Effects of Smartphone Usage on the Attention Span of Senior High

School Students

Practical Research 2

Members

Dan Gideon Deypalan

Patricia June Husain

Ralph Roger Cardaña

Ronalyn Catayas

Practical Research Adviser

Marvinson L. Sy
 ABSTRACT

This study investigates how smartphone usage affects the attention span of Senior

High School (SHS) students at Dulag National High School. Employing an ex-post facto

design with a sample of 36 randomly selected students, the research explores daily

smartphone usage, differences in attention span, and the overall association between

smartphone use and attention span. While the findings suggest a potential correlation

between extended smartphone use and shorter attention spans, the one-way ANOVA

analysis reveals no significant difference in attention span among students with varying

smartphone usage durations. The study includes Grade 11 and 12 students during the first

semester of S.Y. 2023-2024 and emphasizes the need for further research to investigate

additional factors influencing attention span.

Keywords: Smartphone Usage, Attention Span, Correlation, Statistical Significance

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
 The researchers acknowledge with unfeigned gratitude the glorious creator for the

knowledge, wisdom, guidance, provision, strength, and good health that He provided,

which made this research study successful.

For the respondents who participated in the survey, the researchers would like to

express and extend their heartfelt gratitude for their honest response and cooperation in

answering the survey questionnaire that helped to accomplish this study.

The families of the researchers who gave their moral and financial support, as

well as the friends and classmates of the researchers who accompanied them and gave

warm advice, made the researchers more motivated throughout the journey of conducting

the study.

Lastly, thanks to Mr. Marvinson Sy, a research teacher, for his intellectual advice

and for his patience in checking and ensuring the researchers’ work toward the

completion of this research. Also, for correcting every single flaw of the research paper

that led to the accomplishment of the research study.

This research study would not be successful without the help of all of you. Thank

you, and to God be all the glory!

Table of Contents
 CHAPTER Page Number

I. INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study………………………………………………………….

1

Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………….

3

Scope and Delimitation…………………………………………………………... 3

Significance of the Study………………………………………………………….

4

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Review of Related Literature……………………………………………………. 5

Conceptual Framework ………………………………………………………….

10

Definition of Terms ……………………………………………………………...

11

Research Hypothesis……………………………………………………………. 11

III. METHODOLOGY

Research Design………………………………………………………………… 12

Sampling Procedure…………………………………………………………….. 12

Instrumentation…………………………………………………………………. 13

Data Collection Procedure……………………………………………………….

13

Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………… 14

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION……………………………………………15

 V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS…………………………..18

References

Appendices

REFERENCES

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The relationship between screen media use and academic achievement: The

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Psychology, 00(00), 1-17. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3176

Anderson, R. C., & Jiang, J. (2018). The effects of digital technology on preteens and teens: A

current review of research. Children and Youth Services Review, 92, 56-65.

Carr, N. (2011). The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. Atlantic Books.

Common Sense Media. (2016). Teens, Social Media, and Technology Use.

Gay, L. R. (1976). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application (2nd ed.).

Columbus, OH: Merrill Publishing Company.

Huang, T., Wang, Y., & Luo, Y. (2023). The impact of smartphone use on attention span,

spontaneous urges, and memory: An observational study. Journal of Behavioral and

Brain Science, 16(3), 1-8.

Ismail, N., Nor, N. M., & Mohamad, M. F. (2017). The Relationship Between Smartphone Use

and Academic Performance: A Case of Students in a Malaysian Tertiary Institution.

Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 5(4), 1-12.

James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology. Henry Holt.

Kertzer, D. L., Mrug, S., & Zimmerman, R. J. (2019). The effects of smartphone use on

adolescent attention: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 145(1), 1-36.

Kowalczyk, R., & Saleh, I. (2022). Ex-post facto research design: An overview. In M. Levy &

M. Smith (Eds.), Handbook of research methods for social scientists: Quantitative

and mixed methods (pp. 15-27). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Liebherr, R. A., Müller, H. J., & Jäncke, L. (2020). The impact of smartphone use on cognitive

performance: A review of the literature. Psychological Bulletin, 146(11), 1341-

1360.

Liu, Y., & Campbell, W. A. (2017). The effect of smartphone use on face-to-face conversation

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Lunenburg, M., & Irby, C. (2008). An overview of sampling in educational research. SAGE

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(37), 15583-15587.

