Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents a review of related literature and studies which provides relevant information
on effects of time spent in using cellphones to students. Articles gathered from books, journals, internet and
other sources have given the proponent deeper insights into the problem being undertaken.

Related Literature

Literature is defined as a peace of printed work related to the ideas and feelings of the people, which
may be true or just a product of writer's imagination (Saymo et al., 2004). As Kahayon and Zulueta (2000)
state, some loosely interpret literature as any printed matter written within a book, a magazine, or a
pamphlet. Others define literature as a faithful reproduction of man's manifold experiences blended into
one harmonious expression. They also believe that studying literature makes people appreciate their literary
heritage of rich ideas handed from generation to generation. The aforementioned authors also cite Azurin
who states that literatures expresses the feeling of people to society, to the government, to his surroundings,
to his fellowmen and to his Devine creator.

True literature is a peace of written work which is undying. It expresses the feelings and emotions
of people in response to his everyday efforts to live, to be happy in his environment and, after struggles, to
reach his Creator (Salazar et al, 1995). In addition, Croghan (2000) expresses that reading a nation's
literature means knowing its spirit for in literature, one discovers how the people of a nation have reacted
to the events around them. He believes that literature offers much more than a mere personalized story.
When Literature is shared, a person recognizes his own experiences, learns what he is or how he has become
what he is, and discovers what he might be in the future. They claim that literature is the history of the
people’s soul; they enumerate some importance of studying it.

Literature mirrors the objective, feelings, dreams, hopes and pleas of individuals or those which
are written or mentioned in the pleasant, colorful, artistic, and meaningful expressions. Literature initiates
actions from men with regards to their patriotism and nationalism. This is strength that binds people's
feelings and enlightens and awakens them to reason and justice. Similarly, de Ungria (2009) expresses that
the absence of critical consciousness in literature can be an indicator of lack of passion for truth and viable
intellectual climate in the country.
 The abovementioned descriptions of Kahayon and Zulueta, Azurin, Croghan, and de Ungria about
literature showed the importance of having literature pieces in a country whether written or spoken. This
are reflections of the culture that one country had and the struggles that its people had gone through. These
facts strongly supported the interrelationship between literature and history of a country. Their ideas are
significant to this study because the researcher has to consider the history of cellphone used in our country.
The findings may serve as bases for writing the lesson episodes. This could make those individuals who
would use them, specifically students better understand the effects of using cellphone.

With the advancement of modern technology and in particular mobile technology it is no wonder
that cell phones and their popularity are on the rise. It is perhaps because of their ease of use and their
ability to facilitate other applications. It is because of this that many experts in psychology have begun to
study the effects of cell phones on our society.

A study by Adriana Bianchi and Dr. James G. Phillips, Ph.D., (2005), using predictors from
addiction literature, the study sought to predict problematic mobile phone usage. It keyed in on factors they
believed to cause mobile phone disorders. 195 subjects of both genders and an average age of 36 (ranging
from 18-85 years old) were interviewed. The results lead to the creation of the Mobile Phone Problem Use
Scale. This scale was compared to the Addiction Potential Scale. Fundamentals that were used to compare
the scales and create the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale were the amount of time one uses their cell
phone and the type of usage. The behavioral predictors that influenced the amount of cell phone usage were:
being extraverted, possessing low self-esteem, and being young. These characteristics were fundamental in
determining problematic cell phone use. The study showed that these behavioral predictors did not influence
the amount of cell phone usage: gender, and neuroticism. The scale developed was designed to help with
implementing any interventions for potential addictive behavior.

