THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HAVING SMARTPHONES

TO THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 12 STUDENTS IN

ITECH CALAPAN

A Research Paper that is Presented to the Panel of Teachers,

Senior High School, International Technological Institute of
Arts and Tourism

In Compliance to a Requirement for the Whole Semester in the

Practical Research subject

Submitted by:

Gallardo, Adriel B.

Guinto, Allen Nathaniel C.

Lumanglas, Jan Dranreb B.

Nesperos, Adrian Angel

Pimentel, Gene Michael Z.

Rabino, Justin Jhon

Temple, Joshua

Submitted to:

Sir Jerome C. Madrigal

Subject Teacher

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 Chapter 1

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Introduction

Since the early 21st century, smartphones began to emerge in

the international to local markets. With more than 2 billion users
globally and 30.4 million users in the Philippines alone (as of
2017), these smartphones had been instrumental to everyone, from
online shopping and socializing in the web for the adults, into
making projects and presentations and researching for employees,
as well as for the students.

For the past decade, students, especially those in ages 18-

24, were continually announced as the most active users of
smartphones. According to Nielsen Company (2016), 98 percent of
millennials in this age group in the United States have their own
smartphones as of the third quarter of 2016. This data really
justifies that students were actively-engaged in smartphones
usage, though a lot of them cannot afford to buy one, and were
just depending on their parent’s budget.

Astonishingly, based on the data given by Global Web Index

(2017), mobile device usage only for web browsing of an average
Filipino user accounts for three and a half hours per day. Given
this fact, we can say that Filipinos, especially students, really
depend on their smartphones and use them frequently.

Students who have their smartphones are using them for

different purposes, and it can always affect their academic
performances in school, whether it is positive or negative. The
issue regarding how smartphones are advantageous and
disadvantageous is still unjustified, and the need for this
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justification is always greater, because in this, these students
can take precautionary measures on how they will use their
smartphones.

Conceptual Framework

ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGE
BETTER ADDICTION &
EDUCATION POOR EDUCATION

SMARTPHONES

STUDENT

Statement of the Problem

In this research, the researchers are expected to enumerate the

advantages and disadvantages of having smartphones in the education
of the students by giving answers to the following questions:

• What are the advantages of having smartphones to the academic

performance of the Grade 12 students of ITECH Calapan?
• What are the disadvantages of having smartphones to the
academic performance of the Grade 12 students of ITECH
Calapan?

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 • Can these smartphones be generally useful for the Grade 12
students of ITECH Calapan?

Hypothesis

The researchers believe in the following claims regarding this

research:

• Using smartphones can be very useful for students, and it is

always useful if they use it for research, presentation-
making, and other educational purposes, because these
smartphones are portable, lightweight, and easy to access,
compared to personal computers, laptops, and tablets.

• Using smartphones can also lead to addiction, and can waste

a lot of the students’ time, if they use it mostly in gaming,
socializing, and other time-consuming functions.

Scope, Limitation, and Delimitation of the Study

This research covers the experience-based opinions of the

students regarding the relationship of having smartphones and their
educational performance. The researchers believe that these
opinions can be vital for the development of this matter.

Meanwhile, because this research is only limited to the

students’ opinions based on experience, the results that will be
obtained and presented after the methodology to be taken can be
biased, inaccurate and nonobjective in some matters.

Also, this research is only limited to high school students,

particularly to Grade 12 students of ITECH, who will be our
respondents for the data-gathering procedure. So, this research
will not reflect the advantages and disadvantages of having
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smartphones for the other levels of education, especially to the
elementary and college students.

Significance of the Study

The researchers believe that this research can be beneficial

to the educational field of the ITECH Calapan, and contains
information that will improve the view of the people regarding
smartphones.

Recognizing these advantages and disadvantages will mainly

benefit the students themselves, for they are the main subject of
this study. They can use this research as a fine reference for how
they will use their smartphones in a more efficient way, for their
education to be more effective and productive.

Second, such research can also help the parents of the

students, because this research can be their guide in deciding
whether they will give permission for their son/daughter in having
and using smartphones.

Third, this study can also give enough data for the teachers,
especially in high schools. In the near future, this can lead for
them to either allow students or not to use their smartphones for
research and group presentations during or before the class more
frequently.

Fourth, such study can also be beneficial to the school’s

administration of ITECH Calapan, because by knowing these
advantages and disadvantages, they can promote the empowerment of
smartphone technologies to the students more effectively.

