As you sit here and read this, your phone is most likely right near you, as it usually is. In our society, phones are almost a part of us as a shocking 90% of us are near our phones all the time. In fact, it is very common to be addicted to your phone with around half of Americans being on their phones nonstop.
Of course, this does not mean phones and technology are all bad. Phones allow us to efficiently communicate in ways that would have been impossible years ago. The internet provides us with information that most would not be able to possess before. However, the negatives of phones sometimes outway the positives, especially in an educational setting.
No matter where you go or what you do, your phone usually follows. This causes many issues as every time you receive an email, call, text, or other notification, your mind automatically turns all of its attention to your phone. Even if you do not check the notifications, it still takes up your attention which can cause you to take longer to return to your work. Studies have shown that having your phone on you, even if put on silent or turned off, drains one’s attention capacity. This same study found that those with their phones on them made a decrease in decision-making skills.
Phones also cause students to be extremely distracted with a study showing that students spend 20% of class time on their phones, playing video games, or looking at social media. 11% of students claim that they are unable to stop themselves from using their phones during class. When students bring their phones into class they are constantly distracted, causing them to remember less information. This multi-tasking also causes students to have less interest in what they are learning, slower reaction time, and overall worse performance in class as several studies have found phones also have an effect on grades.
Checking texts during a lecture or going on your phone during class will not cause your grade to all of a sudden drop, but consistent distraction will affect it in the long run as shown in a study by Rutgers University. As stated by Neal Buccino when reporting on the study, “This finding shows for the first time that the main effect of divided attention in the classroom is on long-term retention.”
Another issue with phones in classrooms is how easy it makes it for a student to cheat. Phones can easily access study guides, calculators, and the internet which are all fine out of the test room, but more and more students are being caught using them to cheat. A phone can be easily hidden away from the teacher allowing those who are not caught to consistently cheat with ease. Common Sense Media conducted a poll where a whopping 35% of students admit they have cheated on a test using a phone. Although students have always cheated, the rate at which students are able to commit this act is nonsensical.
Although phones have benefited many students as it connects them to their classmates and allows for quick access to information, the issue of distraction and cheating can cause an academic environment to become less productive and functional.
