INFLUENCE OF MOBILE PHONES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCES OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

The study examines the influence of mobile phones on the academic performances of senior secondary school students in Ovia North East Local Government Area in Edo state Nigeria; the study ascertains the extent to which mobile phones are utilized among students in secondary schools. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Convenience sampling technique was used to select two hundred (200) accessible students from public and private secondary schools in Ovia North East L.G.A. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire. The findings of the study reveal that performance of the secondary schools students is not significantly affected by their access to mobile phones. The study concludes that mobile phones which are in different types/models for specific tasks/functions are essential gadgets possessed by an average school student. It shows there was no vast influence on students’ academic performance in the secondary schools. The researcher therefore recommends that Secondary school students need to be re-orientated on the need to set their priorities right. This drive  towards  reorientation  must  be  championed  by  the  school  management  in conjunction with  the  parents/guardians  of  the  students.  While the usage of mobile phones by students cannot be outlawed drastically, they need to be continuously informed on the positive and negative effects of their usage and of the problems deriving from the over-dependency and unregulated use of their mobile phones.