Fifth, it can also be a reference for the Department of

Education. The researchers firmly believe that the information to

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be gathered throughout the data-gathering period and be recorded
will be essential for the authority to articulate more policies
regarding the usage of smartphones in schools.

Lastly, it can also be a great reference to the next

researchers. Finding and validating some of the advantages and
disadvantages of using smartphones in schools that will be
presented in this research can surely help them in getting more
supporting details for their own papers.

Definition of Terms

➢ Android- an open-source operating system used for smartphones

and tablet computers.
➢ Cyberbullying – also called online bullying is a form
of bullying or harassment using electronic means.
➢ Cellphone - is a portable telephone that can make and
receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is
moving within a telephone service area.
➢ Millennials - also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the
generational demographic cohort following Generation X and
preceding Generation Z.
➢ Mobiles devices - portable computing device such as a
smartphone or tablet computer.
➢ Smartphones - is a class of mobile phone and mobile computing
device.
➢ Smartphone addiction- is a dependence seen among mobile phone
users. Some mobile phone users exhibit problematic behaviors
related to substance use disorder.

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 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Local Literature

Based on an article by a Pasig City-based site Look Upgrade

with the title “The Important of Using Mobile Phones in the
Philippines (2018), Filipinos believe that one of the most
important things in their life now is their cellphone. This mobile
phone is a piece of modern technology device that all Filipinos
have, use it in everyday life, and treat them as an extension of
their personality and a source of entertainment.

After the implementation of the use of Google Apps in some

classes in the Philippines, Tam Noda of The Philippine Star issued
an article entitled “Philippine schools show a better way of
learning” (2013), which includes a statement from Google, saying
that the solution implemented in some schools in the Philippines
enables the collaboration among students, faculty, and school
staff, and benefits the IT team in focusing on other important
things rather than constantly modifying faulty information
management systems.

On the other hand, according to an engineering student and

traveler with the username “KitQ” on a blogging site SteemIt in
his article entitled “Are Filipinos Addicted to Smartphones?”
(2018), the phone itself is not the problem in the issue regarding
this smartphone addiction in Filipinos; rather, it is the fact
that its existence made people hard to find anything that is more
interesting and efficiency of these devices. Even if we are already
addicted on using them, we cannot just give up in utilizing these
smartphones.

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 According to The Manila Times (2015), the excessive use of
mobile phones causes students to fare poorly on basic education.
They added that it is not only because it makes them lose their
concentration due to a lack of sleep, but also because it
apparently compromises what they have studied before.

Moreover, “KitQ” (2018), the SteemIt blogger mentioned

earlier, pointed out that in able to stop the addiction of
smartphone is to know how and when to use them. Rather than
spending more time on a smartphone, we should be able to spend
more on our families and other important matters.

Local Studies

After studying on a total of 152 students from schools in

Manila, Wan Jin and Cecilia Junio-Sabio (2018), students of De La
Salle Araneta University, concluded that mobile devices have shown
potential to be adopted among existing public senior high schools,
and there is a need to update policy and curricula to respond to
the mobile era.

Moreover, according to a group of University of the

Philippines Open University – Los Baños students in their study
entitled “Educational Cell Phone Uses in the Philippines and
Mongolia” (n.d.), the rapid expansion of mobile phone
technologies, and the particular popularity of SMS text messaging,
offer major opportunities for not just the formal education but
also the nonformal one. This study for both the Philippines and
Mongolia presented that the use of these can help harness the
educational and social development potential of this new
communication tool.

In a study conducted by TNS (2013), it is revealed that

Filipino consumers are not just using their phones to call and
texting messages and photos, but also as a means to have “internet-

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on-the-go”, allowing users to be always online. It was also
revealed that Filipinos now buy smartphones not just based on
physical features, but more on enhancing personal experience.

On the other hand, in a study by some students of The

University of Mindanao (2013), it was mentioned that smartphones
are not just a luxury today but a necessity that made us desire
to own one as a part of daily life. This is why manufacturers try
to develop different attributes to these devices to meet the needs
and wants of everyone.

In another study by TNS named Mobile Life 2013 (2013), it is

concluded that smartphone users in Metro Manila are still focusing
on basic uses of these devices, like texting and listening to
music, and with the appearance of more locally-made smartphone
apps for things like online shopping, gaming, and local
information, the smartphone usage in the Philippines would be fully
adopted and diversified.

