CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

During the formative stage of adolescence, it is vital to keep a healthy

social and mental well-being through productive communication between the

parents, friends, to the society and other interpersonal relationships of a young

adult. However, with the digital world that we live in, this once what seemed to be

a simple task now seems very challenging and tedious, with the rise of social

media and various mobile games.

While others argue that mobile games build cooperation and teamwork

among its users, some adverse effect of too much exposure to such is starting to

be felt especially among teenagers. This study will focus on both the negative

and positive effects of mobile gaming to a specific age group among the youth,

which is from ten to nineteen years old, which is often referred to as the

adolescent stage.

Lopez-Fernandez (2019), mentioned gaming addiction, and that it falls

under the category of gaming disorder that, is a pattern of frequent or persistent

gaming conduct (video-gaming or digital gaming), which may be offline or online.

The disorder can present itself through the escalation or continuation of gaming
despite the occurrence of adverse circumstances, a rising priority given to

gaming, such that daily activities and other life interests become marginal, and

impaired control over gaming, including its context, termination, duration,

intensity, frequency, and the danger that may posed by excessive gaming is the

chief reason for the topic to have been chosen.

The result and findings of this study aims to find out how gaming affects

the relationship of a teenager with respect to his/her family, friends and peers as

well as his communication skills. Through this study, teens can reflect and

examine among themselves what habits are useful; thus, they must continue,

and which ones are destructive, thus they must eliminate at this early stage of

their lives. Findings will also help guardians understand the younger generation

and their attitudes – why they act the way they do and how to handle them, in a

healthy and supportive way.

Theoretical Background

This study is anchored on the theory mentioned by Team (2022) that

defines Interpersonal communication, which is the process of exchange of

information, ideas and feelings between two or more people through verbal or

non-verbal methods. The constant isolation of a teenager from other people,

limiting the social interactions and activities of the gamers; in this practice,

psychological problems may arise affecting their psychological and social

behavior. In which the players may practically prefer all the social interactions
and relations occurring in the virtual environment than in the real world, and they

provide the need for stabilizing the social situation and sense of belonging

through interaction with other playmates in the game.

The study, helps to identify the impact of mobile games on different

interpersonal skills of a teenager based on his/her emotional intelligence,

teamwork, integrity and social boldness.

First is emotional intelligence, as defined by Landry (2019), is the ability

to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as recognize and

influence the emotions of those around you. People with high emotional

intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional

information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and

label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.

In the article entitled “Improving Emotional Intelligence” (2022), it

mentioned emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ),

as the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive

ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others,

overcome challenges and defuse conflict. Emotional intelligence helps you build

stronger relationships, succeed at school and work, and achieve your career and

personal goals. It can also help you to connect with your feelings, turn intention

into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you.

Second is teamwork, Tanner (2018) state that it is the process of working

collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal. Teamwork

means that people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing

constructive feedback, despite any personal conflict between individuals. That it

is selfless, it focuses on the end goal and runs on the concept that the whole is

greater than the sum of its parts. It’s the classic “one plus one equals three” idea.

When people collaborate, they work together toward a common goal. Thus, the

foundation for teamwork is a common goal. If each team member has a different

agenda, collaboration will be difficult, and it will become much harder to produce

exceptional work and achieve goals.

The article “The Happy Manager” (n.d.) speak briefly that teamwork is

generally understood as the willingness of a group of people to work together to

achieve a common aim. For example, we often use the phrase: “he or she is a

good team player”. This means someone has the interests of the team at heart,

working for the good of the team. But teamwork is not exclusive to teams. For

example, you can see evidence of teamwork in a committee, which might not

necessarily see itself as a team. In this context, teamwork might be random co-

operation, effectively working together for periods of time. But not always! To

define teamwork it might also be worth clarifying what it’s not, and thinking about

the distinction between teams and teamwork. In our view, a team exists when

individual strengths and skills are combined with teamwork, in the pursuit of a

common direction or cause, in order to produce meaningful results for the team

members and the organization. A team combines individual strengths with a

shared commitment to performance, it’s not just about getting on well together.

Teamwork is absolutely fundamental for teams to work effectively. Only when the
skills and strengths of individual team members are joined with shared goals, and

a focus on collective performance, will you start to see the benefits of a team at

work. Thus, it suggests that people work in an atmosphere of mutual support and

trust, working together cohesively, with good inter-group relations. Each other’s

strengths are valued. It should also foster an increasing maturity of relationship,

where people are free to disagree constructively, and where both support and

challenge are a part of helping teams work.

Third is integrity. According to Killinger (2007), Integrity is the practice of

being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong

moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the

honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can stand in

opposition to hypocrisy, in that judging with the standards of integrity involves

regarding internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding

within themselves apparently conflicting values should account for the

discrepancy or alter their beliefs.

