Research Proposal

Running Head: CELL PHONES AND GRADES

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Cell Phone Use and University Students’ Grades

Student Name

University of South Carolina Beaufort

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Abstract

Much research has found that students’ grades are negatively impacted by spending a lot

of time on smartphones. For example, research has found those who spend more hours on their

smartphones have poorer grades, and other research has reported compulsive texting negatively

impacts academic performance. This correlational study will measure academic performance in

college students in relation to overall time spent on a cell phone as well as time spent on different

uses of a cell phone, including the time spent on gaming, on social media, on texting and on

phone calls. It is hypothesized that those students who spend more time on social media and/or

gaming will have lower academic performance compared to those students whose phone use is

primarily texting or phone.

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Cell Phone Use and University Students’ Grades

Today, people can use technology anywhere and at any time. Humans have also become

very reliant on technology, specifically cell phones. We use our phones for everything, whether

it is calling a relative that lives far away or setting an alarm to get up in the morning or looking

up a question that arises out of our daily life. Over 94% of college students use cell phones,

which means that almost all college students have a cell phone (McDonald, 2013). Focusing on

college students for this study is beneficial due to the fact that adolescents and young adults

spend more time on their phone than any other age group (Hymas, 2018). This study will seek to

find the effects on grades, meaning that college students would be the best group to study for

this, as well. It would help to learn more about the amount of time spent on cell phones

compared to time spent on studying or in class.

A study was conducted to examine whether cell phone use frequency was correlated with

academic performance, using grade point average in undergraduate university students (Harman

& Sato, 2011). This report indicated that there is a negative correlation between cell phone usage

and grade point average. The participants in this study were given a survey asking questions

about grade level, the number of calls sent and received, the number of texts sent and received,

and their grade point average. The study found that with the increase in text messages sent and

received, the grade point average of the students was generally lower. It also found that with

there was no correlation between number of calls received and grade point average and that

students who were more comfortable texting in class had a higher-grade point average. This

study is an example of how to specifically test the effect of cell phone use on grades. The study

does exhibit limitations such as third variables like self-control and may not be accurate due to

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subjective answers on the survey. Third variables, like students having more self-control, could

be the actual cause of this relationship.

The research by Harman & Sato (2011) is in accordance with a study done by Bjornsen

and Archer (2015). They more specifically examined the relationship between cell phone of

college students in class and their grades. The survey asked 218 students questions about class

content, how many times their cell phone was used in class, and what the students used their cell

phone for. GPA, age, and class rank were also recorded. The results indicated that in-class test

scores were negatively correlated with cell phone use. They also found that lower test scores

were associated with the higher use of social media than other uses of cell phones. The

researchers concluded that students who use social media more in class perform at a lower

academic level which can lead to a lower GPA or even failing. This study shows a relationship

between cell phone use and lower test scores or grades.

Another study demonstrated the relationship between cell phone use and academic

performance as well (Felisoni & Godoi, 2018). This study was different in that instead of using

surveys, it used apps designed to measure the amount of time spent on phones. The relationship

between cell phone use and academic performance was measured by the actual average time

students spend on their phone every day and the students’ ranking in the school. The study

analyzed 43 college students in Brazil, finding again, a negative relationship between cell phone

use and academic performance. The results showed that every 100 minutes spent on cell phones

per day resulted in a decreased position of the students’ ranking in the school by about 6.3

points. The study also showed that using the phone during class time resulted in ranking

dropping twice as low as the students’ previous rank. This study falls in line with the results of

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the other studies in that a negative relationship was shown between cell phone use and academic

performance whether it is ranking, test grades, or GPA.

