Open AccessSmartphones and Mobile Apps: Case Study on Usage Behavior of Elementary School Students – Insights from a Rural Area in Northern Germany
Author(s) -
Atilla Wohllebe,
Dirk-Siegfried Hübner,
Uwe Radtke,
Arabel Wohllebe
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of interactive mobile technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 16
ISSN - 1865-7923
DOI - 10.3991/ijim.v15i12.22565
Subject(s) - exploratory research , digitization , rural area , psychology , relevance (law) , mobile device , mobile apps , mathematics education , medical education , computer science , world wide web , medicine , sociology , political science , pathology , anthropology , law , computer vision
With digitization and the spread of smartphones in many areas of life, mobile devices have also become increasingly relevant in education. While comprehensive research exists especially for smartphone use among teenagers and students, the findings for elementary school students are limited. Based on a survey, this case study provides exploratory insights into the smartphone usage behavior of elementary school students in a rural region in northern Germany. The responses of 33 students in grades 3 and 4 (ages 8 to 10) show that many students already own a smartphone at this age and use it daily, sometimes for several hours, especially for gaming and media consumption. The influence of owning an own smartphone on usage and leisure activities is reviewed. School use is of little relevance among the elementary school students surveyed.