Asian Journal of Empirical Research

journal homepage: http://aessweb.com/journal-detail.php?id=5004

Effect of using habits of cell phone on the study of the students: A case study on
parents and teachers of Sargodha city

Salman Amin and Adnan Rashed

Lecturer; Department of Communication Studies, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan

Atif Umair
Research Assistant; Department of Communication Studies, University of Sargodha, Sargodha,
Pakistan
1
Abstract
This study is an effort to investigate the “Impacts of Cell Phone Using Habits on the Studies of
Students of University of Sargodha and Punjab University Lahore. The study used the survey
method for data collection. A sample of 100 respondents consisting of 50 Teachers and 50
Parents was selected by using purposive and convenience sampling technique. The findings show
that respondents frequently use cell phone and overwhelming majority spent lots of money in
their daily lives. Respondents frequently use cell phone to contact with parents followed by
friends, close friends whereas somewhat with classmates and rarely with teachers. But according
to teachers and parents students mostly use cell phone to contact with parents; classmates,
friends, and close friends with little difference. Students frequently use cell phone in class room
not for lecture recording but for the purpose of SMS texting etc. It is also observed that students
mostly use cell phone for un-educational activities and according to teachers and parents due the
use of cell phone respondents are losing focus on their studies and parents are decreasing their
parental control on their children due to the use of cell phone.
Keywords: New media, mobile effect, cultural transformation

Introduction

The trepidations of media communication as well as confirmation for its consequences are as
previous as the history of the media itself. Individuals have continually astonished that how,

Corresponding author’s
Name: Salman Amin
Email address: salmanio2010@hotmail.com
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media messages are influencing them by transporting about an imperceptible amendment in the
standards of their culture and also their behavioural patterns. The negative impacts of a specific
message and/ or structure of message have has always been concerned by the individuals and also
inquisitive about the latent unimaginatively impacts of others. The apprehension on the societal
influences of mediate messages was apparent as far previous as the 1920s; there were negative
impacts of motion pictures on kids alleged by several critics of that time. One of the stoutly
researched areas of mass media is the study of anti societal impacts of seeing television and also
motion picture. The newer area is the influence of pro societal trends and also increased
recognition; these are similar principles that emphasizing the education anti societal activities,
should to apply to more affirmative behaviour (Wimmer, 1993).

The cell phone has become the most speedily disseminated technology in world history. The first
commercially accessible cell phone network was established in 1980. In terms of comparative
number subscribers Finland was leading which had just exceeded 10 percent of the population in
1994. There were approximately two billion mobile subscribers worldwide in 2004. Most
industrially and technologically developed countries have a saturation rate well over seventy
percent and is followed by most developing countries (Ling, 2001). Cell phone has emerged as
one of the significant communication technologies of our time same as in 1950, television
emerged and in 1990, Internet emerged (Castells et al., 2007).

Objectives of the study

The objectives of the study take into determine:
 To explore the consumption patterns of cell phones of the students.
 To explore whether text messaging through cell phone is modifying the language.
 To explore whether the use of cell phone is affecting the social relationships of the
students.
 To explore whether the cell phone use is affecting the study habits and results of the
students.
 To explore whether the use of cell phone is affecting the sleeping habits of the students.
 To explore whether the use of cell phone is affecting parental control

Literature review

Javaid et al. (2011) conducted a study on University students and use this splendid mobile
technology in a better way by sharing helpful information with their class fellows and teachers.

They use the cell phone to share the helpful data with their classmates, to confer dictionary and
thesaurus for educational reasons. Walsh (2012) conducted a study that under the topic "Cell

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Phones and Student Achievement". The utilization of cell phone is the positive and contradictory
influences among in students. Although, some studies revealed that there is no conclusive proof
showing mobile phone use is positively or harmfully influential on student's ability but that more
research is needed. According Castells, (2007) the aim of this research study was to examine the
relationship of usages cell phone among college students between study and sleep habit. Results
shown that the usage phone cell is too much addictive among college student, such addiction is
very harmful both study and sleeping. Campbell (2005) discovered the influence of the wireless
phone on youth relations, on family relationships, social and the school in his study. Young
person use the wireless telephone in optimistic ways to coordinate and sustain their social groups.
On the other hand, there are also contradictory influences on young persons’ peer groups.

