The Educational and Disciplinary Impacts of Student Cell Phone Use at a Rural Secondary School

As student cell phone possession in schools increases yearly, uncharted challenges are presented to schools that are not necessarily equipped to handle them. This mixed methods research project examines the educational and disciplinary impact of secondary student cell phone use at West Shamokin JSHS. The goal of this study is to gather student, teacher, and parent perceptions on classroom cell phone policies and student cell phone use during the school day. Additionally, it is structured to determine what impact a classroom cell phone restriction would have on junior high students. Student disciplinary data from the West Shamokin JSHS student information system, in combination with student, teacher, and parent perception survey data, were analyzed. Quantitative results indicated improvements in student disciplinary incidents when cell phone restrictions were implemented across various grade levels, particularly in grades 7- 8. Qualitative results showed mixed responses in student, teacher, and parent perception surveys regarding the impact of student cell phone use in school. Teachers perceived the negative impacts of student cell phone use and desired stronger policies. Students opposed teacher views and perceived cell phone use in school to have a positive impact on their discipline and academics and favored more lenient cell phone-related policies. Parent responses indicated a more neutral stance. This research project provided valuable insights into the educational and disciplinary impact of cell phone use at West Shamokin JSHS. The results will be used to consider classroom and school policy adjustments to benefit our students, staff, and school community.