Engaged Class Without Cell Phones? It's Easier Than You Think

In this research article, “A Happy and Engaged Class Without Cell Phones? It’s Easier Than You Think” by Louise Katz and Warren Lambert, the researcher determines the link between the use of cell phones and distractions that take place in classrooms. In order to gather this information, the researcher had her students turn in their cell phones voluntarily. With this, as a reward and incentive, the researcher used extra credit to motivate her students to turn in their cell phones to the desk. When the role was called, the students that placed their cell phones on the table verbally acknowledged their participation. As she did the research, the researcher noted that she had a smaller classes of students in a community college that all had other jobs and commitments. Alongside the research, there was a survey given to the student that allowed the researcher to have insight into what the subjects thought of the results of the study of which they were a part. With this research, this researcher was able to understand
that the students were in favor of the results that they viewed within the class. When the researcher analyzed the results and took notice of the changes that she saw within the class, she was able to note the strong positive correlation between the test scores of students and the number of times that the student turned their cell phones in to the professor. These results allowed the researcher to assert her opinion that there was a link between the use of cellphones in a classroom and distractions that lead to lowered grades. While there were many strengths and weaknesses in this study, the researcher was able to gather a greater knowledge of how cell phones impacted the students’ ability to learn within a classroom. Most of the students that were a part of the study maintained that they enjoyed the lack of distractions that cell phones provided in the classroom setting. Although not every student loved the survey, none of the students disliked the study and the effects that it had on the classroom setting. Combined with the research data of this study and its methodology, there were definite strengths and weaknesses. This study was a correlational design, for it studied the link between two concepts in one group. The study’s correlational design was a weakness because there was there was no true link between a lack of cell phones and test grades. Due there was no control group, and the researcher did not have any random assignment. If the researcher had used random assignment and a control group, they would have been able to more accurately determine whether or not the lack of cell phones had an effect. In this study, there were also significant extraneous variables that hindered the ability of the researcher to gather the most accurate information. Due to the extraneous variable of this experiment being intellectual level, one is not able to solidly determine that the lack of cell phones is the reason for higher test scores. Alongside this extraneous variable sat the extraneous variable of the amount of effort put into studying the specific topic. The amount of effort also negates the researcher’s ability to determine whether or not cell phones were the sole reasons for the grade improvement. Although there were weaknesses, the use of voluntary involvement was a strength, for it allowed those who wanted less distractions to participate and aid the study. With the use of the study, the use of the randomization and a control group would have allowed the researcher to gather an unbiased link between the test scores and cell phone use. In accordance with memory, the use of cell phones in class impacts the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information, for cell phones are a distraction that cause divided attention.
When the student uses their phone in class and forgoes selective attention, there is a gap in the amount of information that is encoded. When the information is encoded improperly, the student has a more difficult time retrieving the information that they had tempted to remember. If the student takes their attention away from their cell phone, there can be a deeper level of processing if the student places selective attention on the material that they are receiving in class. Alongside selective attention, the student can rehearse and chunk the material to make it last longer in the short term memory to allow there to be better retrieval. Overall, the lack of cell phone in a classroom setting would allow for less divided attention and better retrieval and
memorization.