Running Head: IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Implementation of Phone Collection to Decrease Student Absences Due to Restroom Breaks

Jason McCabe
University of New England
April 16, 2015

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Abstract
The study implemented the collection of cell phones before restroom breaks of 18 grade12 students in an English class at Cohasset High School in order to determine if student use of
cell phones contributes to the increase in the duration and occurrence of student restroom breaks
and if a policy preventing phone access would decrease such breaks. The study compared
observations of student break incidents and durations before and after the cell phone restriction.
An initial questionnaire explored student beliefs regarding the effects of cell phone use on break
time, and a final questionnaire explored student reactions to the results of the study. The study
reveals that cell phone collection decreased the occurrence and duration of restroom breaks for
the participants. The questionnaires reveal that students believe the behavioral changes were due
both to the removal of phones acting as distractions and to student knowledge that they were
being observed. Future implementation of the policy should discern between and account for
these causal differences.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................5
Problem Statement.......................................................................................................................5
Research Questions......................................................................................................................6
Hypothesis...................................................................................................................................6
Literature Review............................................................................................................................6
Key Terms....................................................................................................................................7
Effect of Smart Phone Use on Student Behavior.........................................................................8
Effect of Absences on Student Performance................................................................................9
Summary10
Methodology..................................................................................................................................10
Research Design............................................................................................................................12
Data Collection Plan..................................................................................................................12
Data Instruments....13
Triangulation......14
Validity......15
Transferability....16
Dependability.....16
Confirmability....16

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Data Analysis.............................................................................................................................16
Confidentiality.......17
Sample Selection.......................................................................................................................17
Results18
Findings.....................................................................................................................................19
Discussion..................................................................................................................................23
Limitations.................................................................................................................................25
Summary and Further Research.................................................................................................26
Action Plan....................................................................................................................................27
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................28
References......30
Appendix A........33
Appendix B........34
Appendix C........35
Appendix D........36

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Implementation of Phone Collection to Decrease Student Absences Due to Restroom Breaks

The 18 students in an AP Literature and Composition Course at Cohasset High School in
Cohasset, MA are typically an affable and conscientious group. These friendly grade-12
students often converse with each other and their teacher before and after class about
literature, news, or pop-culture. Academically, they have demonstrated themselves to be
focused in and out of the classroom, completing assignments in a timely and adept manner,
exhibiting concern about achievement, and participating in classroom activities and
discussions with an intellectual curiosity that many teachers might envy. Students of
Cohasset High School like many American students, and these 18 are no exception, are
often to be found interfacing with their phones. Whether playing games, listening to
music, texting friends, or simply making a call, rare is the Cohasset student that does not
use their phone at some point during the school day.
Problem Statement
In January of 2015, the previously mentioned class of 18 exhibited a failure to adhere to
the spirit of classroom policies with regard to bathroom usage. The policy as instituted by the
teacher of that class, also the researcher of this paper, required that students of such advanced
maturity needed not raise their hands to request to use the restroom; rather, they needed only to
dismiss themselves quietly when necessary and when having confirmed that no other student had
already dismissed himself or herself, and write their names and times of departure on the board,
which they would then erase upon return. Over a period of several weeks, the teacher observed
that, despite reminders, students were often not writing their names on the board. Further, it
became evident that the number of students leaving the classroom during the 85-minute block
was steadily increasing over time. At one point the teacher observed that seven students were

