Findings
Initially, our age range was set at 18-25. While considering in the last number of years quite an extensive amount of people over the age of 25 are also attending college, we decided to extend beyond twenty-five. Our findings for age revealed that the age demographic of 18-25 made up 79.3% of the respondents. From this, more participants were female than the rest. 63.3% made up this category, with males at 34.7% and others at 2%.
Anxiety without a mobile phone was our first question and was very clear that it was a problem. 56.6% agreed with the statement. 16.6% were undecided and the rest disagreed. This was interesting and backed up our research.
Negative impact on your studies. Over 67% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed to their mobile device negatively affecting their work ethic. Again this backs our research about the issue.
Sleep Deprivation - This question revealed 57.3% of respondents agreed using their smartphone negatively affected their sleeping pattern. From the research, the survey proves that it is an issue amongst students.
Methods
Methods of our research are split up into both Primary and Secondary. This gives us actual literature, as well as first-hand evidence of what students agree and disagree about smartphones. Once we had the evidence we implemented this into our project.
Primary - surveys were distributed, on the basis that we receive ethical approval that allows us to distribute. The first survey was distributed over the course of the year. It collected data from questions relating to mobile phone usage. There will also be a questionnaire at the end of our exhibition. This questionnaire will monitor how successful the product was in raising awareness about the dangers of screen time; this will gauge if our interactive narrative was useful.
Discussion
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An in-depth ExplanationSurvey - An interesting outcome from the survey was that the student's age seems to be different from the stereotypical age associated with students. It seems as though the age demographic for students has developed, as when you hear students, you think of people aged between 18-25. From this research, it made us a question, if the age demographic of students, is changing, as more and more people are going back to reeducate in college. Gender was also something that created a new question, as the participants in this research, was 63.3% in favour of females, this allowed us to question if more females or males, go to third-level education.
Anxiety - From this research, it highlights the fact that this generation of students, react to being without their mobile phone, it makes you question if we as students are over-reliant on our mobile phones, and how we feel without this device.
Studies - From our research, it showed us that students feel their mobile phones harm their studies. Then why do we not use the device properly to benefit us as students for our education? This can be discussed further
Friends - From this research, it showed that when we are with our friends and family, we use our mobile devices, but why, this is something that can be explored further, to know why we have to use our phones when we are in peoples company.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the study was successful.
Due to extensive research both primary and secondary, we feel students are very much more aware of both physical and physiological effects of mobile phone usage. We feel this interactive narrative displays all effects presented throughout our research. Our primary research found over half of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed to the seven questions posed.
With all questions being related to different aspects of mobile phone usage, the results gave us a new perspective on how students use their mobile phones with or without it. Our secondary research complimented our primary as it helped draft our survey questions. From all this, we now understand the big attachment students have to their mobile phones and why they are so important in their lives and everyday routine.
We feel students can learn from this project and consider spending less time on their phones even in a small way. In the future, further research could be conducted on what effects mobile phone usage is having on academic studies and how phones can be considered a hurtful distraction.
Final Points
References
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