Foreign Literature

In the viewpoint of the editors of a trusted technology

website called Techwalla (2018), mobile phones are efficient
communication devices and make life easier, because it allows us
to connect to people in any part of the world.

According to an article titled “How Smartphones Changed Our

Lives” by Christina Milian (2017), smartphones can be described
as ‘a necessity and a miracle of technology’, which have become
an integral part of our lives and brought a whole lot of changes
in us.

In an article published by Better Health Channel, which was

entitled “Mobile phones and your health” (n.d.), public concerns
about the possible health effects of mobile phones receive a lot

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of coverage in media and makes medical researchers anxious about
how can these technologies affect the public.

The article by Milian (2017), which was mentioned above, also

pointed out that an enormous increase in the use wireless mobile
technology can bring negative effects in our body. It has raised
concerns about mobile phone radiation and its ill effects on the
health, such as cell damage, tumors, and even cancer, although
further research for these implications are needed.

Also, Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD (2018) warned everyone

about the biological dangers relates to smartphones. According to
him, these smartphones harbor viruses and bacteria that can make
us sick, and the use of some alcohol-based wipes is very important
for us to be protected from them.

Foreign Studies

In a study about the correlation between studying enthusiasm

and smartphone usage by The Japan Times (2015), it is found that
using a mobile phone for an extended time even affects students
who habitually study a lot, saying that their study ‘calls the
attention of parents and students to the risk that excessive use
of smartphones can compromise students’ effort to study.

An online site called Love It, Cover It (2018) featured their

study about the implementation of smartphone usage in schools.
While others try to push the banning of these in schools due to
distraction and other factors, it is also an evident fact that
they also need them, especially in emergencies. This is why schools
need policies that restricts the use of phones during the school
day.

After studying the mLearning pilot projects which took place

in five developing countries in Asia, including the Philippines,

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the Canada-based researchers John-Harmen Valk, Ahmed Rashid, and
Laurent Elder (2010) concluded that while there is important
evidence of mobile devices facilitating increased access, there is
only a few evidences about how these smartphones promote a new way
of learning, which obviously needs more cultivation on this system.

Dr. Arnold Glass and his group of researchers from Rutgers

University (2018) pointed out the effect of using smartphones not
just on the users themselves, but also to the ones around them.
After an experiment about giving some devices to a group of
students in a class, it is found out that all of those who are in
the group obtained lower grades than those who did not. Also, due
to distraction from the users, those in the group who did not even
touched the smartphones and other devices also got low grades.

Also, in a case study by Independent Journal of Management

and Production based in Bangladesh (2017), it is revealed that
five smartphone addiction factors are present among most students,
such as positive anticipation, impatience, withdrawal, daily-life
disturbance, and cyber friendship, and they were found
significantly related to their academic performances.

Synthesis

The emergence of smartphones really changed the way on how

the people live, and it is evident with how these smartphones were
marketed and sold to almost everyone up to the recent years. With
the right usage of these smartphones in school, it would be an
assurance that the education will be very effective. However,
because almost all good things have negative sides, and it also
includes this device, abusive use of smartphones can surely bring
addiction and more physical, mental, and even social and emotional
problems to the users, so a systematic use of this should be
present within everyone.

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 Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

In this study, the research made use of the descriptive

method. It was used for the interpretation of data, and describe
accurately the situations of each of the Grade 12 students in ITECH
Calapan regarding how they use their smartphones, either for their
advantage or disadvantage.

Respondents

The chosen respondents for this research are the Grade 12

students in ITECH Calapan for the school year 2018-2019, and it
is appropriate because they are within the technological age group.

Data-Gathering Instrument

The instrument used in the study is questionnaire being served

through surveys to gather data about the advantages and
disadvantages of having smartphones to the Grade 12 students in
ITECH Calapan.

Data-Gathering Procedure

After finalizing the questionnaires, the printed copies of

the survey forms were then disseminated to the respondents. A total
of 28 students (which includes 16 male and 12 female respondents)
participated in the survey, which amounted for almost 10 minutes
of processes.

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 Chapter 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

After giving the survey questionnaires to the 28 respondents,

the researchers derived the following data and information in this
research, which will be presented through the following graphs:

30

25

20

15

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

AGREE DISAGREE

ITEM 1. Smartphones are a distraction to me in class.

