Smartphones in the university classroom: less problematic than we tend to think?

ABSTRACT Smartphones are a key part of life for university and college students, and indeed for many people [Pew Research Center. (2021, April 7). Mobile fact sheet. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/]. A growing body of research suggests that these technological devices, when used in a classroom, lead to various issues and problems for students from distraction/loss of focus to procrastination, and ultimately impact performance and grades. Media coverage has pointed to smartphones as a scourge responsible for the decline of an entire generation of university and college students. Much of the research, while important and timely, tends to study what technological devices ‘do to’ people. There has been less focus on how students temper their use of smartphones in a classroom and while doing schoolwork – in other words, what they ‘do with’ their technological devices, such as smartphones. This research was completed in Winter 2021 via online survey with 632 undergraduate students at a large Canadian University. It found that students employ a variety of strategies that help mitigate the risks of smartphone use. These include installing apps that manage time on various platforms, turning off notifications, or placing their phone in a coat or bag. Some students turn off their phone or leave it in another room when taking online classes. This study positioned the students themselves as ‘experts’ in the use of their smartphones. The findings suggest that many students feel they limit their smartphone use in class or while studying far better than professors and the media suggest.