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

missing from the room, clearly a violation of the policy. At another point, the teacher observed
that in a given block, approximately 75% of the students were dismissing themselves. The
duration of absences were also observed to be increasing, with some students being out of the
classroom for as much as 25 minutes. Despite continued general reminders of the policy, the
generally obedient students were not improving in their adherence to it. On several occasions,
the teacher briefly absented himself from the classroom and observed students sauntering back to
the classroom, phones in hand. Anecdotally, multiple teachers in informal conversations have
reported observing many such incidents across Cohasset High School. These observations may
suggest a relationship, and potentially a causal one, between phone usage and classroom
absences. The achievement of the students in the classroom is not deficient, and it is beyond the
scope of this study to determine if such aforementioned student absences contribute to student
achievement problems; however, it does stand to reason that a lack of access to the information
and/or activities occurring during absences would correlate with lower achievement.
Research Questions
This study attempts to determine the cause for the increase in the duration and occurrence
of student bathroom breaks. Specifically, the researcher will attempt to determine if student use
of cell phones is contributing to the increase in the duration and occurrence of student restroom
breaks and if a policy preventing phone access would decrease such breaks. The researcher will
also seek to uncover student beliefs about the effect of cell phone use on time out of the
classroom and on learning.
Hypothesis
Following three weeks of a cell phone collection policy, students will demonstrate a
decrease in both the duration of and incidence of restroom breaks.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Literature Review
For students to demonstrate achievement of the learning objectives of a classroom, they
must, in some form, either physical, digital, or via written communication, be present. Without
access to the objectives, resources, information, assessments, and community of a particular form
of classroom, the demonstration of classroom achievement becomes impossible. But these
varying forms of physical presence alone are no guarantors of achievement; mental presence
must be established both by enhancing student engagement (e.g. addressing student strengths,
needs, and interests) (Tomlinson, 2001), and by limiting distractors (e.g. home and classroom
disturbances) (Cole, 2011). A reflection on the enhancement of student engagement is beyond
the boundaries of this review, but it is significant to note that at times those two endeavors may
be at odds; the strategies which engage students, when improperly handled, may ultimately
distract students (Crichton, Pegler, & White, 2012; Wehrli, 2012). For this reason, as this review
will bear out, limiting the use of potentially engaging technologies such as smart phones may be
necessary in order to decrease the potential distractibility of those technologies. Because this
study presupposes the distractions that smart phones represent for student restroom breaks, it is
apropos for this review to also examine the relationship between extended student restroom
breaks and student performance. There is a decided dearth of research surrounding restroom
breaks, in particular, so the effect of general absences and time-off-learning on student
performance will be here reviewed, and the results extrapolated, albeit with a decreased effect, to
restroom breaks.
Key Terms
There are no terms in this review so jargonic to pedagogy that they require defining, but
one term will be used with precision for the purposes of this study. Restroom break will

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

constitute any break within a class period granted by a teacher to a student who has expressly
requested a break for the purposes of using the restroom. The actual use of that break by the
student will have no bearing on the term.
Effect of Smart Phone Use on Student Behavior
Firstly, it should be noted that not all the studies referenced within this review were
focused on smart phones; in fact, several studies do not mention the particular type of technology
used to access multi-media applications. However, smart phones or other mobile learning
devices (MLDs) may be used to access all of the applications mentioned within the reports.
Research seeking to draw connections among multiple media applications, multi-media
technologies, and student behaviors reveal a wide array of opinions and results.
The effectiveness of MLDs and smart phones on student behavior has been frequently
viewed as negative. Smart phones often represent a distraction according to the reports of
administrators (Obringer & Coffey, 2007; Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008); students (Froese,
Carpenter, Inman, Schooley, Barnes, Brecht, & Chacon, 2012, p. 323); and teachers (Thomas,
O'Bannon, & Britt, 2014), even when the devices have been stored out of sight (Brown, 2014,
p. 74. One university professor waxed philisophical on the distractions that smart phones
represented, identifying them as the false gods of golden technological advances (Model, 2011,
p. 3). But even when administrative support was to be found for such technological innovations,
flawed district plans resulted in barriers to successful technological integration (Daniels,
Jacobsen, Varnhagen, & Friesen, 2013).
Though the distractions represented by smart phones tended to garner the most criticism
within the literature reviewed, some studies lauded the effects of smart phones, one going so far
as to praise the distraction they represented, a distraction needed to shake up the tedium of many