Age was a key factor in predicting problematic cell phone use. That is why other psychologists
have begun to perform studies focusing on adolescents. Hyun Young Koo and Hyun Sook Park (2010)
study of adolescents, in which 548 students were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their cell phone
use. The results of the questionnaires were that just under 89% believed they were average cell phone users,
while 8.4% believed they were heavy users and only 2.9% percent believed they were addicted to their cell
phone. This study found that gender, texting, monthly charges, impulsiveness, recreational reasons and
cultural reasons were all influential to cell phone addiction. There are some contradicting findings from
Koo and Park’s (2010) study when compared to Bianchi and Dr. Phillips, Ph.D., (2005) study. The biggest
contradiction was that Bianchi and Dr. Phillips, Ph.D., (2005) study indicated that gender was not a
predictor for problematic cell phone use, while Koo and Park’s (2010) study did.
 There are others that disagree with the idea of cell phones as being addictive. X. Sanchez-Carbonell,
M. Beranuy, M. Castellana, A. Chamarro and U. Oberst (2008) say that cell phones can be used in a
maladaptive way however this should be considered abuse and not addiction. Their study results continue
to say that the Internet does pose addiction potential but that cell phones do not because their use does not
promote rapid emotional changes. Again we see a different point of view to Bianchi and Dr. Phillips, Ph.D.,
(2005), study results in the sense that while cell phones were considered to be used in an abusive manner it
was not considered addictive.

Texting feature in mobile phones has become a “God’s gift” for most of the people. This feature
made this communication very convenient to everyone. It has become an important part of the daily lives
of people, especially to the Filipinos. According to AHN Media Corp (2010), the Philippines has been
tagged as the “texting capital of the world”. Many Filipinos exchange text messages with the use of their
mobile phones. People have become frequent texters, and they have started sending messages in shortened
ways. This problem cropped up with the innovation of this new technology, and its possible effects on the
students’ language proficiency.

The language proficiency of the students are important for effective communication. Language,
according to McKee (1939), will successfully help people in different activities, which involve
communication, various types of interaction, or even writing. Whether we are students or not, there is a
need to use language appropriately. McKee goes on to say that the ability to write effectively is still
important regardless of the influential and incredible effects of technology on man’s activities (p.3).

One of the most common issues of text messaging is its effects on education. Some educators say
it is negatively affecting the spelling proficiency of the students. According to Dolch (1942), “Children
must spell if they are to write”. When we write, we are really writing down our thoughts. These thoughts
are expressed using words, and these words need to be spelled correctly. Therefore, writing would require
appropriate spelling (p. 1).

Writing, in addition, is very important, because it is one form of communication. According to

Shidle (1965), “writing skills are needed everywhere”. In his book The Art of Successful Communication,
he states that it is hard to find works which no longer needs communicating skills. Anywhere, man can
connect ideas through written communication, which exists in any level. Every person has the need to
communicate effectively, and writing them down is one of the most efficient way (p. 11). Also, according
to Quattrini (1985), the best way to show these ideas is through writing because it is like “shaping” what
you are thinking. This “shaping” also includes choosing the right words for your thought (p. 2-3). These
words would bring the message of your thoughts (Cruse, 2000).
 The abovementioned descriptions of McKee, Dolch, Shdle, Quattrini and Cruse gives more focus
on the students’ use of the shorthand method of texting, which they sometimes tend to apply on their school
works. This will serve as a point of reflection for the students, to discover whether text messaging and the
use of abbreviations or jargons could positively or negatively affect their spelling and grammar proficiency.
The various researches we have gathered from different sources are composed of numerous ideas that led
us to the formulation of different assumptions about the use of shorthand texting. Its only difference from
our research is that our study will also focus on the frequency of cellular phone use, which was given less
focus on other researches.

The impact that cell phones have made on high school and college students has been both positive
and negative. For example, the advancements of cell phones and tablets have played a major role in the
utilization of education in the classroom. In the 1990s, cell phones and tablets did not exist in the classroom,
students had to rely solely on computers that were usually placed in a computer lab, or in the library. This
can be considered a setback to the teacher and to the student because it requires students to leave the
classroom environment to use the internet for research.

Furthermore, students had to rely on reading material out of the library which slowed down the
research process for writing papers and/or thesis’. Now, here we are in the twenty-first century and
classrooms are filled with a large variety of laptops, cell phones and tablets. With the availability to the
internet being near limitless, but the technology can be very distracting to the students. The student’s
distraction, is thus distracting to the teachers or professors and to the student’s fellow classmates. Over the
last 50 years modern advancements in technology have played a crucial role in the development of
education in both negative and positive aspects.

