Paper Topic:

The Effect of Cell Phone as Distraction in Classroom Enviroment

The Effect of Cellphone as Distraction in Classroom Environment

The idea that the maximization of learning takes place in areas that are free from disturbances and interruptions is already a common knowledge As an implication , any area where learning takes place should be ensured of freedom from any form of disturbance or interruption and efforts must be done to best minimize the existence of such . However , with the rise of modern technology , and as communication tools become more in demand disturbances and interruptions have already taken a form of something that is

deemed a necessity in the modern times

Associated Press , as reported by TranSend (2007 , reports that 92 of undergraduates today owns a cellular phone . A similar report was done by Zdnet (TranSend , 2007 , stating an increase in the number of College students who use cellular phones , from 33 in 2000 to 90 in 2004 . This rise in the usage of cellular phones has been deemed negative and a subject of many debates because of its said impact on learning . There is a question on the nature of cellular phones that could cause inefficient learning

Britannica (2007 ) defines noise as undesired sound that is intrinsically objectionable or that interferes with other sounds being listened to .noise refers to those random , unpredictable , and undesirable signals , or changes in signals , that mask the desired information content ' Given this definition , it can be safe to say that cellphones produce noise : The sounds produced by cellphones are by nature , random and unpredictable , that is , the ringing of phones can only be controlled by the caller and not the owner of the gadget The sounds produced by cellphones undoubtedly cause interference particularly to the learning process that simultaneously happens while a student supposedly listens and understands a professor or a reading material

Part of the inefficient learning that results from such interference is the diversion of a student 's attention from the learning material to the sound produced by the cellphone . Unwanted noise , it is said , could affect the students ' achievement and attention (Kyzar , 1977 Jago and Tanner , 1999

Lange , E .B (2005 ) conducted a study on the effects of attention distraction on students ' learning performance . In this study , unexpected tones were presented to the participants in exchange for irrelevant tones . The results show that tasks are impaired by the unpredictable nature of the sequence of irrelevant tones . Also , according to Lange E .B (2005 ) memory performance on spatial tasks is affected by irrelevant changes in the position of the stimuli

The results of Lange 's study is very significant when applied to the issue on cellphones as the unpredictable and unexpected nature of the sounds produced by cellular phones could very well impair learning . In addition , research findings confirm the negative effects of unwanted noise on both the mental and emotional health , not only of the students but also of the teachers (Jago and Tanner , 1999 . This implies the possible negative effect could also impair the teacher 's concentration which could then impair...

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