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

classrooms (Wehrli, 2009). Other studies underscored the particular benefits of smart phone use
in the classroom, highlighting their primacy for developing collaborative social relationships
(Kukulska-Hulme & Shield, 2008), identifying their ability to connect students to meaningful
educational opportunities (Thomas, O'Bannon, & Britt, 2014), and revealing a link to higher
achievement on standardized tests (Cristol & Gimbert, 2013).
A wealth of research, however, was more nuanced, seeming to suggest that particular
attitudes about smart phone use in the classroom are indicative of personal prejudices, failures to
implement technology or technological procedures effectively, or a deficit of teacher vision
(Domitrek & Raby, 2008; Rambe, 2012). Effective integration, it would seem, is reliant more
upon the consideration of individual needs rather than a bundled roll-out of tech tools (Quillerou,
2011). But whether or not studies proved to be generally ambiguous, pejorative, or laudatory in
their conclusions about the effect of smart phone use, one overarching motif continually made
itself known: intense scrutiny should be applied to the nearly ubiquitous, multi-media access
afforded to students by their phones (Roberts & Foehr, 2008), an access, which left unscrutinized may be detrimentally disruptive.
Effect of Absences on Student Performance
Though little evidence exists to directly correlate missed time-on-learning due to
restroom breaks, a sizable and relatively unanimous body of literature exists drawing an inverse
relationship between general class absences and academic performance. It has been clearly
demonstrated that students with regular school attendance practices achieve at higher levels than
do their peers who exhibit irregular attendance (National Forum on Education Statistics, 2009),
and, though increased learning time does not always translate to academic improvements, it has
been shown to promote student achievement in mathematics and literacy, to improve outcomes

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

10

for below-literacy-standards students, and to enhance emotional and social skills of students
with ADHD (Kidron & Linsday, 2014). Closely linked to research that suggests that both the
quantity and quality of time-on-learning are directly proportional to student achievement
(Romero & Barbera, 2011) is a pervasive belief held by educators as to the efficacy of time-onlearning. In one study, 90% of teachers believed that interventions enacted to reduce student
absenteeism helped improve student academic achievement (Cole, 2011, p. 62). The research
has clearly borne out that a substantial relationship exists between student attendance and
achievement.
Summary
In short, based upon this literature review, two statements may be reasonably assumed to
be true. Firstly, regardless of the varying positive applications of mobile and multi-media
technologies within the classroom, smart phones often practically serve as distractions.
Secondly, student time-on-learning parallels student achievement. These two foundational
principles will serve as premises for the research to be conducted herein. Because students have
been shown to be distracted by smart phones, a reduction in access to such phones should yield a
reduction in distracting elements. The researcher believes that smart phone use has led to
lengthy restroom breaks; the elimination of that distractor during restroom breaks should
decrease time-off-learning. Though a measure of achievement is beyond the parameters of this
study, the research that links an increase in time-on-learning to an increase in academic
achievement suggests a pragmatic motivation for the hypothesis of this study, which states that
following four weeks of a cell phone collection policy, students will demonstrate a decrease in
both the duration of and incidence of bathroom breaks.
Methodology

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

11

Students in a 12th grade AP Literature and Composition course at Cohasset High School
in Cohasset, MA were recently observed to be taking a superfluous number of bathroom breaks
for excessive durations of time, effectively limiting student time-on-learning. This study
attempts to determine if student use of cell phones is contributing to the increase in the duration
and occurrence of student restroom breaks and if a policy preventing phone access would
decrease such breaks. Further, it seeks to explore student beliefs about the effect of cell phone
use on time out of the classroom and on learning. Following three weeks of a cell phone
collection policy being instituted by the researcher, students demonstrated a decrease in both the
duration of and incidence of restroom breaks. In order to establish a data baseline, the research
project began with the collection of original, quantitative data relating to the number of times
students dismissed themselves from the class as well as the duration of each absence. At the
conclusion of that same baseline data collection period, students were asked to fill out a brief,
qualitative questionnaire relating to their individual beliefs about the relationship between cell
phone use and restroom breaks. Once a base-line had been established through these methods,
the new cell phone policy went into effect, commencing a second period of quantitative data
collection through the researchers tabulations. The new policy required that students leave their
phones on the teachers desk while initiating a timer function before going to the bathroom.
Finally, once the period of data collection had ended, a second qualitative student questionnaire,
seeking to identify student reactions to the new policys effectiveness, was filled out by students.
The results of all data were then compared. The data collected by researcher observation was
essential to determining the effect of the new policy, but the questionnaires added a richness of
perspective to explanations about the relative effectiveness of the new policy. This mixedmethod research represents a QUAN-qual model, as qualitative information collected from