Dansieh (2011) carried out a research study looked at how pervasive the utilization of SMS
texting is among polytechnic students; it’s expected effects on students’ writing abilities; and
what lecturers and students themselves believe about the phenomenon. Kamran (2010) conducted
a study that the majority of youth is found very high user of texting and reduced user of voice
calls. The major inspiration of high and awkward use among young people is very low cost
prepaid packages given by the telecom operators in Pakistan. Thornton et al. (2005) conducted
study, the poll revealed that Japanese university students use cell phones habitually for sending
and receiving e-mail whereas sometimes in their classes. They less often access the World Wide
Web from their cell phone but when they do it sometimes in to their university studies. However
they think that they are obtaining data about given topic by the teacher in the class. According to
Chen (2006) with the dramatic increase in mobile phone usage in recent years, reports of mobile
phone addiction have come in public use. While researches on other media addictions have been
published, mobile phone addiction is rarely understood.

Methodology

In accordance with the study's nature, to evaluating the impacts of cell phone usage on the studies
of students, survey method was judged to be a pertinent procedure In current research study 50
Parents and 50 Teacher of Sargodha told the their experiences by the help of questionnaire. In
this present study Parents and Teachers of Sargodha are unit of analysis. Purposive methods was
used in term of respondents' selection and also to gather data from the intended population due to
the limitation of resources. Keeping in view the time and financial sources constraints, for the
researcher it was not achievable to gather data from the widespread population in Sargodha.

Finding the findings of the above graph (1) portrays difference among teachers and parent’s
responses about ' to what extent do you think students have lost track of time after using cell
phone' in percentage.

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Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never

25 31
15 18 11

Graph 1: Lost track of time

The empirical findings of the study depict that (25%) respondents think that students have very
much lost track of time due to the use of cell phone followed by (31%) respondents

Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never

9%
10%
26%
21%
34%

Graph 2: Lose focus on study

The findings of the above pie chart (1) The empirical findings of the study depict that (26%)
respondents think that students have very much lost focus on their study due to the use of cell
phone followed by (34%) respondents which is the largest area in the above pie chart think that
students have much lost focus on their study whereas (21%) teachers and parents think students
have somewhat lost focus on their study the findings further depict that (10%) respondents think
that students have rarely lost focus and (9%) respondents are those who think that students have
not lost focus on their study due to the use of cell phone.

Table 1: Suffering sleeps loss due to late night cell phone use
Suffering sleep loss due to late night cell phone use
Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never
28.0 30.0 17.0 14.0 11.0

The findings of the above table (1) According to the empirical findings of the study (28%)
teachers and parents think that students are very much suffering in sleep loss due the late night
cell phone usage followed by (30%) respondents that is the greatest value in above think that
students are much suffering in sleep loss due the late night cell phone usage, whereas (17%)
teachers and parents think somewhat suffering in sleep loss. The findings of the study

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furthermore reveal (14%) respondents think that students rarely suffering in sleep loss whereas
(11%) respondents are those who think that students are not suffering sleep loss due to the use of
cell phone at late night.

Table 2: Adopting non-standard language due to SMS texting

Adopting nonstandard language due to SMS texting
Very much Much somewhat Rarely Never
26.0 29.0 16.0 14.0 15.0

The results of the above table (2) in the lights of the empirical findings of the study (26%)
teachers and parents think that students are very much adopting nonstandard language due to
SMS texting on their cell phone followed by (29%) respondents that is the greatest value in

Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never

32
24
19
13 12

Graph 3: Negative impacts on moral values

The empirical findings of the table (3) the empirical findings of the above figure
(32%)respondents that is at highest point think that cell phone has put very much negative
impacts on students' moral values followed by (24%) respondents think that cell phone has put
much negative impacts in this regard.

Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never

20 21 27 22 10

Graph 4: Shares educational material

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The findings of this graph (4) the empirical findings of the study (20%) teachers and parents
think that students use cell phone very much to share educational material followed by (21%)
respondents think students use cell phone much to share educational material

Table 3: Increased academic performance of students

Increased academic performance of students
Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never
18.0 24.0 20.0 23.0 15

The results of the above table (3) the results of the study (18%) teachers and parents think that
the performance of students has very much increased due to the use of cell phone followed by
(24%) respondents which is the highest value in the above table think that academic performance
of students increased much.

Table 4: Cell phone using purpose

Teachers Parents Classmates Friends Close friends
Very much 12.0 24.0 17.0 20.0 20.0
Much 32.0 41.0 33.0 41.0 37.0
Somewhat 30.0 20.0 30.0 22.0 16.0
Rarely 18.0 6.0 10.0 9.0 14.0
Never 8.0 9.0 10.0 8.0 13.0

The verdicts of above table (4) The recorded responses of the respondents show that (12%)
respondents respond that students very frequently use cell phone to contact with their teachers
followed by (32%) respondents think that students frequently use cell phone to contact their
teachers as compared to (30%) respondents think that students use cell phone somewhat to
contact teachers.

