Mobile Phone Usage and Academic Performance among Secondary School Students in Government Technical College, Ossomala Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

Aim of the Study: This paper investigated the impact of mobile phone on the academic performance of students in Government Technical College, Ossomala Anambra State especially as most students seem to have developed an addiction for their mobile phone. The learning theory of addiction was adopted for this study because it effectively explains how the use of mobile phone affects academic performance.

Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive research design and purposively selected the senior secondary school for this study because students who use mobile phone are mostly in senior secondary school compared to the junior secondary school. Using the balloting method SS 2 was selected to represent the entire students in senior secondary school. A sample size of (N=313) was derived from the sample population of 329. Respondents were selected using a snowball sampling technique. The data used for this study was derived through the use of questionnaire, internet materials, textbooks and journals. Data was presented in table and analysed using frequency and percentage distribution table.

Findings: Findings reveal that students often bring their mobile phone to school and use their mobile phone for non-academic purposes.

Conclusion: The study concluded that mobile phone causes distraction in class and interferes with class work in school. Base on this finding, the study recommends the need to educate students on the proper usage of mobile phone and the acquisition of mobile phone detector in schools by school managements to prevent the use of mobile phone in school.