The University of Chicago press journal (n.d.) also defined integrity as a

complex concept with alliances to conventional standards of morality, especially

those of truth telling, honesty, and fairness, as well as to personal ideals that may

conflict with such standards. That such person is usually thought of as being

honest, upright and loyal. Sometimes this is understood simply in terms of certain

types of behavior which confirm to the socially accepted code of morality: he

keeps his promises, he does not cheat, he does not tell lies. Sometimes it is

thought that what matters is not so much adherence to an accepted code, but
rather that the person of integrity should do what he himself thinks right,

regardless of whether this coincides with the more conventional view. He will be

true to the standards he has come to accept, stick to the principles he has

evolve. The focus of his honesty and loyalty will be these principles themselves,

and how he behaves in a social context will depend on their nature. We may

dislike his principles, but we admire him at least for having the courage of his

convictions. While on the first interpretation "integrity" appears to be a label for a

selected set of moral virtues, on the second interpretation it seems rather a label

for a special application of these virtues viz. honesty about and loyalty to one's

own principles.

And lastly, social boldness, as described by Ólafsdóttir (2016), the

tendency to be explorative, risk prone and proactive, often varies consistently

between individuals. An individual’s position on the boldness–shyness continuum

has many implications. Bold individuals may outperform shyer conspecifics

during foraging as they cover more ground, accumulate information more rapidly

and make more frequent food discoveries. Extreme shyness on the other hand

can interfere with socializing, it can also affect a person's self-confidence and

self-esteem. And it can prevent someone from taking advantage of opportunities

or trying new things. Extreme feelings of shyness are often a sign of an anxiety

condition called social phobia.

In an article “How To Not to Be Shy: 9 Tips to Learn to Overcome

Shyness” (n.d.), mentioned 3 common cause of shyness and these are 1.

Inherited genes - these personality traits aren’t set in stone. Being a shy child
doesn't mean that you’ll be a shy adult, 2. Environmental influences - The

environment in which you grew up has a lot of impact on you. It can have a hold

on you for many years to come. Having stringent parents who outlined everything

you could — and couldn't — do as a child, can make it hard to step outside your

comfort zone as an adult. Or, if you grew up in an unsafe environment, you could

be scared to put yourself out there in social settings, and lastly, 3. Traumatic

experiences - experiences from childhood can stay with you into adulthood. For

instance, being bullied as a kid could cause your shyness to develop. Or, if you

were ridiculed and teased for your hobbies or passions as a young person, you

may be hesitant to express them now. Living through a change in your family

dynamic — from divorce or death — can also lead to shyness.

Flow of the research process

The research flow chart shows the development of the study. The chart

has graphical symbols presenting a procedure which consists of the Input, the

Process and the Output.

The Input of the study aims to determine the impact of mobile games in

terms of Emotional Intelligence, Teamwork, Integrity and Social Boldness.

The Process part includes the methods applied to get the relevant

information needed for the study. It involves the formulation, finalization,

administration, and retrieval of the filled-out questionnaires. The data are then

filed for tabulation, presentation, analysis and interpretation.

The Output is the conclusion.
 THE PROBLEM

Statement of the problem

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Impact of Mobile Games on

Relationship and Interpersonal Communication among Youths.

In order to attain the objectives, the following questions were asked:

1. Introduction:

1.1 Playing is my priority even if I have unfinished task/assignments;

1.2 I play at least 3 hours a day; and

1.3 I play for fun/stress relief?

2. As assessed by the teenager, how it affects his interpersonal

communication in the areas of:

2.1 Emotional Intelligence;

2.2 Teamwork;

2.3 Integrity; and

2.4 Social Boldness?

3. Is there significant relationship between gaming and social life?

 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The research study is significant to the following stakeholders:

The Respondents

It will give knowledge to the respondents on how important interpersonal

skills are when used for communicating and working with groups and individuals

in your personal and professional life. It will tend to build good relationships and

can work well with others.

The Family

By ensuring their children not only physically safe but also emotional

healthy through constant communication from them on their welfare which may

affect their school performance, attendance, and self-worth.

The Friends

It will prevent isolation and loneliness and give a chance to offer needed

companionship. It will also increase the sense of belonging and purpose.

The Educational or Social Welfare Institutions

The study will help educational or other social welfare institutions to

innovate and facilitate activities for the youths to minimize their playing time on

mobile games.
 RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design underscores the research methodology,

tools/instruments, participants/respondents, models and theories, data

description, gathering, collection and analysis. This research design enables to

understand the different parts of the study and expound the rationale for

selecting such tool, procedure, or target participant, among others.

Research Method

The study is about the impact of mobile games on relationships and

interpersonal skills on youths and utilize the descriptive survey method with the

aid of a questionnaire crafted by the researcher as the main instrument to gather

data.

Research Environment

The researcher will conduct the study in Academia de San Miguel

Arcangel - Argao, Cebu, a private school, located in Suba, Barangay Poblacion,

Argao, Cebu.
Figure 2 - Location Map
Research Respondents

According to the management of the school, total population of its

students is 451 are ages between 13-19 years old. Of these total number of

students, 10% or a total of 45 were randomly selected as the research

respondents.

Research Instruments

The data was collected by the use of survey questionnaire. The survey

questionnaire was formulated using relevant statements to each individual

variable (Emotional Intelligence, Teamwork, Integrity and Social Boldness)

created by the researcher.