In the first article supporting the thesis, “Do Cell Phones belong in the Classroom?” Robert Earl
discusses the use of cell phones by students during their classes. He talks about how some schools allow
cell phones for safety reasons, but the students are not permitted to be on their cell phones during lectures.
However, many students continue to use their cell phones during classes. Robert Earl provides statistics
pertaining to these students. He identifies several reasons cell phones can be useful, and provides evidence
that cell phones can be an advantage to high school and college age students. He still believes that cell
phones do not belong in the classroom, stating “However none of these supposed advantages can overcome
one very basic disadvantage: Cell phones distract students from schoolwork and class activities.” Robert
Earl encourages teachers and professors to be aware of the use of cell phones during class. He emphasizes
the importance of encouraging the learner to focus and concentrate on the class subject, not their cell phone
screen. Robert Earl provides information about how student’s IQ will decrease by 10 points. This is due to
the student being distracted, by their cell phones, from their studies.
 In the second article that supports the thesis, “The Etiquette of In-Class Texting” there are many
authors that discuss the use of cell phones in college classrooms and the affect that cell phones have on
students, their teachers and their peers. The cell phones are portrayed as positive and negative attributes to
the college students. The journal includes a study that provides proof that college students are distracted by
their cell phones, and their distraction is proven to be just as distracting to their professors. The journal
provides the perceptions of cell phone use affecting student’s ability to learn. “Negative consequences and
concerns about cell phone use include poor spelling, bad grammar, and distracted attention,” (Etiquette, 3).
The authors provide negative attributes of the cell phone to demonstrate why teachers and professors feel
that they need to ban cell phones and other technology, (such as tablets) in their classrooms. The article
finishes by explaining how this type of technology connects students to each other and the world.

In the last article, providing defense against the thesis, “Using Cell Phones in the Classroom”
Edward Graham discusses the transition a teaching veteran has worked on in order to make his classroom
mobile device friendly. Graham provides statistics for the amount of children with phones, and compares
it to how just a few years before a lot of the teacher’s students did not have a cell phone. Graham talks
about the veteran teacher’s tactic to prevent negative cell phone use in his classroom. “During class, Halla
roams around the room helping students with their work, all the while overseeing everything to make sure
that they’re staying on task.” Graham states that the teacher, Halla, has provided apps and websites for the
students and their parents to use, which has increased the total amount of students that do his homework
assignments and has allowed parents to be more involved in the students school and homework practice.
“Halla says many parents’ sign up for the app to keep track of their children’s homework.” Halla has
provided websites that the students can use prior to their tests and it allows him to see how well the students
are understanding the material.

Lastly, in evaluation of the two supporting sources, “Do Cell Phones belong in the Classroom?”
and “The Etiquette of In-Class Texting” the two sources were effective in strengthening the thesis. This
was done by providing examples of many of the negative consequences that occur due to using cell phones
during class or too often. The weaknesses that are in the third source “Using Cell Phones in the Classroom,”
include the teacher’s lack of acknowledging that some students do not abide by his cell phone rules. There
are students that do not want to have their phones out at the teacher’s permission, so they will lie and are in
this way able to text during class while the teacher is out of the classroom or while they are helping another
student. Another weakness is that Graham does not acknowledge any arguments or negative feedback he
may have gotten. His article is written solely for the purpose of encouraging cell phone use in class rooms.

In conclusion, the effect of cell phones on college and high school students has been primarily
negative. Over the last 50 years modern advancements in technology have played a crucial role in the
development of education in both negative and positive aspects. The two supporting sources have provided
proof to how cell phones make available some positive advantages to the student’s access to internet and
therefore also access to faster research opportunities. The third opposing source provided information to
how useful cell phones can be to students learning and the increase in the amount of work that gets done
when students are allowed to use their phones, but there are always students that do not want to follow the
teacher’s rules, and therefore mess it up for all of the other students.

Related Studies

In reacquainting people to their rich literature, several researches were conducted. Studies in the
local scenes were presented for deeper appreciation of culture and value, specifically the student heritage.
These strengthened the support that the proponent needs regarding the study being undertaken.

