can build their focus and concentration skills and apply them further in class (Loleski et al., 2017). Students need to have these focus and SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 13 concentration skills in class because their smartphones can create a big disturbance or distraction and limit the amount of information they retain from the teacher/professor (Anshari et al. 2017). Benefits of Smartphones in the Classroom Smartphones have a variety of functions and different ways that they can be used. Incorporating them into the university classroom can provide some benefits to the professors and students. As Wong (2018) indicated, smartphones are a great tool to access information and assignments that professors have provided for the students. Dahlstrom and Bichsel (2014) noted that students prefer and have better learning opportunities when professors teach face-to-face while combining technology in the instruction. Specifically, they found that students like the learning management systems and the fact that they can load the PowerPoint and follow along with the professor’s teachings. The students like how they can receive quick feedback and monitor their progress throughout the course. Soloway (2013) acknowledged another significant benefit to using smartphones is that smartphones make learning possible everywhere we go, students can receive all-the-time learning. Technology is embedded to students’ lives every single day and because of this, students are more inclined and lean towards a more favorable attitude towards the use of their smartphones (Dahlstrom & Bichsel, 2014). Since the students have this favorable attitude to use their smartphones, the smartphones should be included in academics to aid in their learning. A study by Anshari, Almunawar, Shahrill, Wicaksono, & Huda (2017) found that most students use their smartphones to access the internet during classroom learning and provided information that smartphones can be used to support learning. With this information, educators know students want to be on their smartphones and the educators can re-write their lesson plans to incorporate smartphone usage and engage the students. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 14 Smartphones are relatively affordable and appropriate tools for developing 21st-century skills (Soloway, 2013). Since there are so many students who already own smartphones and constantly have them with them, the learning curve of applying smartphones in the classroom setting is very low. Students have already developed these skills of how to operate smartphones outside of the classroom so it will be easy for them to apply those skills inside of the classroom (Soloway, 2013). Dahlstrom and Bichsel (2014) stated, teachers that incorporate technology into their classrooms in younger grades, allows the students to have more confidence in the software systems as they approach institutional levels. Smartphones may provide benefits in the classroom by facilitating multitasking (Grinols & Rajesh, 2014). Multitasking can include having multiple tabs open to be looking at different documents while following along with the instruction of the professor. In a flipped-classroom, smartphones are particularly useful because they have already completed the reading portion before class and in class the students are actually applying what they read, completing exercises, and homework (Grinols & Rajesh, 2014). Another benefit of using smartphones in class is if students forget to print their hard copy of their homework, they can pull up the soft copy on their devices and still participate in the classroom discussion (Anshari et al. 2017). The biggest challenge professors have to look out for and plan ahead with, by incorporating the use of smartphones in their classroom, is the distractions that may happen. The key to having appropriate use of smartphones in the classroom is for professors to have a solid instructional design and respect from their students (Grinols & Rajesh, 2014). By having a solid instructional design and respect from the students, the classroom management will be a lot smoother. The students will know what is expected from them and what the classroom rules are, they will have enough respect for the professor to follow those rules. One of the better things a professor can do SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 15 other than have a solid instructional design, is to stop looking in the past and being afraid to incorporate smartphones in the class because of the risks. The information listed above show that professors should adapt their teaching strategies to the 21st-century (Soloway, 2013). How Smartphones May be a Distraction While smartphones may be beneficial in a college classroom, misuse of these devices may result in negative consequences. Using smartphones in class can be beneficial but they are not going to produce students with better grades, there is still a need for skilled teachers that are capable of catching the attention of easily distracted students and engaging their minds in the content being taught. “Cellphones may be conduits for information, but they're also tools of mass distraction” (“Smartphones Do Not,” 2014). Students may also become so engaged with their smartphones that they stop paying attention and listening to the teacher/professor (Chopitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018). The process of learning remains the same with or without technology, teachers need to teach and students need to pay attention (“Smartphones Do Not,” 2014). People often ignore others with whom they are physically interacting