Smartphone Influence Teenagers in EF Cambridge - Research Paper Example

Smartphone Influence Teenagers in EF Cambridge Introduction Modern cell phone companies have replaced conventional phones with Smartphones. The invention and launch of iphone3 in 2009 caused the development and growth of Smartphones and other models (Zheng and Lionel 2006, p.1). Smartphones offer several functions, such as web browsing, music players, email sending and receiving, photo taking, video shooting, games, GPS navigation, including other applications. The society has embraced Smartphones especially the younger generation. Teenagers indulge in the world of Smartphones and hide away from their world. The paper is aimed at showing how Smartphones influence teenagers in EF Cambridge. The study will aim at carrying out a study of Smartphones in the teenage world. It will also aim at performing the study how Smartphones have affected the daily lives of teenagers at EF Cambridge. Teenagers feel that Smartphones reduce their work load. For instance, Smartphones allow teenagers to slide their screens effortlessly rather than tapping keys like conventional phones. Smartphones have applications like facebook, twitter, whatsap, and other social sites that help in the creation of new friendships (Zheng and Lionel 2006, p.1). Alternatively, Smartphones seem to have created more problems because teenagers have become lonesome, exposure to bullying, and exam cheating. H1: Most teenagers buy Smartphones despite their high prices H2: Most Teenagers are addicted to smartphones Literature Review The study gained more information from journals and books on Smartphones and their markets. The study used questionnaires as the main method of collecting data for the study. The questionnaires contained two sections; the first section required teenagers at EF Cambridge to give their views toward the pros and cons of utilizing Smartphones. The second section of the questionnaires required several teenagers who did not own Smartphones to give their reasons and the present trend of owning Smartphones. One hundred and twenty (120) teenagers took part in the study but only 100 questionnaires were received. The study possessed several limitations. The data collected was inadequate to give a definite answer regarding the influence of smart phones amongst teenagers at EF Cambridge. The study occurred between 120 students whereby only 100 return their questionnaires. The number of participants was very small to represent the high number of teenagers in EF Cambridge. Hingorani, Woodard, and Askari-Danesh (2012), p.33) all from Alabama State University discovered that smart phones have become powerful gadgets amongst young people compared to computers. Sarwar and Soomro (2013, 217) discovered that mobile communication has reshaped the way societies behave. Additionally, more study should be carried on the use of smart phones by teenagers and their effects. The study identified that the number of teenagers with Smartphones was higher than the number of students at EF Cambridge without Smartphones. The study discovered that most teenagers at EF Cambridge used smart phones because of their multifaceted benefits, such as messaging, camera, GPS, mobile internet, and other applications like facebook, twitter, whatsap, and other media sites. Teenagers studied deemed that messaging, camera, GPS, mobile internet, acquiring information, and QR code are the benefits of possessing smart phones. The study also discovered that smart phones also possessed several disadvantages, such as addiction, high price, eye problems, and bullying. Methods The original study that was the basis of my design was “Exploring how Smartphones Supports Students Lives.”The authors of this study were Hingorani Kamal, Woodard Donald, and Askari-Danesh Nasrin. These authors worked on the importance of Smartphones amongst the lives of students. The authors used survey method to gather data about the use of Smartphones amongst students in their lives.The study used 134 MIS students, such as those majoring in accounting, computer information systems, finance, management, and marketing. The participants included freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and senior students. This survey included 24 questions that participants had to answer. My method of collecting data was different from the study by Hingorani Kamal, Woodard Donald, and Askari-Danesh Nasrin that used survey data collection method. I preferred using questionnaires to collect data because it was easier and cheaper compared to survey. It was very important to change the design of my study to prevent it from resembling other studies. I wanted my study to have a unique flow and show my creativity on how to write a research paper. I used both the qualitative and quantitative (mixed) research method in order to handle the research question from any appropriate angle, utilize past studies if necessary, as well as use several investigative perspectives. I decided to use open-ended questions. Open-ended questions refer to questions that necessitate more than one word response. Open-ended questions begin with how, why, or phrases, such as “inform me about your work.” The reason for using open-ended questions was to promote a complete, consequential response based on the personal feelings or knowledge of the subject at hand.I also preferred using open-ended questions to give participants room for explaining their answers and adding any relevant information relating tothe subject at hand. Finding the participants in this study was very difficult at firstbecause some of the students were hesitant to talk to strangers. However, the participants started warming up to me after I explained my reason for going to perform the study at the learning institution. Most students failed to take part in the study because of the ongoing examinations. One hundred and twenty