USC Survey Emphasizes Phone Addiction in Younger Generation

As new generations continue to grow up with cutting-edge advancements in technology, owning a consumer-friendly smartphone or another gadget is becoming the norm for teenagers. Nearly half of teenagers in the United States and in Japan say they can’t put their devices down. Teens state they are addicted to their devices and cannot put them down, which causes the greatest conflict between them and their parents, according to research at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism in Los Angeles. The study, “The New Normal: Parents, Teens and Digital Devices,” ​polled 1,200 Americans and 1,200 Japanese and was released at the USC Global Conference 2017 in Tokyo. Results showed that a majority of Japanese and American parents feel their teenagers use mobile devices too much, with about 60 percent of both American and Japanese parents saying they believe their children are addicted. More than 1 in 3 Japanese parents as well as about 1 in 4 American parents said they also feel addicted to mobile devices. About 7 in 10 American teens said they felt the need to respond immediately to mobile messages, compared to about half of Japanese teens. Nearly half of teens in Japan say they look at and use their devices at least hourly. In the United States, that number higher – landing at 78 percent of teenagers. These numbers, while slightly less, are correlated with that of adults’. The study stresses that this increase in the use of mobile devices has led to issues in family life and relationships that teens have with their parents. The study also asked teenagers how they felt if they did not have access to their phones, and many stated that situation would not be good at all. As technology advancements continue to be made and the use of mobile devices continues to grow, this study brings to light the need for more research on how to integrate technology into family life in both productive and positive ways.

Robb, M. B., Bay, W., & Vennegaard, T. (2017). The new normal: Parents, teens, and digital devices in Japan. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense. http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/CS_DigitalDevicesJapan_v8_press.pdf

 

Downside to Learning and Retention Through Videos

Educational learning via technology, specifically through videos, has become quite common in today’s society. However, one study argues otherwise – in a study conducted by researchers including Juan Cristobal Castro-Alonso at the Center for Advanced Research at the Universidad de Chile, 104 Australian male and female students in both STEM and non-STEM fields were tested with computer tasks of learning abstract symbols. Memory recall of symbols when viewing static images as opposed to animations was assessed. The researchers found that after watching the animation, the students recalled fewer symbols correctly than after watching the static image. In this study, the researchers inferred that spatial ability and memory span, but not gender, affected performance. Castro states that while well-produced videos can make educational materials engaging for students, there’s a difference between being entertained and learning. Researchers also stated that that while gesticulating with hands is positive for learning, a static hand’s presence might not be as useful because it can serve as a distraction to the student. Castro stated that in building off limitations to the present study, he and his fellow researchers want to investigate if they can replicate the findings in more STEM-oriented tasks in order gain insight into how learning and memory through technology plays into a school’s curriculum.

Castro-Alonso, J. C., Ayres, P., Wong, M., & Paas, F. (2017). Learning symbols from permanent and transient visual presentations: Don’t overplay the hand. Computers & Education, 116, 1-13. Doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2017.08.011

Social Media Opposition Amongst Younger Generation

The study provides evidence of a growing backlash among young people who wish social media did not exist due to negative aspects such as online abuse and fake news. In assessing students’ opinions on social media, a survey of 5,000 students was conducted by Digital Awareness UK at various schools in England. According to the study, such negative perceptions of social media were due to the impacts it had on the emotional wellbeing of participants. Two thirds of schoolchildren in this study said they would be happy if social media had never been invented, and 71 percent said they had taken temporary digital detoxes to escape it. Nearly half of the participants mentioned receiving abusive comments online. Roughly half of the participants also admitted to being on the edge of addiction and that social media lowered their self-images. Many young people are rebelling against having constant social media access by adopting the outdated “brick” phones that are no longer widely used.

Robertson, C. (2017). Tech control of your future on special media. Paper presented at Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, Belfast, Oct. 2-5. http://www.hmc.org.uk/blog/young-people-rebelling-social-media-survey-reveals/

RAND Survey Assesses Teachers’ Viewpoints On State Standards and Testing

While the data indicates that nearly all teachers support use of state standards in instruction, only a little more than one-third of teachers support the use of current statewide tests to measure student mastery of those standards. The findings from this report have implications for how states and districts can support implementation of state standards and assessments to ensure that U.S. students have the knowledge and skillset for success in both school and life. Secondary teachers and those with more low-income students were more likely to support the state English language arts (ELA) and mathematics standards. Those from these subgroups who did not think their standards were Common Core — were also more supportive of using statewide assessments to measure mastery of standards. Teachers who did not support state tests were more likely to be wary of test difficulty and the accuracy of scores for students with special needs. Recommendations include state adjustments in making sure assessments are closely linked with standards, addressing test difficulty particularly with regard to students with special needs, and developing their own instructional materials to support teachers’ work to address standards.

Kaufman, J. H., Wang, E. L., Hamilton, L. S., Thompson, L.E., & Hunter, G. (2017, October

04). U.S. teachers’ support of their state standards and Assessments. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2136.html