with in order to use their smartphone instead. The act of paying so much attention to your smartphone and not to the people talking to you is called “phubbing”. (Chotpitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018). Students who check their phone more than 39 times a day report that the use of their smartphone interferes with homework compared to those who check their phones less than 39 times a day. (Furst et al. 2018). Students that seemed to have more of a dependence on their phones found them to be a greater distraction. Studies performed by Ward, Duke, Gneezy, and Bos (2017) have found that the presence of an individual’s smartphone has a negative impact on SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 16 their cognitive capacity, impacting the “the attentional resources that reside at the core of both working memory capacity and fluid intelligence” (p. 150). Inappropriate Uses of Smartphones As mentioned above, smartphones may be beneficial in a classroom but if used inappropriately they becomes more of a negative use than a positive. Chen, Seilhamer, Bennett, and Bauer (2015) found that the use of mobile technology in the classroom is rare because 55% of instructors will ban or discourage use of devices in the classroom due to the inappropriate uses. According to the survey of 675 students in 26 states, students checked their phones and other digital devices in class more than 11 times a day, on an average. When checking these devices, students are not performing a quick glance to see if they have any notifications. Students in the study estimated that, they spend 20 percent of their classroom time using digital devices for activities unrelated to class. These activities include emailing, texting, playing games, etc. (“Most College Students,” 2016). The two most frequently used applications that students use are social media and music (Chen et al. 2015). According to a survey of 777 undergraduate and graduate students, over 80% of students agreed to using their mobile devices to “fight boredom, entertain themselves, and stay connected to the outside world” (McCoy, 2013, p. 5). In the same study by McCoy (2013), the respondents mentioned that their use of smartphones caused them to pay less attention in the classroom and miss instruction from the professor. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 17 PURPOSE As technology is continuously increasing, so is the use of smartphones. Smartphones are a valuable resource both in and out of the classroom. People use their smartphones for a variety of purposes such as keeping in touch with friends, following along to a lesson from a professor, keeping track of their schedules, etc. Smartphones are making it possible for students to receive all-the-time learning because it is quick and easy to pull up PowerPoints, reading content, and assignments that professors provide on a learning management system. In contrast, smartphones can make learning difficult for students because of the distraction they provide. Students like to keep in touch with their friends and family and may pay more attention to their phone then they do the lesson being taught. The research has shown contradictory findings between the advantages of smartphones being used in the classroom and consequences of students owning smartphones. Thus, more research needs to be completed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of smartphones in college students and how they are affecting the classroom. Specifically, the objectives for this project are to know: 1. What is the distribution of students’ perceptions of positives and consequences of the use of smartphones in the classroom? 2. What are the students accessing when they are looking at their multimedia devices during class? SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 18 METHODS To address the purpose of this study, a web-based survey approach was developed to gather quantitative data concerning the perceptions of use of multimedia devices in the classroom. The web-based survey approach was used because it provides convenience for the respondents and it was an efficient approach to gather rapid data. Web-based survey approaches are also extremely cost-effective and allowed the respondents to respond during their own time. The researcher of this study recruited participants by asking the staff in the department of athletics to send out a mass email to the student-athletes of Weber State University with the link to the survey, she posted the link to her Facebook wall inviting all college students to participate, she printed out a flyer with the QR code to the survey for students to scan and hung them up around Weber State University, and had one of the committee members ask his students in his classes to participate. Data analysis was collected using Qualtrics. SPSS was used to help make sense of the data. Participants Participants for this study were recruited regardless of level and institution. The participants had to be over the age of 18 and under the age of 70. The participants had to be attending college at time of survey completion. The participants had to own at least one multimedia device. The total number of participants for this study were 143, although, some of the participants did not answer all of the questions. Of the 143 participants, 97 were female and 46 were male. There was an “other” option given for those who wished to not identify but none of the participants used this option. The majority of the responses were from Weber State University totaling 127, as seen in Table 1. Other colleges that responded were Salt Lake Community