Can They Help Students Learn?

A New Study Analyzes the Effectiveness of Smartphones in the Classroom

Palm Beach County school leaders have taken a mixed approach to cellphones in the classroom, allowing students to use them at certain times, while Broward County has banned them entirely. Miami-Dade County, on the other hand, permits internet access for academic purposes. But a new study sheds light on whether cellphones can actually help students learn.

Guided Cellphone Use Outperforms Other Options

The study, co-authored by University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School Dean Paul A. Pavlou, examined the impact of cellphone use on student achievement in a Mandarin learning class for students aged 14 to 23. The study found that when teachers encouraged students to use their phones for learning, performance increased by an average of 26%. This was a significant improvement over the 32% drop in performance that was observed when students had unrestricted cellphone use.

The Key to Success: Guided Use

The study revealed that the guided use of smartphones, where teachers supervised students’ use of educational apps, outperformed all other combinations, including the banning of cellphones and the use of paper-based educational materials. “The guided use of smartphones with the appropriate app outperformed all other combinations, including the paper study and the banning of the smartphones,” Pavlou said.

Interactive Learning Tools

The study’s findings suggest that technology can be a powerful tool for interactive learning, providing students with a more engaging and sophisticated experience. “Technology tools can be much more interactive, much more sophisticated,” Pavlou said. “So kind of relying on old school paper-based aids will not be as well-received by students in this day and age, even if they’re exactly the same in terms of the material.”

A Cautionary Note: Dangers of Unrestricted Cellphone Use

The study also highlighted the dangers of unrestricted cellphone use, which can lead to distractions and decreased performance. As Zhe Deng, a leading author of the study and a PhD student at Temple University, noted, people have a limited attention span and will find ways to distract themselves regardless of the presence of a cellphone.

Conclusion

The study’s findings suggest that, when used correctly, cellphones can be a valuable tool for learning. However, it is crucial to implement guidelines and safeguards to ensure that cellphone use does not become a distraction. By providing students with access to educational apps and supervising their use, teachers can harness the potential of cellphones to improve student achievement.

FAQs

* What was the main finding of the study?
+ The study found that guided cellphone use outperformed other options, with a 26% increase in performance.
* What was the study’s methodology?
+ The study was conducted at a vocational banking school in central China, with students receiving the same lecture under different conditions, including no access to cellphones, free access to cellphones, and guided access to cellphones.
* What were the results for male students?
+ The study found that male students who used cellphones for learning caught up academically with female students, although the correlation between smartphone use and gender needs to be researched further.
* What are the limitations of the study?
+ The study was conducted at a single school in China, and the results may not be generalizable to other contexts. Additionally, the study did not examine the impact of cellphone use on mental health.