Another study that illustrated this relationship was done by Lepp, Barkley, and Karpinski

(2015). The study was executed slightly differently with cumulative college GPA as the

dependent variable. Representativeness was also increased in this experiment due to multiple

controls being used, consisting of smoker/non-smoker, gender, class standing, beliefs in

academic ability, and high school GPA. The survey used consisted of questions on

demographics, cell phone use, and two scales about learning strategies and beliefs on academic

success. They found that students spend an average of 300 minutes per day on cell phones and

that the average GPA for this group of students was 3.03. They concluded that students who use

cell phones more daily are more likely to have a lower GPA. The relationship between cell

phone use and academic performance as well as anxiety and life satisfaction was also examined

by Lepp, Barkley, and Karpinski (2014). The research initially wanted to explore the relationship

between cell phone use and life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was measured with a Life

Satisfaction Scale and by measuring GPA and anxiety levels as well. GPA was measured in this

study by an Academic Performance Scale and anxiety levels were measured using the Beck

Anxiety Inventory. The study showed that cell phone use, specifically texting, was negatively

associated with GPA and positively related to anxiety. It also showed that GPA was positively

correlated to life satisfaction and that anxiety was negatively related to life satisfaction.

Compulsive texting has also been explored and is another form of using one’s cell phone.

Domoff and colleagues (2017) focused on compulsive texting and its effects on academic

performance (Domoff, Dubow, & Lister-Landman, 2017). Their sample consisted of teens. The

study defined compulsive texting by the frequency of texting and the attitudes the participant

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held towards texting. To assess whether a participant exhibited compulsive texting behavior, the

Young Internet Addiction Test was adapted to texting. They also asked the participants questions

about the amount of texts they received and sent per day and week. Academic performance was

measured with grades, school bonding, and scholastic competence. The study showed that the

compulsion of texting, rather than the frequency, was negatively correlated with academic

performance. It also showed that females were more likely to exhibit compulsive texting

behaviors, and that females sent and received more texts. This study shows that compulsive

texting which means more time spent on cell phones contributes to lower academic performance.

Another study analyzed the relationship between in-class texting and the final course

grades for a college class (McDonald, 2013). Attendance, GPA, and ACT scores were controlled

for the students. Texting in class contributed to 22% of the predictor value of a student’s final

course grade. The study concluded that there was a negative association between texting in class

and the students final course grades suggesting that cell phone use can make a big impact on

college students’ grades. Students can become addicted to their cell phones so much so that they

use them in class, leading to lower grades in classes.

Another study examined the specific effects of social media on grades in college students

(Acheaw, 2016). A questionnaire was given to over 1,500 students at a college in Ghana asking

questions on cell phone use, as well as social media use and grades. The survey found that these

students spent about 30 minutes to three hours on social media a day. It found a negative

correlation between the amount of time spent on social media and final grades for the year. This

indicates that the more time a student spends on social media, the lower their final grade is. This

study showed specifically the effects of social media, which is helpful to the current study in

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finding specifically what students are spending their time on with their phones and what might

be the main contributor for the lower grades.

The commonalities in the studies consist of a negative relationship between cell phone

use and academic performance and that this relationship was found with self-report surveys. The

limitations of the studies are also similar in that they used surveys, meaning response bias could

have been prevalent. Some of the studies also drew participants from certain classes on campus,

or from only one country, meaning that there could be a lack of representativeness.

The proposed study on the effect of cell phone use on grades will draw from all classes in

a university and explore more specifically the how students are using the phone which may be

important to the impact of phone use on academic performance. The hypothesis of this study

follows the relationships exhibited in previous studies, that is that cell phone use has a negative

effect on academic performance. This research aims to learn more about which features of a cell

phone are in use by the college students, whether it be gaming apps or social media. For this

correlational research study, academic performance will be defined as grade point average or

GPA. Overall cell phone use will be defined as hours and minutes a student spends on their cell

phone daily, and by using an app that measures time on different applications on a phone, time

spent texting, calling, social media, games will be assessed. It is hypothesized that students who

use cell phones more for social media or gaming will have more of a negative impact on grades

as compared to those students who cell phone use is primarily calling or texting.

Method

Participants

The population for this research study will consist of college students. The sample will

consist of 100 students who own iPhones. The sample will be a convenience sample and will

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consist of college students at the Beaufort campus at the University of South Carolina. The

participants will need to be asked if they own iPhones before the survey is administered. The

participants will sign a form indicating that they give their consent and will be informed of what

the survey consists of. The signatures and names of the participants will be confidential and will

not be used in the analysis of the study. Participants will be told what the survey is about before

the survey is distributed and will be debriefed about the purpose of the study after the survey is

taken. The participants have the right to not take the survey or to stop taking the survey even if

they are in the middle of answering questions. These steps will ensure that all ethical concerns

are met.