The researchers had to know the distribution of the
respondents who view smartphones as a form of distraction in class.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of them said that these smartphones are a
distraction to them in class, while thirty-nine percent (39%) of
them said that they are not.

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ITEM 2. Using smartphones during classes really make me study
better.

The second bars indicate the distribution of the respondents

in their belief regarding the relationship between the use of
smartphones and studying. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of them agreed
that using smartphones during classes really make them study
better, while sixty-one percent (61%) of them disagreed.

ITEM 3. Smartphones bring a lot of entertainment to me.

Presented in the third part of the graph was the distribution

of the respondents in their view regarding the entertainment factor
that smartphones can bring to students. Ninety-six percent (96%)
of them said that they agree with the statement that smartphones
bring a lot of entertainment to them, while four percent (4%)
disagreed.

ITEM 4. Because of smartphones, I often skip my homework.

The researchers had to know the distribution of the

respondents who had their smartphones as distraction in making
their homework. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of them said that these
smartphones made them skip their homework, while forty-three
percent (43%) did not.

ITEM 5. Because of smartphones, I often use less time studying.

The fifth bars indicate the distribution of the respondents

who are forced to use less time in their studies because of their
smartphones. Forty-three percent (43%) of them agreed that using

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smartphones made them use less of their time in studying, while
fifty-seven percent (57%) of them disagreed.

ITEM 6. Smartphones enable me to finish more school tasks easier.

Presented in the sixth part of the graph was the distribution

of the respondents in their view regarding the effect of
smartphones in finishing their tasks in school. Eighty-two percent
(82%) of them agreed that using smartphones can enable school task
finishing to be easier, while eighteen percent (18%) of them
disagreed.

ITEM 7. Sometimes, my family members and classmates say that I am

addicted to smartphones.

The researchers had to know the distribution of the

respondents who had their family members and classmates say that
they are smartphone addicts. Sixty-eight percent (68%) have
encountered this scenario, while thirty-two percent (32%) did not.

ITEM 8. I believe that using smartphones can make me feel and see
that I am a 21st century learner, and a part of this society.

The eighth bars indicate the distribution of the respondents

who had their smartphones as a guarantee that they are part of
this world, as 21st century learners. Sixty-four percent (64%) of
them agreed that using smartphones made them feel and see these
features in themselves, while thirty-six percent (36%) of them
disagreed.

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ITEM 9. Using smartphones is a great stress-reliever for me.

Presented in the ninth part of the graph was the distribution

of the respondents in their view regarding the stress-relieving
effect of smartphones. Ninety-six percent (96%) of them view the
use of smartphones as stress-reliever, while only four percent
(4%) of them did not believe in it.

ITEM 10. Using smartphones is unhealthy for me, because I often

skip meals just to use it.

The researchers had to know the distribution of the

respondents who had their family members and classmates say that
they are smartphone addicts. Sixty-eight percent (68%) have
encountered this scenario, while thirty-two percent (32%) did not.

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 Chapter 5
SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary
In this study, the researchers have intended to know the
opinions of the Grade 12 students in iTECH Calapan when it comes
to their academic performance based on their own experiences and
preferences, especially when it comes to the efficient use of
smartphones in school, how it can affect them as students, and the
risk of its usage addiction. This research is made to benefit the
students themselves, as well as the parents, teachers, the school’s
administration, the Department of Education, and the next
researchers.
Using a descriptive-type of research, the researchers then
compiled a survey sheet with twenty questionnaires, which were
given to 28 respondents (that are comprised of 16 male and 12
female respondents) from the Grade 12 students of iTECH, who are
picked based on their availability.
After the survey proper, the researchers then tabulated the
results based on the answers of the respondents, and made pie
charts for each questionnaire, with a detailed explanation after
each chart, which is perfect for these questionnaires, because
each question has multiple choices.

Findings
Having smartphones surely bring a lot of entertainment to the
students, didn’t hinder them from using more time for studying,
made them finish more tasks easier, made them feel and see that
they are 21st century learners and part of this society, act as
stress-reliever for them, and still healthy for them, with less

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implication that they will often skip meals just to use these
devices.
On the other hand, the use of smartphones can also be
disadvantageous for them, which distract them in class, didn’t
make their studying better when used during classes, sometimes
make them skip their homework, with their family members saying
that they are addicted to the use of these devices.
It is also found out that most of the students use these
smartphones for an hour up to more than 5 hours, which can account
to four percent up to more than 21 percent of the day, which can
be an indication why the students view these smartphones as very
important in most of academic tasks. On the other hand, this can
also explain why these students can also be entitled as ‘smartphone
addicts’ in the current days.

