Mobile Phone Adoption, Its Influence on Social Behavior, Schooling and Academic Work of Adolescent Students in Osun State, Nigeria

This study investigated the adoption of low cost mobile phone and its influence on the social behavior, schooling and academic work of young adolescent students in a selected university in Nigeria .It also examined whether there is any difference in the rate of adoption among the sample and the different ways mobile phone influenced the school. Its impact on student’s projects, assignments and performance was also investigated. The study was conducted in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU).Three hundred and eighteen students were selected from six faculties using stratified sampling technique based on level of study, faculty and gender. A 20 item questionnaire designed on five points Likert Scale was used to gather information from the sample. The results was analyzed using simple percentage, one way analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe test. The results showed that: (i) there was a significant difference in the rate of adoption of mobile phone across the six faculties(F=1.463,df=(6,310)p,0.019) .Mobile phone led to increase in negative social behavior among the young adolescents(F=3.577,df=(2,314)p<0.029) In addition mobile phone encouraged parental intrusion and remote mothering(F=1.354,df=(2,315)p<0.02). On the impact of mobile phone on school, it was revealed that inappropriate use of mobile phone caused a lot of problems for school administration (F=2.678, df=(2,315)p<0.070). Also examination fraud became more rampant (F=2.090, df=(2,315)P<0.012). In spite of all these negative impacts, mobile phone positively enhanced students academic performance (F=4.037,df=(2,315)p<0.019). Students also found it to be a cheaper, quicker, more reliable and useful source of information for their assignments, projects and research works (F=1.224, df=(6,311)p<0.029). Sofowora, O.A. (2011). Mobile Phone Adoption, Its Influence on Social Behavior, Schooling and Academic Work of Adolescent Students in Osun State, Nigeria. Malaysian Journal of Educational Technology, 11(1), pp. 35-43.