TECHNOLOGY AS AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ EDUCATION

AND LEARNING CAPACITY

I. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Technology has been a significant tool in providing convenience to human lives ever
since the 1930s – the forefront of human education, assisting people, especially the students by
delivering the information through a portable technological device which pushes the educational
capabilities to new levels (Purdue University, n.d.). Although technology is widely used in
teaching platforms and research studies, DeLoatch (2015) states that there are four negative
effects of technology to the students; firstly, the alteration of brain wiring due to excessive use
and exposure to technological gadgets, empathy less evident and mood-swings frequently
occurring; huge risk in safety and privacy; and lastly, less physical activity which leads to
obesity and heart failures. Klaus (2018), has also expressed that instructors must be aware with
the hindrances that technology can bring in the learning process, such as lesser valuable learning
time and educational experiences being treated as a game in where students can miss the context
and importance of the topic.

The question is, can technology negatively affect the student’s learning capacity? In this
view, this proposal will be focusing on the negative effects of technology in regard to the
educational environment of selected Bachelor of Science in Accountancy students in University
of San Jose-Recoletos.

II. BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW

Technology is a driving force to make the students’ life easier and to develop their
achievements, although there’s a lingering question that if it is properly utilized and used in the
classroom. A study conducted by Flanagan (2008) showed that there can be negative effects
resulting from an overuse of technology in which it can result to serious or long-term
consequences. As observed in the current era, technology can easily be accessed and used within
the classroom that causes adverse effects on the entire learning experience.

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 Some of these effects are already seen from student texting and internet usage
(school-related and trivial) during class (Brahmbhatt, Duncan, et. Al, 2012). Positive sides of
technology in learning outnumbered negative sides when its process is undertaken accurately.
Students have been using technology in every domain of their lives, but like everything else,
with each advantage comes a potential cost. The time spent with technology changes the way
student’s brain works and causes short attention span. With this reason that the amount of time
spent using it was increased, and their time in studying dropped.

In addition, Deloatch (2015) states that children who starts early in spending and using
technology excessively may not have enough opportunities to use their imagination to read and
think deeply about the material that the teachers provide them. In contradiction to this study,
technology tools provide students extensive eagerness to learn. According to Learner’s Edge
(2017) with the use of technology in comprehension checks such as Padlet, Socrative and
Plickers, in which it can be utilized in checking the students’ understanding of concepts,
increases the students’ engagement and participation.

Granting that technology has its advantages and disadvantages, it is not always promising
in the classroom. Technology provides students convenience by making their educational life
easier, it can also become distraction. For some instance, the usage of mobile devices whether it
be texting or surfing the net distracts every student in the classroom in a way that they will not
pay attention to all the lessons discuss by the teacher. Verial (2017) states that during these
recent years, technology has advanced to a point where humans become dependent, using it daily
to support their fast-paced lifestyle.

This indicates the effect that technology may have had on the current generation's
thinking abilities and the overall power of the internet (Brahmbhatt, Duncan, et. Al, 2012). On
the other hand, it is not only the students who become dependent to technology but also the
teachers in which it can assist them in doing everyday tasks. They employ technology to improve
their ability to do work, in which it becomes evident that most of the schools around the world
have implemented many forms of technology to enhance student interest and achievement.

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Technology and Education are a great combination if used together with a right reason and
vision. (Academia, 2017).

III. PROPOSED STUDY

A. Data to be collected
The data to be collected is all about the adverse effect of technology to the student’s
learning capacity. It will be gathered from the students of University of San
Jose-Recoletos taking up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. The data will show
the relationship of using the technology to the education of students.
B. Methods of data collection and instruments to be used
In this study, the quantitative method was employed. Quantitative method
focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people or
to explain a particular phenomenon. Moreover, the quantitative research design
that the researchers used was descriptive in nature which establishes associations
between variables. The purpose of this survey is to identify the negative effect of
technology to the student’s learning capacity. The instrument to be used is a
questionnaire. The structured questionnaire served as basis for the claim of using
technology as a negative effect for the student’s learning capacity.
C. Procedure

