Smartphones in public secondary schools: views of matric graduates

Abstract

Many schools in South Africa ban smartphones. The decision does not take into account the views of the learners. The purpose of this paper was to elicit learners’ views regarding smartphones in schools. A survey design was used and data were collected from 93 learners using a questionnaire consisting of closed- and open-ended items. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics for the closed-ended items and taxonomical analysis was used for the open-ended items. The results indicate that 55.9% of learners are of the view that smartphones should be allowed in schools. The results from the open-ended items show that information searching and processing were the most prevalent views among learners. While the learners acknowledged possible distractions using smartphones in classrooms, their views included setting rules to limit any misuse of smartphones in schools. This study recommends further study on learners’ views regarding smartphones in schools.