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

12

students was used in a supportive, narrative framework to help identify themes in the central
quantitative data.
Research Design
In order to determine if a relationship exists between the cell phone use and restroom
break occurrence and duration for students in the aforementioned class, the researcher
implemented the following intervention. When a student wished to use the restroom, he or she
brought his or her cell phone to a location near the teacher and clearly visible to the teacher. The
student then opened up a standard stopwatch application and initiated the timer. The student then
went to the restroom. Upon return to the room, the student collected his or her cell phone from
the location near the teacher, stopped the timer, showed the timer to the researcher, and returned
to his or her desk. The collection of the cell phone was necessary in order for the researcher to
determine discrepancies among behaviors of students on restroom breaks both when they did and
did not have access to their cell phones. The initiation of the stopwatch function by the student
was performed to decrease potential disruptions in data collection, which were performed by the
researcher, who is also the teacher, and to enable the student to have clear access to a visual
reminder of the time elapsed during his or her absence.
The mixed-methods, QUAN-qual research model was implemented in an attempt to use
quantitative data, observationally collected by the researcher, to compare the restroom break
habits of students both when they did have and when they did not have their cell phones. This
was qualitatively supported by information collected in student questionnaires, information that
enriched explanations concerning the restroom break/cell phone use relationship and student
beliefs about cell phone effects on individual behavior.
Data Collection Plan

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

13

The researcher observed, in January of 2015, that of the 18 students in the AP Literature
and Composition course, 13 had dismissed themselves from the room in one 85-minute period
for durations of time ranging from five to 25 minutes. Furthermore, several students were failing
to comply with the dismissal policy, which required leaving only when all other students were
present and writing ones name and the time of departure on the board. The numbers and
durations of breaks were in excess of what the classroom teacher deemed appropriate or typical,
and they served as the impetus for this research project.
Data instruments. In order to more formally establish a precise data baseline, the
researcher observed the aforementioned class for four periods (one week) and, on Restroom
Break Form 1 (Appendix A), recorded the number and duration of student restroom breaks
before the institution of the new cell phone policy. This data was used to calculate the mean
number of absences per period, the total amount of time all students were absent in an average
period, and the mean duration of the absences. After the new cell phone policy had been clearly
explained to the students and had been formally initiated, the same form of data collection wias
conducted using Restroom Break Form 2 (Appendix B), but for three weeks (four classes per
week). Again, this data was used to calculate the mean number of absences per period, the total
amount of time all students were absent in an average period, and the mean duration of the
absences. Ultimately, this quantitative data was compared to the baseline data in order to
determine the effect of the policys implementation.
To support this data, students completed two questionnaires, one before the
implementation of the new policy and one at the conclusion of the second data collection. The
Initial Questionnaire (Appendix C) was submitted to students in class after baseline data had
been collected but before the new policy had been introduced, students were given several

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

14

minutes to complete it, and then it was collected by the researcher. The Initial Questionnaire was
used as a qualitative measure to assess student self-perceptions relating to cell phones and
restroom breaks. On the Initial Questionnaire, students were given the opportunity to rate the
verity of certain statements, by strongly agreeing, agreeing, evincing uncertainty, disagreeing, or
strongly disagreeing. The statements revealed to what extent students believe that using a
cellphone increases the number of times they leave the room during a period, that using a
cellphone increases the length of time they are out of the classroom, and that a cellphone
collection policy decreases the absences and/or duration of absences within a period.
Additionally, students were asked to explain their responses to each of the statements. Finally,
students were asked what relationship, if any, exists between their learning and class time. This
measure provided additional perspective and insight into student behaviors and beliefs about the
relationship between cell phone use, restroom breaks, and learning.
Upon the conclusion of all data collection and analysis, the researcher explained the
results of the policy implementation, and students were given time to complete the Final
Questionnaire (Appendix D), which was then collected. The Final Questionnaire simply asked
students to explain how they felt about the new policy, whether or not they were surprised by the
results of the implementation of the new policy, and what they believe to be likely explanations
for the results of the data analysis. This qualitative measure provided insight into additional
harms or benefits of the policy as well as plausible explanations for the results, which might not
otherwise have occurred to the researcher.
Triangulation. A Triangulation Matrix revealing the relationships among the research
questions and the data sources is provided in Table 1.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

