A literature review on the use of cellphones and effects to academic performance of

senior high school students of pilar national high school

Pilar national high school, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2024, 13(01), 1836–1840

Publication history: Received on 21 August 2024; revised on 29 September 2024; accepted on 02 October 2024

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2024.13.1.1865

Abstract
This study employed survey design, which is a questionnaire, in investigating the impact of using cellphone to the
academic performance among senior high students in Pilar National High School in Pilar, Surigao del Norte. The sample
for the study was 150 respondents selected from the total population of 600 respondents. The Lench law was employed
to select the sample. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and ANOVA to answer the research
questions and hypotheses.

Keywords: Literature review; Cellphones; Academic performance; Students

1. Introduction
Technology has driven the way of life and because of the automation it provides people are deeply relying on it. Way
back in 1990s, the students’ being dependent on computer is highly notifiable. Today, with 7 billion mobile connections
worldwide and unique mobile subscriptions of over 3.5 billion (Twum, 2011), they are very popular with young people
and are commonplace in our educational institutions.

Noting this on today’s era, millennial students use cellphones or gadgets by sending and receiving information and in
the Philippines,, as one of the user of high-technology products such as laptops, smart phones tablets and other
especially in high school and college, it induces a phenomenon wherein students distract their day to day studies and
their academic performance were affected as well.Roberts (2014) added that the excessive use of cellular phones
posseses a number of possible risks for students for it may wind up being an escape mechanism from their classrooms.

As observed by the researchers, students that are playing games on mobile phone did not care about time as they
concentrate fully on the game. Most of the students chose night bed time for playing for no one can disturb them. So
they play until two or three in the early morning unless parents come and scold them to sleep. Some students also
choose the sleeping time for chatting with friends. Chatting also makes them sleep at very late. These sighted situations
may not be found in the classroom setting but it may affect the physical and mental conditions of the students as to their
preparation for school.

Before, the library helps the student to gain some extra knowledge. But today the whole library is in the students’ pocket
as a mobile phone.Students can search anything and get the great explanation with the help of it. One can also become
updated and can easily get abreast to the latest news and updates as to the happenings in the society because of it.

However, it is all up to the user, the student in particular on how he or she will make use of the advancements that the
aforementioned gadget provides. One can improve themselves with the help of cellular phone; meanwhile, the same

* Corresponding author: Juper P. Concha

student can spoil their life because of same cellular phone. Hence, it is at this juncture that the researchers would like
to validate the extent of the use of cellphone among the students in association with their performance in school. Hence,
it is at this juncture that the readers would like to validate the extent of the use of cellphone among the students in
association with their performance in school.

2. Review of Literature
In this technologically centered world learners are likely to utilized several gadgets that are useful and somehow will
help them in their studies. The means of utilizing these several gadgets are a must for them in doing their work much
easier and more relevant. In some other school gadgets specifically, smartphone or cellphone is the most important for
all learners. Viewed by some other parents as to how this type of gadget would be very beneficial in this modern world.
Likely, it would also influence their children in different aspects such as not going to school and would rather loss their
time by playing games in the cellphone. These views of the parents are more likely they don’t have time in providing
guidance to their children.

A mobile phone is an electronic device that allows two-way radio communication across a cellular network of base
stations known as cell sites. We are currently in the fifth generation of mobile phones, which allow us to send text
messages, surf the internet, and make phone calls from anywhere in the world. One of the world's fastest-growing new
technologies is the mobile phone. Many people feel anxious about a future without voice calling, text messaging, or
mobile internet access. Individuals of all ages use mobile phones, which have become an essential tool in daily life. It
has had a significant impact on society's accessibility, security, safety, and coordination of economic and social activities
and has become reflected in global culture. (Soyemi, 2015). Mobile phones undoubtedly helped individuals in several
ways, but they also had some negative consequences. Mobile phone use has become an addiction in some circumstances,
and people are hooked up to their phones most of their working hours, studying, playing, and even sleeping. Our culture,
behavior, attitude, and language are all influenced by mobile phones. As well as our health, education, and
communication patterns are affected.

Keeping students from using their phones during class hours is the most challenging task for teachers. The use of this
device appears to be uncontrollable among students, resulting in distractions. In this era of Information & Technology,
most of the tasks or work we perform are carried out online. Most offices and departments favor paperless work. As a
result, internet enabled mobile phones are helpful in this situation. However, controlling the usage of mobile phones
during class hours is a challenge since we use the phone itself in delivering education. Use of mobile phones is prohibited
inside the classroom during class hours but what if the mobile phone is the very instrument to continue learning. Due
to the pandemic, gadgets are used by learners especially mobile phones in communicating, searching, editing etc. Thus,
the researchers want to know the extent of how mobiles phones affect students’ academic performance.

This device is affecting people of every age group positively as well as negatively, but has a great impact on teenagers.
There are many reasons for the acceptance of Mobile Phones among the teenagers. People of various ages find Mobile
Phones convenient and useful but it is more appreciated by the youngsters and they are more dependent on this device.
According to a data released by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), India had 1019.5 million active mobile
connections in May 2017. Surveys and studies from a number of countries indicated that the use of Mobile Phones in
young people is increasing rapidly and starting at a younger age. Almost half of the Mobile internet users are between
18 and 25 years. (Sundari, 2015).

