Medicine Hat High School students against cellphone ban, survey finds

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A group of students recently compiled the survey at the school, which they brought to the Medicine Hat Public School Division Board.

About half of the school population — some 600 students — weighed in.

The results found that 63.2 per cent of surveyed students did not see positive impacts from the ban.

However, 44.2 per cent said the rules had a “somewhat more positive” affect to their learning experience with 36.2. saying the policy’s impact was “somewhat more negative”.

Jeeya Gupta, a Grade 11 student, and part of the student senate that created the survey, said there were differing perceptions, but it was overwhelming that the students are not fond of the policy.

“This generation especially, we’re very dependent on our phones,” Gupta said.

“We use them for almost everything in our daily lives,” she added.

Graphic/CHAT News

“Having that tool or crutch taken away during our school and times that students don’t exactly feel the most comfortable or the most relaxed can be a difficult thing.”

Finding ways to teach students greater resilience and phone-free behavior, and a better understanding of why they feel the policy has harmed their social interaction, and emotional well being were some of the questions that came from the study.

Turner Sadlemyer, a Grade 12 student, also part of the student senate says this helps give the school board a student perspective.

“Just to kind of get a feel for how it’s impacted kids, and if we can change some things for the school, and different schools around the school district can use that to better the rule,” Sadlemyer said.

“The rule is the provincial rule, but it’s also on the schools to make their own different things on that,” he added.

“They need to have the data so they can do that better.”

Sadlemyer was happy to see the response they received on the survey.

“In any study, the more numbers you have, the better the data,” Sadlemyer said.

“The fact that we could get more people to answer just helped that even more, and just see the diversity in opinions on this.”

Some student suggestions from the survey included permitting cell phones for educational use, allowing music to be listened to when working independent, and providing flexibility for special needs and exchange students.

With students only able to use chromebooks, and not their cell phones during class time, Gupta said it has created some challenges for those who use english as a second language.

“Who don’t have access to Google Translate or even just Wi-Fi to contact their families back home,” Gupra said.

“I have a friend in drama class, and she can’t very well have her Chromebook beside her while we’re practicing stage fighting,” she added.

“It is quite difficult for them, and sometimes they struggle with communicating with teachers and peers if that tool isn’t available to them.”

Gupta said that in past years a lot of students used their phones for education purposes in class to do online educational quiz games and access other online resources.

Some benefits the students surveyed found from avoiding cell phone use were an increased ability to focus, increased engagement in learning, more collaboration, increased social interaction, and a less distracting environment.

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat High School students against cellphone ban, survey finds

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