College, Dixie State University, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 19 University of Utah, Boise State University, Concordia University-Portland, Sonoma State University, University of Western States, and Western Wyoming Community College, which can be found in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 Frequency and Percent of Respondents by Institution Frequency Percent Weber State University 127 89.4 Salt Lake Community College 2 1.4 Dixie State University 1 .7 Utah State University 2 1.4 University of Utah 1 .7 Brigham Young University 2 1.4 Other 7 4.9 Table 2 Frequency and Percent of Respondents from Institutions outside Utah Frequency Percent SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 20 143 96.6 Boise State university 1 .7 Concordia University - - Portland 1 .7 Sonoma State University 1 .7 University of Western states 1 .7 Western Wyoming community college 1 .7 The majority of the respondents were at the senior level of their year of study totaling 46, as seen in Table 3. The others were as follows, freshman 14, sophomore 31, junior 32, graduate master’s level 13, graduate doctor’s level 1, and other 6. The age of the responses ranged from 18-68 years old with a mean age of 23.9. Table 3 Respondents Level at the Institution Frequency Percent Freshman 14 9.8 Sophomore 31 21.7 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 21 Junior 32 22.4 Senior 46 32.2 Graduate Master's Level 13 9.1 Graduate Doctoral Level 1 .7 Other 6 4.2 Data Analysis The responses from the web-based surveys was anonymous to protect the respondents’ confidentiality. Data was collected and summarized with Qualtrics and SPSS respectively. All data analysis was based on the overarching questions for this study: What is the breakdown on students’ perceptions of positives and consequences of the use of smartphones in the classroom? What are the students accessing when they are looking at their multimedia devices during class? Data analysis of a web-based survey was collected for a total of three weeks. A post hoc analysis was conducted to explore differences in means between genders for Likert items. Additional data analysis is ongoing as I continue to make sense of the data. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 22 RESULTS In the sections below I have outlined the results by the two research questions in this study. Overall my findings indicate that students believe smartphone use in the classroom is beneficial. They also show that students are using their smartphones in class for unrelated to class activities. Research Question 1 What is the distribution of students’ perceptions of positives and consequences of the use of smartphones in the classroom? As a reminder, in the literature review I demonstrated that smartphones can both be an advantage and distractor from classroom activities. Since I am curious how the participants viewed smartphones in classrooms, I asked the question, please rate how strongly you agree/disagree with the following statements: having a smartphone is beneficial for me in my classes. On a Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree with 5 total options the respondents agreed that they believe having a smartphone in class is beneficial. The results conveyed that out of 136 responses 80 of them agreed that smartphones are beneficial in the classroom, 33 of these responses were considered mutual as they neither agreed nor disagreed and 23 of these responses thought that smartphones in class were not beneficial, as shown in Table 4 below. Table 4 Frequency of Respondents Belief of Smartphones being Beneficial Frequency Percent SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 23 Strongly disagree 5 3.7 Somewhat disagree 18 13.2 Neither agree nor disagree 33 24.3 Somewhat agree 44 32.4 Strongly agree 36 26.5 Research Question 2 What are the students accessing when they are looking at their multimedia devices during class? In the literature review I revealed that students often use their smartphones in class to fight boredom and be on social media. Since I am intrigued about how the participants access their smartphones in classrooms, I asked the question, of the times you spent checking your screen what percentage of the class time (50 minutes) were you doing the following: social media, texting, surfing the web, videos, checking emails, following along with the lecture PowerPoint, other classroom session tasks, other school tasks, other. For this question the respondents had a scale from 0-100 that they had to rate the amount of time they did each task on their smartphones during the class period, refer to Appendix A page 38 to see the survey question. When analyzing the times that the respondents spent checking their screens during a 50- minute class period, the sample reported that 57.56% of the class time was spent doing activities SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 24 that were unrelated to that specific class such as texting, social media, checking emails, etc. The sample also reported that 29.08% of the class time was spent doing activities that were directly related to that class such as following along with the PowerPoint. There was 8.1% of the class time that students reported that they were doing other school related activities that were not related to that specific class such as doing homework for another class. The last 5.27% of the class time respondents reported that they were doing activities relating to an “other” category such as checking the time, refer to Table 5 below. Table 5 Frequency and Percentage of Checking Screen Time M SD Social Media 16.63 