Its obvious that we all use our cell phones in class. With every thing going on in social media, we can’t help but take a glance every once in a while. But this is not the case in some schools. There are now schools that completely ban having cell phones. While cell phones can be used to help with class room discussions, just like our comment wall in class, are they doing more good than bad? These schools that ban cell phones believe that they do more bad than good, and research has found that.
The use of smart phones in the classroom have a negative impact on grades, performance, and test scores. A study was conducted by the London School of Economics that showed that not allowing students to carry their cell phones made an improvement on their test scores. The study “looked at how phone policies at 91 schools in England have changed since 2001, and compared that data with results achieved in national exams taken at the age of 16. The study covered 130,000 students”.
The results found from this study found that a ban on phone use in school increased the school’s average test scores by 6.4%. This difference was just for regular students, and an even more significant increase in test score average was found in underachieving students, at 14%.
This specific study has been talked about in many articles and I have had some trouble finding more studies on the issue. We do get a good understanding however on the negative impacts from the use of cellphones from this study. By not having cell phones in school, students are performing better, they are getting higher test score averages. While I agree with their findings, it is hard to decide whether cell phones should be banned entirely, because they can have benefits…
According to an article from the Boston Globe, “88 percent of American teens ages 13 to 17 have or have access to a mobile phone, and a majority of teens (73 percent) have smartphones” and from this percentage, “ninety-two percent of teens report going online daily, with more than half saying they’re online several times a day. Twenty-four percent say they do so ‘almost constantly.'”
I for one use my cell phone pretty much all day long but not just for social media (shocking right?) but for educational purposes. There are many educational apps that smart phones have where you can do research and complete assignments.
The decision to ban or allow cell phones in school is very controversial and is important to discuss, especially for us because we are students and this is impacting us first hand. My opinion on the issue is that cell phones should not be banned entirely, but shouldn’t be allowed unless the teacher is instructing you to use them. Cell phones can be a HUGE distraction (not going to lie, it is a distraction for me in this class), but they can be a great aspect to our learning.
I don’t think that cell phones should be banned. If a student needs there cell phone for an emergency during the day, they should be able to use it. They need to be able to get in touch with their family if something happens. However, I do think that there should be a policy against using cell phones in school/class. As someone who is constantly on their phone, I do think that my grades are lower because I use my cellphone constantly. If i did not have a cell phone I would have less distractions and higher grades.
I think that banning cell phones in class is an idea that needs to be explored more. Although there will be backlash from the students, you don’t even have to do a study to know that there is a good chance grades and concentration will improve greatly if phones were not used in schools and college classes. With this generation being so attached to their cell phones, this could possibly be a way to get away from that trend.
This is a very interesting topic. I did a similar blog post last period called, “Are Humans Addicted to Their Phones?” You should check it out! I also recently did a research paper in my english class on this topic. The findings were very interesting. According to a study done at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, “The typical college student plays with his or her digital device an average of 11 times a day while in class.” Surveys also found that, “80% of students admit that their use of smart phones, tablets and laptops can interfere with their learning. More than a fourth say their grades suffer as a result.” The studies have proven that students who use their cell phones while in class will perform worse on tests.