Procedures

The variables in this study are the amount of time spent on phones, amount of time spent

gaming on cell phone, amount of time spent on social media on cell phone, amount of time

texting on cell phone, amount of time on phone calls, and grade point average. The study seeks

to find the effect of cell phone use on academic performance. A correlational study will be best

to find the relationship between cell phone use and grades. To explore these relationships, a

survey will be given to these students which will consist of questions including how many hours

a day the individual spends on their phone a day and their current grade point average. A feature

for the iPhone called Screen Time will also be used as a measure to record the amount of time an

individual spends on certain apps on the phone. This will provide the measure of time spent on

certain apps, whether it be social media apps or gaming apps. No names will be collected, and

anonymity will be assured to all participants when the data is collected. Response bias can also

be reduced by not including names to prevent dishonest answers to the survey. Since this study

consists of a survey and looking at Screen Time, the participant will just need to be informed that

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they are answering survey questions about their cell phone use and their grades and that they can

opt out at any time. They also need to be informed that their cell phones will be used to see the

amount of time spent on certain apps.

The research will be conducted by first giving the survey to the participants. In addition,

the participant will pull up the Screen Time feature on their phone and the amount of time spent

per week on each part of the phone will be recorded. The data will then be analyzed along with

the Screen Time information using correlations to find the relationship between cell phone use

and grade point average.

Expected Results and Discussion

It is expected this proposed study will find a negative relationship between the overall

amount of time spent on cell phones and grade point average. Based on previous studies, it is

safe to assume that this study would follow the same relationship. This study will add to the

literature by further exploring whether there is a stronger relationship between grades and the

following specific uses of a cell phone: texting, phone use, social media and gaming. The

hypothesis is that gaming and social media use will produce the strongest (negative) correlations

with academic performance.

This study is limited by the use of a small sample of college students completing the

survey at only one university. Future research might ask college students at multiple other

colleges to complete the research. Another limitation is that the survey will only sample students

with iPhones, which limits the types of people that are taking the survey. Another concern may

be with honesty in the self-reports, especially when it comes to their grades. Grades could be

checked in future studies with the permission of the school and the students to prevent

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dishonesty. Despite these limitations, it will be helpful to learn more about how certain types of

phone use can potentially impact academic performance.

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References

Acheaw, M. O. (2016). Social media usage and its impact on reading habits: a study of

Koforidua Polytechnic students. International Journal of Social Media and Interactive

Learning Environments, 4(3), 211. doi: 10.1504/ijsmile.2016.079493

Bjornsen, C. A., & Archer, K. J. (2015). Relations between college students’ cell phone use

during class and grades. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1(4), 326

Felisoni, D. D., & Godoi, A. S. (2018). Cell phone usage and academic performance: An

experiment. Computers & Education, 117, 175–187. https://doi

org.ezproxy.uscb.edu/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.10.006

Harman, B. A., & Sato, T. (2011). Cell phone use and grade point average among undergraduate

university students. College Student Journal, 45(3), 544–549.

Hymas, C. (2018, August 2). A decade of smartphones: We now spend an entire day every week

online. Telegraph [Online] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/01/decades.

Lepp, A., Barkley, J. E., & Karpinski, A. C. (2014). The relationship between cell phone use,

academic performance, anxiety, and satisfaction with life in college students. Computers in

Human Behavior, 31, 343–350. https://doiorg.ezproxy.uscb.edu/10.1016/j.chb.2013.10.049

Lepp, A., Barkley, J. E., & Karpinski, A. C. (2015). The relationship between cell phone use and

academic performance in a sample of U.S. college students. SAGE Open. [Online]

https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015573169

Lister-Landman, K. M., Domoff, S. E., & Dubow, E. F. (2017). The role of compulsive texting

in adolescents’ academic functioning. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 6(4), 311–325.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.uscb.edu/10.1037/ppm0000100

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McDonald, S. E. (2013). The effects and predictor value of in-class texting behavior on final

course grades. College Student Journal, 47(1), 34–40.