21.31 Texting 26.12 25.91 Surfing the web 4.12 8.00 Videos 0.29 1.62 Checking emails 10.39 11.40 Following along with the lecture in PowerPoint 16.80 23.95 Other classroom session tasks 12.28 19.22 Other school tasks 8.10 15.46 Other 5.27 20.37 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 25 DISCUSSION The data reported that the percentage of a 50-minute class period that the respondents spent checking their screens for social media was 16.63%. According to Chen, Seilhamer, Bennett, and Bauer (2015), the one of the most frequently used applications that students use are social media. However, my analysis identified texting as the most frequently used application with a total of 26.12%, higher than social media. As mentioned during the results, 57.56% of the times spent checking their devices in class was spent doing activities that were unrelated to specific class activities. During these times of students not paying attention, there is potential for the students to miss learning the content. Students may become so invested in their devices that tune out their professor which makes them miss instruction (Chotpitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018; Schaposnik & Unwin, 2018; McCoy, 2013). According to the data, the majority of respondents agreed that having a smart phone is beneficial to have in classes. This is consistent with the literature showing how students use their smart phones to follow along with the lecture or get access to their required assignments (Wong, 2018; Chopitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018). Dahlstrom and Bichsel (2014) noted that students prefer and have better learning opportunities when professors teach face-to-face while combining technology in the instruction. The data confirmed that there was a higher number of females that participated in the survey than males. According to Psylla, Sapiezynski, Mones, and Lehmann (2017), women are more likely to be on their smartphones than men. Chen, Seilhamer, Bennett, and Bauer (2014), mentioned that professors will ban the use of smartphones from their classrooms because of the threat of distraction and my study is consistent with this research since students are texting and surfing social media. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 26 Having noted the difference between female and male participation rates, next I examined the Likert items for difference of means between genders and the question that asks respondents to quantify how many times they check their smartphones in class. Below in Table 6, I present the means, standard deviations, and p-value for each item by gender. As shown in Table 6 below, only Q3_1 and Q_18_1 were statically different between gender groups. Table 6 was constructed using the table1 function in R. This function automatically runs a t-test between groups and returns p-values. These results were confirmed by running a Welch’s t-test in R. The Welch’s t-test was chosen for its ability to be used on unequal samples since the number of female participants outnumbered the males by 2:1 (Delacre, Lakens, & Leys, 2017). Table 6 Examining Survey Items by Gender Question Female Male p M SD M SD Q1 4.2 3.6 5.2 5.3 0.246 Q3_1 3.0 1.2 3.5 1.2 0.027* Q3_2 3.4 1.1 3.8 1.2 0.075 Q3_3 3.7 1.0 3.5 1.3 0.162 Q3_4 2.9 1.2 3.0 1.3 0.451 Q18_1 3.6 1.2 3.0 1.2 0.018* Q18_2 2.7 1.3 2.5 1.3 0.439 Q18_3 2.5 1.2 2.1 1.1 0.098 Q18_4 3.1 1.0 3.4 1.2 0.215 * denotes a statistically significant difference in means with p < .05 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 27 As seen in Table 6, there are three different questions that were pulled for this t-test. The three questions came from my survey instrument. Question 1 refers to looking at the number of times a student checks their smartphone screen during a 50-minute class period. Question 3 is focusing on the general perceptions of smartphone use and Question 18 is studying the students’ personal experience of own device use, see Appendix A page 39 for the full questions. Question 3 also includes results from my research question 1 that looks at the distribution of students’ perceptions of positives and consequences of the use of smartphones in the classroom. By referring to Table 6 and looking at Q3_1, please rate how strongly you agree/disagree with the following statements: it is acceptable for my professors/instructors to occasionally check their smartphone during class, we ran a two-way t-test in R. While observing Q3_1 it showed a statistically significant difference of the means between females and males for this question with t (83.68) = 2.183 p = .03. The data showed that males are more likely to believe that it is acceptable for professors to check their smartphones during class compared to what the females believed. This may indicate that females believe that professors should be putting their undivided attention into teaching the class and not get distracted by their smartphones. It also may indicate that males are more lenient when it comes to school than females are but further research is needed to confirm the gender differences. Examining the second statistically significant item in Table 6, Q18_1, please rate how strongly you agree/disagree with the following statements: in general, I use my smartphone too much, we ran a two-way t-test in R. There is a statistically significant difference of the means between females and males for this question with t (80.63) = -2.413 p = .02. The data showed that females are more likely to believe that they use their smartphones too much compared to what the males believe. These findings may indicate that females