In the survey questionnaire, a scale was used to determine on how the

students think, that the impact of mobile games on relationship and interpersonal

skills based on a set of statements. Their agreement or disagreement to the

statements used the following response mode:

SCALE DESCRIPTION INTERPRETATION

4 Strongly Agree (SA) This means that the attribute identified is evident all
………………………………………………………………the time.
3 Agree(A) This means that the attribute identified is evident
………………………………………………………………most of the time.
2 Moderately Agree (MA) This means that the attribute identified is evident
………………………………………………………………sometimes.
1 Disagree (D) This means that the attribute identified is not evident
………………………………………………………………at all.
Data Gathering Procedure

Before gathering of the data, the researcher seeks approval to the

management of Academia de San Miguel Arcangel - Argao, Cebu to conduct the

study. The letter request was address to the school office to verify the approval of

the study.

The researcher then distributed the survey questionnaire and made some

personal interviews with the respondents. The researcher then collected the

filled-out questionnaires and the responses were tabulated, presented, analyzed

and interpreted.

Data Treatment

The data collected was analyzed through the formula below:

To compute the percentage, the researcher divided the frequency of each

factor by the number of respondents multiplied by 45.

The formula is as follows : P = f/n x 100

Where : P = percentage

: f = frequency

: n = number of respondents

: 100 = constant number used as multiplier

 The data collected are subjected to the weighted average mean formula to

determine the central tendency of the responses.

The formula is as follows:

µ = ∑fx  n

Where : µ = weighted mean

∑ = summation

F = number of respondents under each scale

X = weight assigned to each scale

N = number of respondents

For the researcher to facilitate the analysis of the weighted mean, the

following mean range and interpretation are utilized:

Mean Range Description

3.26 – 4.00 Strongly Agree (SA)

 2.51 – 3.25 Agree (A)

1.76 – 2.50 Moderately Agree (MA)

1.00 – 1.75 Disagree (D)

DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms are operationally defined as:

Boldness is described as confident and courageous, never afraid to take

risks and speak up in danger. A bold person is ever ready to step out of their

comfort zones and take action when the occasion calls for it. Boldness does not

connote rudeness or disrespect; it rather shows great self-confidence

Discern is to distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty by sight or

with the other senses.

Emotional Quotient is the ability to understand, use, and manage your

own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively,

empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to

which one's own behavior does not conform.

Social Phobia is a social anxiety disorder, a long-term and overwhelming

fear of social situations and a common problem that usually starts during the

teenage years.
 References

Creative Organizational Design. (2022, January 22). Interpersonal Communications Test

- For communication skill assessment.

https://www.creativeorgdesign.com/tests/interpersonal-communications/?

fbclid=IwAR02Co_IGMd8lLgSMfxqkX-6cNSQ56C_-

sYvMp2xgEZP_eso9YRdogf6wGs

Define Teamwork | a teamwork definition that works! (2021, April 17). The Happy

Manager.

https://the-happy-manager.com/article/define-teamwork/

How To Not to Be Shy: 9 Tips to Learn to Overcome Shyness. (n.d.).

https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-not-be-shy

Improving Emotional Intelligence (EQ). (n.d.). HelpGuide.org.

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/emotional-intelligence-eq.htm

Integrity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). (2021, July 26).

http://seop.illc.uva.nl/entries/integrity/

JSTOR: Access Check. (n.d.).

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4106856

Killinger, B. (2007). Barbara Killinger, Integrity: Doing the Right Thing for the Right

Reason - PhilPapers.

https://philpapers.org/rec/KILIDT-2

Landry, L. (2019, April 3). Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: Why It’s Important.

Business Insights Blog.

https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership

Menguin, J. (2022, August 11). What Is Boldness? (Personal Core Values) | Jef Menguin

- Trainer, Author, & Consultant. Jef Menguin.

https://jefmenguin.com/core-values/boldness/
NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic. (n.d.).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5322987/

Ólafsdóttir, G. Á. (2016, August 4). Interactions between boldness, foraging performance

and behavioural plasticity across social contexts. SpringerLink.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-016-2193-0?

error=cookies_not_supported&code=d4b2f066-4a1c-4ef6-a675-ba474d0a44d4

Philosophy:Integrity - HandWiki. (n.d.).

https://handwiki.org/wiki/Philosophy:Integrity

Solutions, M. W. (n.d.). Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork!

https://www.cybersmile.org/what-we-do/advice-help/gaming-help-centre/

teamwork-makes-the-dreamwork

Team, H. C. (2022, November 14). Interpersonal Communication: Definition, Importance

and Must-Have Skills. Haiilo.

https://haiilo.com/blog/interpersonal-communication-definition-importance-and-

must-have-skills/

The teamwork definition and fostering collaboration at work. (n.d.). O.C. Tanner -

Appreciate Great Work.

https://www.octanner.com/insights/articles/2018/9/13/the_teamwork_definit.html

University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent. (n.d.). In RCNi Company Limited.

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/action/cookieAbsent

Werner Erhard, New Model of Integrity. (n.d.).

http://www.wernererhard.com/integrity_paper.html

What is teamwork: definition, meaning - Weje.io. (n.d.).

https://weje.io/blog/what-is-teamwork