These days it is very common to see the school going students having an expensive and sophisticated Mobile Phone in
their hands or pockets. These Mobile Phones, tablets and iPads have all the applications, facilities and software that can
connect them to the internet and all forms of social media platforms, other web sites and so on, where they chat, access,
stream, download, upload, exchange and play different kinds of media contents, which most often, are pornographic in
nature. (Ogundijo 2014). The result of different researches has provided in-depth evidence of the uses, advantages,
disadvantages, impact, consequences and concerns about the use of Mobile Phones among the teenagers. Why teenagers
fancy this device, is an interesting observation where the experts attach its significance to teenagers’ identity factor. The
usage of Mobile Phones has re-shaped, re-organised and altered several social facets. (Ravichandran, 2009).

Norries, Hossain, and Soloway (2011) in their study demonstrated that students’ achievement increases significantly
when students use mobile learning devices, including smartphones, during learning time. This is because their time-on-
task completion will increase as they have the device at hand. Norries et al. (2011) also found that students were
constantly using the smartphone camera to take pictures of abstract concepts taught in class so that later they could
relate them with the concrete ideas. Similarly, Woodcock et al. (2012) reported that respondents in their research
believed that smartphones had allowed them to improve productivity and eventually their learning performance.

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Kumar (2011) indicated that students were downloading online lectures and reading from e-books to improve learning.
Another study conducted by Mtega, Bernard, Msungu, and Sanare (2012), shows the respondents in their study do not
just use traditional mobile learning applications, such as text messages and calls, but they utilize mobile learning
applications such as GPS, camera, voice calls, emails, Google drive, and so forth, to create, upload, download and share
academic resources with their friends. All the above-mentioned research illustrated that smartphones have created
sophisticated avenues for students to learn and it is undeniable that more students are spending more time using mobile
apps. This is positively correlated with the higher rate of smartphone ownership among higher education students
(Bowen, Kyle, & Mathew, 2012).

According to Roberts (2014), as cellphone functions increase, addictions to this seemingly indispensable piece of
technology become an increasingly realistic possibility. Approximately 60 percent of college students admit they may
be addicted to their cell phone and some indicated that they get agitated when it’s not in sight.

Robert Earl emphasizes the importance of encouraging the learner to focus and concentrate on the class subject and not
on their cellphone screen. He also provides information about how student’s IQ will decrease by 10 points.

However, one should not only focus on its negative effects because in another way it also provides positive effect that
was believed to be the main purpose of the creation and rapid existence of the said device.

Cellular phones or simply cellphones have become a very important part of our daily lives and it is very difficult to
imagine our lives today without cell phone as most of our work is done using this wireless telephone.

The very first positive point of cellular phone is communication. With this, one can communicate to anyone from
anywhere at any time, and nowadays, the smart phones which are coming are small in size and light in weight which
makes it very handy.

Cellphones have also become a source of unlimited entertainment. The things which one never thought would be
present in a mobile phone are now possible. Smart phones have come into existence which not only help a person in
making conversations but also help him to stay entertained by allowing him to play games, listen to music and do lots
of other stuff.

A research done by Junco, as sighted in the study of Kibona and Mgaya (2015), “shows that females tend to see
technologies like cell-phones and Internet as tools of communication – as a means to maintaining and nurturing
relationships. Men, on the other hand, tend to see the Internet and related technologies as sources of entertainment.”
They further added that among the smartphone addicted group, females are more addicted than male because 57% of
the respondents, referring to their conducted study, were female and among those females mostly 75% are below 25
years old of the age which indicates that teenagers are more addicted to smartphone usage, and most notable results
are that they are taking bachelor degree (65%), diploma (12%) or certificate (8%) so they are not self-controlled.

Burns and Lohenry (2010) found that both students and instructors identified mobile phone use as a distraction in class,
and Campbell (2006) found that students and instructors perceived the ringing of cell phones in class as a problem.
Although texting is considerably more covert than actual telephone conversations, a growing body of literature suggests
that it is equally problematic.

Longwood researchers (2015) find that college students’ test scores suffer with cell phone use in class. The study
revealed that a one-point difference in average number of times a student uses a cell phone during class was associated
with an average decrease of six-tenths of a point, out of a score 100, on the next test.

As what Dr. Chris Bjornsen (2012) had observed, cell phone use in class is significantly and negatively related to grades
and it is significant regardless of grade-point average and that as cell phone use in class goes up, test scores go down.
Just as higher cell phone use to predict lower test scores, lower cell phone use also to predict higher scores. It is because
instead of studying lessons, students are tempted to use their cell phones such as playing games, Facebook, and other
applications. As a result, their grades get affected by that addiction, and some come on class without the skills or attitude
necessary to do well.

According to Tony Praskon (2016), it seems like for young adults where everything is about pleasure; they eat too much,
text too much, and lack of discipline. The phones are certainly not the main problem; rather they are highly addictive
distraction.

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Obviously, it is a combination of parental involvement and technology that determines the extent to which they interfere
with learning. Technology being the central of society today imparts a great deal especially those who greatly rely on it
or their works and ways of life has been linked to the works and processes of technology.

Oak (2012) updated his study about the positive effects of technology on society and cited about few fields being
influenced by technology. It has given impetus developments in various fields and improved quality of human life. Such
fields include industry, household, education, entertainment and communication. Technology processes a large amount
of information. The internet that seeded from the computer networking concept and cellular phones are the most
effective communication platform and the largest information base existing today.

The latter study was included because it implies that its impact on education specifically to the academic performance
of the students is irrevocable and thus significant to the study although it does not directly point out classroom situation.

3. Conclusion
The study reveals that the impacts of the cellphones in the academic performance of the Senior High School students
in Pilar High School have a significant impact on their academic performance. Parents and teachers should work
together for the programs and activities that would lessen the impact of highly engaged in technology gadgets.

This article would help the teachers and parents to further impose awareness on the effect of cellphones on the academic
performance of their children. Engage in any conference, seminar workshops about the impacts of technology in
academic performance.

References
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