Table 5: Use of cell phone

class room other than class room
Very much 8.0 59.0
Much 27.0 18.0
Somewhat 38.0 9.0
Rarely 13.0 9.0
Never 14.0 5.0

The verdicts of this table (5) the findings of the study reveal that (8%) respondents respond that
students very frequently use cell phone in class room followed by (27%) respondents think that
students use frequently in classroom whereas (38%) respondents which is maximum value as
compare to other in this category respond students somewhat use cell phone in class room.

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Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never

38
21 19
10 12

Graph 5: SMS texting negative impact on writing mechanics

The results of this figure (5) The scenario of empirical findings reveals that (10%) respondents
respond that SMS texting has very much negative impacts on students' writing mechanics
followed by (38%) respondents which is the significant share of whole population think that SMS
texting has much negative impacts on writing mechanics whereas (22%) respondents respond
somewhat negative impacts in this regard.

40
30
20 Very Much
10
0 Much
Results

Results
Habits

Habits
Relationshi

Relationshi
Sleeping

Sleeping
Study

Study
Study

Study
Habits

Habits

Somewhat
Social

Social
ps

ps

Rarely
Not at all
Positive Effects Negative Effects

Graph 6: Effects of cell phone

The above graph (6) has to sections. The findings of the first section express teachers and
parents’ responses about positive effects of cell phone use on their study habits, sleeping habits,
social relationships and study results. In case of study habits the scenario of the findings reveals
that according to (14%) respondents cell phone has very much positive effects on students' study
habits followed by (26%) respondents think that much positive effects on study habits whereas
(26%) respondents respond that somewhat positive effects on students' study habits. The results
of the second portion of the above graph (5.13) depict teachers and parents’ responses about
negative effects of cell phone usage on students' study habits, sleeping habits, social relationships
and study results. In case of study habits the scenario of the findings reveal that according to (23
%) respondents cell phone has very much negative effects on students' study habits followed by
(33%) respondents think much negative effects whereas (19%) respondents think that cell phone
has somewhat negative effects on students' study habits.

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Table 6: Cell phone use decrease parental control

Cell phone use decrease parental control
very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never
27.0 37.0 13.0 14.0 9.0

The results of the above table (6) The empirical findings of the study reveal that (27%)
respondents believe that parental control is very much decreasing due to the use of cell phone
followed by (37%) respondents that is the highest value in the above table believes that parental
control is much decreasing.

31

23
19
15
12

Very much Much Somewhat Rarely Never

Graph 7: Cell phone use direction

The findings of this graph (7) the scenario of findings depicts that (15%) respondents think that
cell phone use by students is very much directed towards their studies followed by (19%)
respondents respond that cell phone use by students is much directed towards their studies.

Summary and discussion

In the course of this study, sustained efforts have been made to discover the Effect of Using
Habits of cell phone on the Study of the students A case study on parents and teachers of
Sargodha City. The study results showed that students frequently use cell phone and
overwhelming majority spent thirty to fifty rupees in their daily lives. The empirical findings of
the study revealed that students frequently use cell phone to contact with parents followed by
friends, close friends where as somewhat with classmates and rarely with teachers. But according
to teachers and parents students much use cell phone to contact with parents; classmates, friends,
and close friends with little difference while somewhat use cell phone to contact with teachers.

According to the empirical verdicts of the study students frequently use cell phone for SMS
texting whereas somewhat use for lecture recording and rarely use for voice call. The empirical
findings of the study depicted that respondent frequently use short language during SMS texting
on cell phone and great number of respondents believe that short language during SMS texting

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has much negative impacts on writing mechanics (such as grammar, syntax, punctuation etc.)
which is creating a new short form of language. The comparative scrutiny showed that according
to the students positive effects of cell phone on study habits , social relationships and study
results are greater than negative effects but with little difference whereas more negative effects
on sleeping habits as compared to positive effects. But according to teachers and parents negative
effects of cell phone on study habits, sleeping habits, social relationships and study results are
more as compared to positive effects.

References

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Presented to the social change in the 21st century conference. Retrieved from:
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Castells, M. (2007). Communication, power and counter-power in the network society.
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http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijel/article/view/10050
Chen, Y. F. (2006). Social phenomena of mobile phone use: An exploratory study in Taiwanese
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Javaid, M., Asrhaf, M., & Gujjar, A. A. (2011). Mobile phone culture and its psychological
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Kamran, S. (2010). Mobile phone: calling and texting patterns of college students in Pakistan.
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Wimmer D. (1993). Mass media research. Wads worth publications, Singapore.

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