Pew Research Center. (2022, February 14). Smartphone ownership and usage among

Generation Z.

Rosen, L. D. (2011). The multitasking revolution: Updating the science of distraction.

American Psychologist, 66(3), 156-166.

Thornton, K. W., & Strayer, J. R. (2014). Self-regulation and distraction in the multitasking

age: The role of awareness and control in managing attention in the presence of

digital technology. Psychological Science, 25(2), 303-309.

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Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W. A., & Plancherel, K. M. (2017). Age differences in associations

between adolescents' and young adults' media use and their psychological and

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Walsh, S. P., & Schwartz, D. L. (2017). Youth and digital media: A guide to safe and effective

use. John Wiley & Sons.

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APPENDICES
 Permission Request for Data Collection in Practical Research 2

Dear Teachers and Students,

We are conducting a research project at DNHS, entitled "The Effects of

Smartphone Usage on the Attention Span of Senior High School Students." By assisting

us with this study, you will help us gather important data that could improve our

understanding on how the duration of smartphone use can affect the attention span.

Any randomly selected students are needed to participate in this session where

you will answer some questions in this room. The session will have minimal impact on

regular activities.

Your feedback is crucial for making our research successful. We appreciate your

support and encourage you to ask any questions or share any concerns you may have.

Please note:

 This data collection is for research purposes only.

 Your responses will be kept confidential and not shared with anyone outside the
research team.
 You may withdraw from the testing at any time without penalty.
  Please take your time and be honest while answering the questionnaire.

Thank you for considering our request.

Sincerely,
Dan Gideon Deypalan
Patricia June Husain
Ralph Roger Cardania Mr. Marvinson L. Sy
Ronalyn Catayas Practical Research Adviser
Measuring Smartphone Time Usage and Attention Span: A Pre-existing

Data of Senior High School Students

Name (Optional):_____________________________

Direction: For each question, please put a checkmark on the box that best reflects

your typical daily smartphone usage.

Part I. Smartphone Time Usage

1. How many hours per day do you typically spend using social media apps like

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter?

Less than 2 hours Between 2 and 3 hours More than 3 hours

Non-user

2. How many hours per day do you typically spend watching videos on YouTube or other

online video platforms?

Less than 2 hours Between 2 and 4 hours More than 4 hours

Non-user
3. How many hours per day do you typically spend playing mobile games?

Less than 1 hour Between 1 and 3 hours More than 3 hours

Non-user

4. How many hours per day do you typically spend browsing the internet for general

purposes, excluding activities related to schoolwork or research?

Less than 1 hour Between 1 and 2 hours More than 2 hours

Non-user

5. How many hours or minutes per day do you typically spend making phone calls,

sending text messages, or using messaging apps like Messenger or Snapchat?

Less than 1 hour Between 1 and 2 hours More than 2 hours

Non-user

Part II. Attention Span Assessment

Direction: For each statement, please put a checkmark on the box that best reflects
your honest assessment of your current ability to focus and attention.
Question Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

1. How often are you able to

completely immerse yourself in
a book or long assignment, even
when there are distractions
around?
2. How often do you find
yourself getting distracted by
irrelevant thoughts or worries
when you try to focus on a task,
such as thinking about what to
eat for dinner or how to resolve
a conflict with a friend?
3. How often do you find
yourself completely absorbed in
a lecture that makes you fully
engaged in the information
being presented?
4. How often do you find
yourself able to maintain clear
focus to finish tasks that require
a long period of concentration,
even when they are challenging?
5. How often do you feel
confident in your ability to resist
the urge to multitask and
maintain your focus on a single
task until its completion?
6. How often do you find
yourself forgetting what you
were doing because you were
easily distracted, even if you
were not multitasking?
7. How often do you find
yourself completely immersed in
the task at hand, able to
effortlessly ignore irrelevant
stimuli like notifications or
background noise?
8. How often do you find
yourself effortlessly juggling
multiple tasks simultaneously,
able to efficiently handle
conversations while writing
emails or taking detailed notes
during lectures, even with
minimal effort?
9. How often do you find
yourself entering a state of deep
focus when tackling important
tasks like studying for exams,
completing crucial work, or
following complex instructions?
10 How often can you
effectively maintain your
attention on the speaker and the
conversation even if it is long
and complex, even with
potential distractions?