The Relationship between Smartphone use and Academic Performance in a Sample of Tertiary Students in Singapore: A Cross-Sectional Study

Volume 14 Issue 4 January - March 2018

Research Paper

The Relationship between Smartphone use and Academic Performance in a Sample of Tertiary Students in Singapore: A Cross-Sectional Study

Jingming Zhao *, Wei Yuping **, Ismail Maideen***, Zan Khin Moe****, A. M. A. Nasirudeen*****

*-**,**** Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore

***,***** Senior Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore.

Zhao, J., Yuping, W., Maideen, I., Moe, Z. K., and Nasirudeen, A. M. A. (2018). The Relationship between Smartphone use and Academic Performance in a Sample of Tertiary Students in Singapore: A Cross-Sectional Study. i-manager’s Journal of Educational Technology, 14(4), 28-35. https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.14.4.13977

Abstract

The use of smartphone for socialising and learning has become a norm among students in Singapore. Educational institutions are creating lessons and applications for use on mobile platforms. However, the effectiveness of smartphones for learning has not been well studied in Singapore. This study was conducted to understand the association between smartphone use for learning activities and academic performance (measured by cumulative GPA) in a sample of tertiary students in Singapore. A questionnaire that contained questions concerning demographic data and use of smartphone for learning was used for data collection (n=619). Results showed that there is a significant association between smartphone use for learning activities and student's cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) (p< 0.05). Results also indicated that female students used the smartphones more frequently for learning compared to male students and international students made more frequent use of smartphones for learning compared to local students. Students' level of satisfaction with using smartphone for learning activities was also surveyed. In conclusion, this study showed that students who used smartphones for learning had higher academic performance (cGPA). Variables such as gender and nationality of students played a role in smartphone use for learning and impacted on students' cGPA.