The researchers ask the respondents questions regarding the negative

effect of technology to the student’s learning capacity. In order to get the total
population of the students to be surveyed, the researchers use the formula n= N/
1+N (e)² or the sample size. The researchers employed dichotomous in the
questionnaire. Dichotomous question is a question which can have two possible
answers and Moreover, the researchers use questions in the survey that are
answerable by Yes or No. It is used for clear distinction of qualities, experiences
or respondent’s opinions. The gathered data will be used for analysis. Finally, the
collected data will be collated in a table.

D. Method of Analysis

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 The researchers calculate the Median and Percentage. The Median is one
of the ways to find the central tendency; it shows the average answers answered
by the different respondents. In this case, the Median finds out if most of the
respondents answered either a lot of Yes or No. On one hand, a percentage
frequency distribution is a display of data that specifies the percentage of
observations that exist for each data point or grouping of data points. It is a
particularly useful method of expressing the relative frequency of survey
responses and other data. Many times, percentage frequency distributions are
displayed as tables or as bar graphs or pie charts (Lavrakas, 2008).

Finding the Median

The researchers assume that there are 29 respondents answered Yes and
there are 41 answered No in a particular question. Thus, the table below shows the
hypothetical distribution of answers by the respondents of such questions.

Frequency
YES 29
NO 41

To find the median or the middle value, the researchers will

arrange the data in ascending order.

1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 , 2,
2​, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2,
2, 2, 2, 2

In order to find the median of an even number, the researchers utilize the formula
{ (n+1)/2}th, where n is the number of items in the set and "th" just means the (n)
th term. So, {(70+1)/2} = 35.5 or 36th term.

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 Which means the 36​th term is the median which is 2. It recognizes or shows that more
people answered No or believe that using technology can cause negative effect to
student’s learning capacity.

Finding the Percentage

Percent simply means "per hundred" and the symbol used to express percentage is
%. One percent (or 1%) is one hundredth of the total or whole and is therefore
calculated by dividing the total or whole number by 100.
To calculate a given percentage of a number, divide the total number by 100 and then
multiply the result by the requested percentage: The table below shows the
hypothetical answers of the questions by the respondents.

QUESTIONS: YES NO
I own any kind of devices at 70 0
least one. 100/100 (70) = 70
I use technology during 70 0
classes. 100/100 (70) = 70
Technological tools help me 37 33
in my studies. 52.86/100 (70) = 37.002 or 37 47.14/100 (70) = 32.998 or 33
I get to do a lot of things 21 49
because of the available 30/100 (70) = 21 70/100 (70) = 49
technological devices.
Technology has helped me 18 52
improve my reasoning and 25.71/100 (70) = 17.997 or 18 74.29/100 (70) = 52.003 or 52
creative skills.
I can control myself of using 29 41
technological devices for 41.43/100 (70) = 29.001 or 29 58.57/100 (70) = 40.999 or 41
studying and entertainment.
I spend too much using 52 18
gadgets. 74.29/100 (70) = 52.003 or 52 25.71/100 (70) = 17.997 or 18
Using technological devices 59 11
affect on how I interact with 84.29/100 (70) = 59.003 or 59 15.71/100 (70) = 10.997 or 11
others.

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My grade is affected because 3 67
of my technological gadgets. 4.29/100 (70) = 3.003 or 3 95.71/100 (70) = 666.997 or
67

