, ENG2601 Assignment 3 2024 - DUE 5 August 2024
Banning mobile phones in schools can improve students’ academic
performance. This is how we know. Author: Louis-Philippe Beland
Published: March 21, 2021, 8.49pm SAST The effects of mobiles phones
and other technology at school is a hotly debated topic in many countries.
Some advocate for a complete ban to limit distractions, while others
suggest using technology as a teaching tool. Kids in public South
Australian primary schools started the school year without being allowed to
bring their mobile phones to class, unless they are needed for class
activity. All students in public Western Australian Victorian, and Tasmanian
schools have a mobile phone ban in place since for all or some of 2020.
New South Wales also banned mobile phones in public primary schools,
with secondary schools having the option to opt in, since the start of 2020.
Education departments have introduced the bans for various reasons
including to improve academic outcomes and decrease bullying. Several
recent papers point to positive impact of banning mobile phones at school
on student performance and other outcomes. Understanding the evidence
is crucial for best policy. In a 2015 paper, we used a method — called a
difference-in-difference strategy — as well as student data from England to
investigate the effect of banning mobile phones on student performance. In
this method, we compared schools that have had phones removed to
similar schools with no phone bans. This allowed us to isolate the effect of
mobiles phones on student performance from other factors that could affect
performance. We found banning mobile phones at school leads to an
increase in student performance. Our results suggest that after schools
banned mobile phones, test scores of students aged 16 increased by 6.4%
of a standard deviation. This is equivalent to adding five days to the school
year or an additional hour a week. The effects were twice as large for low-
achieving students, and we found no impact on high achieving students. 4
Our results suggest low-performing students are more likely to be
distracted by the presence of mobile phones, while high performing
students can focus with or without mobile phones. The results of our paper
suggest banning mobile phones has considerable benefits including a
reduction in the gap between high- and low- achieving students. This is
substantial improvement for a low-cost education policy. Other studies
show similar results. Recent studies from Spain and Norway, using a
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller msmartie11. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R45,39. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.