Muhammad Khan (2009, September 2) Research findings indicate that the use of mobile phones
may lead to a number of symptoms such as headache, impaired concentration and memory, and also
fatigue. Materials and Methods: The present study was designed to investigate whether the symptoms of
ill health reported by young people may be associated with the use of mobile phone (MP) and to analyze
its influence on health and development of medical students. The questionnaire was designed specifically
for this study and contained items regarding health condition and health complaints as well as the
frequency of MP use. The response rate was 86.6% (286 of 330 forms, completed by 73.77% males and
26.22% females). Results: Most of the subjects (83.57%) had some knowledge about the adverse effects
of MP use. 76.92% of the students carried one mobile, and 23.08% more than one. 55.94%, of the
subjects reported the average daily MP use of less than 30 min, 27.97%, of 30-60 min, 11.53%, of 60-90
min and 4.54% of more than 90 min. 16.08% of the subjects complained of headache and 24.48% of
fatigue. Impaired concentration was reported by 34.27% of respondents, memory disturbances by
40.56%, Sleeplessness by 38.8%, hearing problems by 23.07%, and facial dermatitis by 16.78%. The
sensation of warmth within the auricle and behind/around the ear was reported by 28.32%. Out of 286
subjects who participated in this study, 44.4% related their symptoms to mobile phone
use. Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that mobile phones play a large part in the
daily life of medical students. Therefore, its impact on psychology and health should be discussed among
the students to prevent the harmful effects of mobile phone use.

Aspray and Kelly (2006) defined mobile phone as portable telephone that can function over a
wide area. The term is applied to both mobile and satellite phones, although it is most often used as
synonym for cell phone.
Rich Ling (2003) stated that the mobile phone has fundamentally affected our society, accessibility,
safety, and security, co-ordination of social and business activities and use of public places. It has just
become the part of culture of every region in the world. According to a famous writer and researcher on
mobile phone, Jon Agar (2005), until not very long ago, the mobile phone was expensive and the preserve
of a rich few. Today the cell phone is everywhere and so common that it goes unnoticed. Fredrick Tracy
(2006) wrote some positive and healthy impacts and effects of mobile phone on students’ performance at
the university level include: to contact easily with the teachers, classmates and parents; to trace easily the
teachers, classmates for the solution of educational problems; to use internet to search out the useful
information. Ansari (2007) stated it has a number of negative and unhealthy impacts and effects on
students’ performances at the university level, including the wastage of time and money. Its vibration and
use may be harmful for health.

Sara T, Annika H, Mats H (2011) result of studies, there were cross-sectional associations
between high compared to low mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of
depression for the men and women. When excluding respondents reporting mental health symptoms at
baseline, high mobile phone use was associated with sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression for
the men and symptoms of depression for the women at 1-year follow-up. All qualitative variables had
cross-sectional associations with mental health outcomes. In prospective analysis, overuse was associated
with stress and sleep disturbances for women, and high accessibility stress was associated with stress,
sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression for both men and women. Conclusions: High frequency
of mobile phone use at baseline was a risk factor for mental health outcomes at 1-year follow-up among
the young adults. The risk for reporting mental health symptoms at follow-up was greatest among those
who had perceived accessibility via mobile phones to be stressful. Public health prevention strategies
focusing on attitudes could include information and advice, helping young adults to set limits for their
own and others' accessibility.