The researchers used percentage in analyzing the data in order for them to
find out the proportion of people who answered “Yes” or who answered “No.”
The researchers used Percentage for them to have a better understanding from the
collected data. The researchers then examine that technology has an adverse effect
on students in terms of productivity; it hinders their works by using technological
devices. Moreover, the data has shown that the technology can become helpful for
the academics of the students since technology can help them in terms of
retrieving important and critical information although doesn't guarantee the
increase of academical grades or standing.
A lot of respondents answered “No” about controlling the time for entertainment
and for study in the given data which means that technology is a great distraction
for students who are not capable of disciplining their selves. Furthermore, the data
shows that the respondents spend too much time using gadgets that can cause to
procrastination that can affect their studies negatively. Technology has less effect
on improving the reasoning and creative skills of through the reason that these
skills are rarely used when technological gadgets are involved. Also, technology
has a huge role on how the students interact with others as it shows on the given
data that the former can be an influence for students on how they will interact
with others. 84.29% answered “Yes” in which it is a great percentage and good
basis that technology influenced students’ interaction either bad or good. Lastly, a
lot of respondents answered that technological gadgets affect their grades which
means that those devices cause a negative effect on the student’s learning
capacity.
IV. DISCUSSION
Modern technology has made everyone’s life easier, fun, and entertaining, in such that you can
communicate with anybody around the world easily in just a single click and can find a lot of

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 information in a matter of seconds. In education, it gives students a lot of ways to seek
information and gives the convenience for them to find reliable sources. Although, technology
may be of great help in education, it also has a negative impact on it specifically to the students
who are day by day engaged with any technology. (Assignment Expert, n.d).
The proposed study will deal on finding the negative effects of technology in a student’s learning
and studying capacity. The proposed study will also be proven if technologies of today really
deal negative impacts on people specifically the students who are learning. The proposed study
will address the problem through identifying such negative effects and recommending solutions
and/or alternative ways to lessen or minimize the negative effects.
The proposal will also help in determining on how a student behaves in class because of
technology (e.g, students looking down at their phone and finding answers and copying them
word by word (Milford Messenger, 2013) and dealing with the increased incidences of
plagiarism of works and assignments which are done by the students (Hardikar, 2012) in which
this may be foreseen as one of the negative effects on a student’s learning capacity. In addition,
knowing these kinds of negativity can help in assessing on how students are studying, gathering
and spreading information, helps in finding ways to cope up with such negativity in order to
minimize or lessen the impact, and giving students a better view in the use of technologies.
Moreover, knowing the negative effects will also help in determining if a student or person has
health conditions due to the excessive use of technologies or problems at hand on why such.
V. REFERENCES:

Assignment Expert. (n.d.). Negative Impact of Technology on Learning. Retrieved September 15,
2018, from
https://www.assignmentexpert.com/blog/negative-impact-of-technology-on-learning/​.

Brahmbatt, S., Duncan, B., Hardikar, G., Kasinger, T., & Pillai, A. (2012). Retrieved from
http://gauravhardikar.com/tech_education/negative.html.

DeLoatch, P. (n.d.). The Four Negative Sides of Technology. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from
http://www.edudemic.com/the-4-negative-side-effects-of-technology/​.

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Hardikar, G. (n.d.). Negative Effects of Technology on Education. Retrieved September 15, 2018,
from http://gauravhardikar.com/tech_education/negative.html.

Klaus, J. (n.d.). Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom. Retrieved

September 18, 2018, from
https://classroom.synonym.com/negative-effects-using-technology-todays-classroom-413
0.html

Lavrakas, P. (2008). Percentage Frequency Distribution. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from
http://methods.sagepub.com/reference/encyclopedia-of-survey-research-methods/n372.x
ml.

Learner's Edge. (n.d.). Technology in the Classroom: Pros & Cons. Retrieved September 15, 2018,
from ​https://www.learnersedgeinc.com/blog/technology-in-the-classroom​.

Purdue University. (n.d.). THE EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM.

Retrieved September 18, 2018, from
https://online.purdue.edu/ldt/learning-design-technology/resources/evolution-technology-
classroom​.

The Milford Messenger. (n.d.). Technology: Positive and Negative Effects on Education.
Retrieved September 15, 2018, from
https://www.themilfordmessenger.com/uncategorized/2013/04/24/technology-positive-an
d-negative-effects-on-education/​.