C. Conclusions
Based on the findings of this study, the researchers conclude
that:

a. Possessing ang using smartphone can be a big advantage to the

students, especially when it comes to their efficiency and
productivity. Using smartphones can be a form of entertainment and
recreation to the students, and using them mainly for these
purposes can greatly relieve their stress for the workload they
had while studying, while finishing these tasks easier and with
less time spent.

b. On the other hand, using a smartphone can also be a disadvantage

to the students at some point. Too much use of it, especially for
other purposes other than the educational one, can lead to skipping
of homework-making, distraction, having less time for studying,
and worse, to addiction. Due to the inefficient use of these

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smartphones, this can also be a way for these students to be bad
in studying.

c. Overall, this research accepts and verifies the hypotheses given

by the researchers regarding the issue, that (1) this usage of
smartphones can be very useful to the students, with the correct
use of it in research, presentation-making, and other educational
purposes, mainly because they can use it anywhere, anytime they
want to; and (2) too much use of it can lead to addiction, and can
waste a lot of the students’ time.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, the

researchers had come up with the following recommendations:

a. For the students, they are encouraged to install more

applications that are used for research, presentation, and
project-making purposes, and fully utilize the great use of these
smartphones. Also, knowing the accurate usage of these
applications is important, and should be known by everyone, so
they should study on how to use them effectively. On the other
hand, they should not install some applications that they don’t
really need, and can result for their addiction, like time-
consuming and addictive games. They can install some, but they
should refrain from downloading a lot of these on their
smartphones. This action with greatly help them in focusing in
their studies.

b. For the parents, they should not prohibit their children from
using their smartphones, but, at the same time, they should set
limitations on how long and in what way they should use these
devices. Setting the right parameters for its usage and guiding
them on how to use it effectively in their early years can result
to a more productive and excellent performance in school.

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c. For the teachers, first, they should accept the usage of
smartphones in some classes, especially when it comes to
researching and productivity, making sure that these will be
utilized. They can set some rules regarding its usage, making sure
that they can maximize its use, and at the same time, prohibiting
them from using it for other purposes. They should guide and guard
the students when they use these smartphones, for them to use it
more efficiently. Also, they should teach them how to use these
smartphones in a better way. These can also be included in their
lesson or in their teaching styles and methods.

d. For the school administration, they should be one with the

teachers in implementing the use of these smartphones, formulating
a set of rules that will assure that these will be used in a good
way. They can restrictedly disallow the use of smartphones in
different social media application or websites so they can prevent
the lack of attention of student during class hour, as well as
rules to prevent cyberbullying in school.

e. For the Department of Education, they should give an exact fund

for providing high-technology materials for both elementary and
especially secondary schools all over the country to make sure
that every student gains more knowledge and ideas in school while
utilizing their capacity as a generation of smartphones.

f. For the next researchers, they are advised to widen their

research regarding the efficient use of technologies in schools.
Conducting the rightful research for this matter can surely help
the educational field of not just their schools, but also of the
Philippines.

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to-smartphones
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https://www.academia.edu/8529962/Study_of_Mobile_Phones
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https://www.loveitcoverit.com/do-smartphones-steal-childhoods/
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https://www.redalyc.org/html/4495/449552566008/
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gadgets-in-classrooms-can-lead-to-failing-grades.html?m=1

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APPENDIX

DIRECTION: Check the box (/) if the statement applies to you and cross (x) if not.

□ 1. Smartphones are a distraction to me in class.

□ 2. Using smartphones during classes really make me study better.

□ 3. Smartphones bring a lot of entertainment to me.

□ 4. Because of smartphones, I often skip my homework.

□ 5. Because of smartphones, I often use less of my time for studying.

□ 6. Smartphones enable me to finish more school task easier.

□ 7. Sometimes, my family members and classmates say that I am addicted to

smartphone.

□ 8. I believe that using smartphones can make me feel and see that I am a 21st
century learner, and a part of this society.

□ 9. Using smartphones is a great stress-reliever for me.

□ 10. Using smartphones is unhealthy for me, because I often skip meals just to
use it.

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