The study, authored by Gaby Badre, MD, PhD, of Sahlgren's Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden,
focused on 21 healthy subjects, between 14-20 years of age, with regular working/studying hours and
without sleep problems. The subjects were broken up into two groups: a control group (three men,
seven women) and the experimental group (three men, eight women). The control group made less
than five calls and/or sent five text messages a day, while the experimental group made more than 15
calls and/or sent 15 text messages a day. The subjects were then asked questions regarding their
lifestyle and sleep habits. According to the results, when compared to subjects with restricted use of cell
phones, young people with excessive use of cell phones (both talking and text messaging) have increased
restlessness with more careless lifestyles, more consumption of stimulating beverages, difficulty in falling
asleep and disrupted sleep, and more susceptibility to stress and fatigue. They behave more like larks than
owls, suggesting a delayed biological clock. "Addiction to cell phone is becoming common. Youngsters
feel a group pressure to remain inter-connected and reachable round the clock. Children start to use
mobile phones at an early stage of their life. There seem to be a connection between intensive use of cell
phones and health compromising behavior, such as smoking, snuffing and use of alcohol," said Dr. Badre.
Dr. Badre stresses the importance of good sleep for young people. "It is adamant/necessary to increase the
awareness among youngsters of the negative effects of excessive mobile phone use on their sleep-wake
patterns, with serious health risks as well as attention and cognitive problems," said Dr. Badre. It is
recommended that adolescents get nine hours of nightly sleep.

Volkow ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ, Vaska P, Fowler JS, et al. (2011), result of study state that
Whole-brain metabolism did not differ between on and off conditions. In contrast, metabolism in the
region closest to the antenna (orbitofrontal cortex and temporal pole) was significantly higher for on
than off conditions (35.7 vs 33.3 μmol/100 g per minute; mean difference, 2.4 [95% confidence interval,
0.67-4.2]; P = .004). The increases were significantly correlated with the estimated electromagnetic field
amplitudes both for absolute metabolism (R = 0.95, P < .001) and normalized metabolism (R = 0.89; P <
.001). CONCLUSIONS: In healthy participants and compared with no exposure, 50-minute cell phone
exposure was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the region closest to the antenna.
This finding is of unknown clinical significance.

Francisca LT (2007) study states that mobile-phone addiction in teenagers may cause severe
psychological disorders. That is the conclusion reached by Francisca Lopez Torrecillas, lecturer at the
department of Personality and Psychological Assessment and Treatment of the University of Granada
(UGR) and an expert in psychological addictions, who carried out a fieldwork among several hundreds of
18 to 25-year-old young adults from the city of Granada. UGR professor warns of the danger that 40 %
of young adults admit using their mobile phones during more than four hours a day. Most of them state
that they spend "several hours a day", using their phones, be it talking, sending text messages or giving
the so-called missed or drop calls. Many of these people take a real offence at not getting a missed call
or a message answered, which makes them feel "deeply upset and sad". Lopez Torrecillas highlights that
this addiction is the result of social changes occurred in the last decade. The main difference between
this kind of addiction and alcoholism or drug-addiction is that mobile phones do not apparently cause
physical effects, but psychological ones. "Mobile-addicts can be seriously affected at the psychological
level but, as they don't show any physical symptoms, their disorder goes unnoticed to others", says the
UGR professor. Mobile-addicts tend to neglect obligations of important activities (e.g. job or studies),
drift apart from friends and close family, deny the problem and think about the mobile phone constantly
when they do not have it with them. "Most mobile-addicts are people with low self-esteem and
problems to develop social relations, who feel the urge to be constantly connected and in contact with
others." Francisca Lopez Torrecillas says that these people "can become totally upset when deprived
from their mobile phones for some time, regardless of the reason". "Switching off their phones causes
them anxiety, irritability, sleep disorders or sleeplessness, and even shivering and digestive problems",
points out the UGR professor. Finding out whether your child is a mobile-addict is far from easy.
"Someone can spend eight hours a day at their computer, or permanently hooked to their phones, and
not being an addict. In the case of young people, many parents see this use as something normal, but
they should control misuse", warns the professor. Lopez Torrecillas states that making "a reasonable
use" of mobile phones can be even positive for teenagers, "since it enables them to keep their friends
near and feel backed by their peers", but misusing this device "can have irreversible effects on the
development of teenagers' personality". In fact, addiction to mobile phones should be included into a
greater group – that of addiction to new technologies. "This is the result of the dramatic change in
values taking place in our times. Likewise the hippy movement, a new generation of teenagers is arising
and they have grown up surrounded by mobile phones and the Internet", says the author of this work,
who highlights that part of the blame is to be put on "many parents who buy a mobile phone to their
children and force them to have it constantly connected so as to always know where they are".