have a better awareness of their SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 28 smartphone usage than males do. It may also indicate that females use their smartphones more than males or that males do not understand how much they actually use their smartphones throughout their daily lives but further research is needed to confirm these gender differences. Recommendations and Further Research The results showed some opposing and mixed data and some recommendations that the researcher would recommend would be to complete this study again but after having professors incorporate the use of technology in their classrooms. The literature shows that students are going to be using their devices for class and non-class related activity. Based on my findings, it may be more advantageous for instructors to engage with students in cell phone use by picking tools that resemble what they are already doing on their phones, such as, texting and exploring social media. The professors could have them post on twitter for an assignment. A suggestion the researcher would make for further research would be to look into the students’ grades and determine if being distracted throughout class is affecting them academically. It is possible that students believe they know the material and would rather look through their devices. Limitations There were a few key limitations to this study. The biggest limitation that the researcher sees is the data collected was not a random sample, thus the external validity is limited. Anyone who saw the survey link that was a student could take the survey. Another limitation that the researcher saw is that the majority of the responses could be student-athletes. If they are student-athletes they could be using their devices differently in class than other students. The researcher did not have a question for students to indicate how they are associated with their universities so there was no way to determine what type of students were taking the survey. The majority of the SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 29 population was female which could be another limitation. Gender differences could also play a role on how each of person uses their devices in the classroom. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 30 CONCLUSION The intent of this study was to determine the affordances and challenges associated with the use of smartphones in the classroom according to the perceptions of the students and what the students accessing when they are looking at their smartphone devices during class. Overall, students believe that smartphones are beneficial in the classroom. The literature proves that there are benefits to having professors incorporate smartphones into the classroom but they need to incorporated in a meaningful way. The students should be actively participating in order to keep their attention on the lesson. If not, then students will start using their devices to fill the void of being bored and start texting, checking social media, playing games, checking email, etc. The participants in this study proclaimed to smartphones being beneficial in the classroom but also answered to using their devices for non-classroom related activities. The literature shows that smartphone use in the classroom can be detrimental to the students learning but if incorporated correctly they can actually be extremely beneficial. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 31 REFERENCES Anshari, M., Almunawar, M. N., Shahrill, M., Wicaksono, D. K., & Huda, M. (2017). Smartphones usage in the classrooms: Learning aid or interference? Education and Information Technologies, 22(6), 3063-3079. doi:10.1007/s10639-017-9572-7 Berridge, K. C. (2009). Wanting and liking: Observations from the neuroscience and psychology laboratory. 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(2010) Generation M2: Media in the lives of 8-to 18- year-oIds. Washington, D.C.: Kaiser Family Foundation. Schaposnik, L. P., & Unwin, J. (2018). The phone walkers: a study of human dependence on inactive mobile devices. Behaviour, 155(5), 389-414. doi:10.1163/1568539X-00003496 “Smartphones do not benefit classroom learning”. (2014). In R. Espejo (Ed.), At Issue. Cell Phones in Schools. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Soloway, E. (2013). Smartphones will benefit classroom learning. In R. Espejo (Ed.), Opposing Viewpoints. Smartphones. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press. Vidales-Bolaños, M., & Sádaba-Chalezquer, C. (2017). Connected teens: Measuring the impact of mobile phones on social relationships through social capital. Comunicar, 25(53), 19- 27. doi:10.3916/C53-2017-02 Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain drain: The mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces availability in cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2), 140-154. doi:10.1086/691462 Wong, B. M. (2018). Success in mobile and ubiquitous learning: Indicators of effectiveness. BRAIN: Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence & Neuroscience, 956-63. SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 34 Appendix A: Survey Instrument SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 35 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 36 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 37 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 38 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 39 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 40 SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 41 ] SMARTPHONE USE AND PERCIEVED EFFECTS 42 Appendix B: IRB Approval