students agreed to take part in the study although 100 of the submitted their questionnaires. The participants decided to participant only if they remained anonymous. Therefore, I had to ensure that any information provided by the teenagers at EF Cambridge remained confidential and anonymous. I had to convince them that any information they provided will not be disclosed to anybody. Additionally, I had to talk to their teachers to get permission to ask them to participate in the study. The teacher demanded a contract signing that prevent the revelation of any information given by the student. The study required a specific group of participants those between 13-19 years because they fell under the teenage years. The survey took a whole week to complete. Participants had five days to complete their questionnaires and submit them. The analyses of their results took two day. The materials needed for the research study included writing materials:- a. pens to fill-in the questionnaire b. Theinternetand c. Email-address to send the questionnaires. Formulation of the questionnaires was difficult at the beginning. First, some of my questions were not sensible and failed to bring out relevant information regarding the influence of smartphones amongst teenagers in EF Cambridge. The process consumed more time than earlier planned. It took a full day to formulate relevant questions for the study. Results Most teenagers own Smartphones in their daily activities. The study identified that 75% of teenagers had Smartphones and 25% of students at EF Cambridge did not own Smartphones as indicated in the graph below. Chart 1: Possession of Smartphones According to the study, most teenagers at EF Cambridge used smart phones because of their multifaceted benefits, such as messaging, camera, GPS, mobile internet, and other applications like facebook, twitter, whatsap, and other media sites. Teenagers studied deemed that messaging (20%), camera (15%), GPS (20%), mobile internet (15%), acquiring information (20%), and QR code (10%) are the benefits of possessing smart phones. The study also discovered that smart phones also possessed several disadvantages, such as addiction (45%), high price (10), eye problems (30), and bullying (15%). Chart 2: Benefits of Owning Smartphones Chart 3: Disadvantages of Smartphones amongst teenagers Smartphones play a major role in our daily lives. Chart 3 indicates some of the major disadvantages of owning a Smartphone. The study also identified that 68% of students strongly agreed that smartphones posses several negative effects, 22% agreed with the assumption, while 10% remained neutral regarding the excessive use of smartphones. Discussion The findings in the study show that the society has embraced the use of Smartphones. Most teenagers enjoy taking most of their time using internet-enabled devices, such as smart phones. I found comprehensive information regarding the influence of Smartphones amongst teenagers in EF Cambridge because students in the college possess similar behaviors with most students in other learning institutions. Nevertheless, I found something I never expected. I discovered that most teenagers are aware of the dangers posed by using Smartphones for longer hours yet they still continued referring to them as the most important gadgets in their lives. The differences in the standpoints regarding Smartphones being important gadgets in teenagers’ lives relied mostly on gender and age. Most male participants thought that Smartphones are very important in their lives compared to female participants. Interpretation of Questions How old are Your? According to the study, the participants were between the age of 13 and 19 years. Do you own a Smartphone? The study identified that most participants owned smartphones compared to a lesser number of teenagers who did not see the need of having a Smartphone. If you own a Smartphone, what is its purpose? Most teenagers in the study owned smartphones to go to social media sites like twitter, facebook, or whatsap. Others required it to get information either through Google or other sites. What are the cons of using smartphones amongst teenagers? Participants believed that Smartphone has several benefits such asmessaging, camera, GPS, mobile internet, acquiring information, and QR code. Is it necessary to own smartphones? This question was contentious as some participants thought it was necessary to own Smartphones while others disagree with the statement. Why don’t you own a Smartphone? Participants who did not own Smartphones did so because of the several cons of having one, such as addiction, high price, eye problems, and increased bullying. Should the government regulate the sale of smartphones to teenagers? According to the research, most participants believed that the government had no say regarding the ownership of Smartphones by teenagers. Should parents allow their teenagers to own smartphones? The study discovered that most teenagers (80%) agreed that parents have a say in whether teenagers should have Smartphones because they buy the gadgets. The remaining number (20%) believed that parents should not be involved in their children’s ownership of smartphones. Bibliography Hingorani, K., Woodard, D., and Askari-Danesh, N. (2012) ‘Exploring how Smartphones Supports Students’ Lives’,Issues in Information Systems, 13(2), pp. 33-40. Zheng, P. and Lionel M. (2006) Smart Phone and Next Generation Mobile Computing. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780120885602 (Accessed February 10, 2015). Sarwar, M and Soomro, T. (2013) ‘Impact of Smartphone’s on Society’,European Journal of Scientific Research, 98(2), pp. 216-226. Appendix The Questionnaire Appendix 2 Graph 4: Percentage of students knew the effects of smartphones Graph 5: Percentage on whether parents should or should not be involved in the teenagers’ decision to own smartphones Read More