15

Table 1.
Triangulation Matrix
Research Question
1. Phones increase
breaks?

1
Restroom
Break Form 1

Data Source
2
Restroom
Break Form 2

2. Phones increase
break length?

Restroom
Break Form 1

Restroom
Break Form 2

3. Beliefs about
phone effects?

Initial
Questionnaire

Final
Questionnaire

3
Initial
Questionnaire
Initial
Questionnaire

Validity. Mills asserts that internal validity is the degree to which results are accurate for
study participants (2014, p. 114). Because the data concerning absences from the room are
collected through direct observation by the researcher, that data is as valid as the observational
powers of the researcher. Presumably, the longer the data collection period, the more valid the
data; the week-long period of baseline data collection (Restroom Break Form 1) and the three
week-long period of comparative data (Restroom Break Form 2) will be sufficient.
The data obtained from the Initial Questionnaire and the Final Questionnaire have a
validity level directly proportional to the subjective responses of the participants. This, however,
is appropriate, as those questionnaires seek to gauge participant beliefs, which are by definition
subjective.
The external validity of these data is not easily generalizable, and, indeed, the purview of
this study is confined to its participants. A host of potential variables could accompany differing
contexts that might upset the results.
Transferability. Transferability denotes that qualitative research is bound by the context
in which it is collected (Mills, 2014, p. 116). The more detailed the responses that student

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

16

participants submitted on the Initial Questionnaire and the Final Questionnaire, the more
transferable the data becomes to other contexts. Similarly, the more contextual information
provided by the researcher in this study, the more comparable that data becomes for other
contexts.
Dependability. Dependability is the stability of the data (Mills, 2014, p. 116). The
multiple methods of data collection (direct observation and questionnaires, quantitative and
qualitative, respectively) revealed in the Triangulation Matrix (Table 1) ensure an overlap that
helps stabilize the data. Furthermore, the process has been audited by a colleague of the
researcher, who has approved of the instruments; this adds further stability.
Confirmability. Confirmability denotes the objectivity of the data (Mills, 2014, p. 116).
The comparison of multiple forms of data as revealed in the Triangulation Matrix (Table 1) and
as discussed above have helped to ensure the objective nature of the data collection.
Data Analysis
Once all data were collected, they were aggregated accordingly. Restroom Break Form 1
and 2 were analyzed individually; the researcher calculated the mean number of absences per
period, the total amount of time all students were absent in an average period, and the mean
duration of the absences. The two data sets were then compared, with careful attention being
paid to the differences that arose between them. The resulting information was described in a
narrative form and represented in Table 2. The results of the rating questions within the Initial
Questionnaire were similarly represented in Table 3, and the explanatory sections were described
in narrative. The results of these student responses were also compared in narrative form to the
results of the Restroom Break Form 1 and 2 aggregation. The Final Questionnaire was also

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

17

represented through narrative explanation, with respondent quotes being provided or paraphrased
when it proved illuminative.
Confidentiality. The instruments for data collection were designed in such a way as to
intrinsically protect identification of individual students; none of the instruments being used
involved the identification of individual students. The observations collected on Restroom Break
Form 1 and 2 were used to track only the total number of times all students left the room and the
duration of their absences. The Initial and Final Questionnaires were also anonymous, as the
information contained therein was useful to the researcher for its applicability to the whole class,
not for its applicability to the individual.
Sample Selection
The 18 students in an AP Literature and Composition Course at Cohasset High School in
Cohasset, MA, constituted the participants for this study. They represent a convenience
sample, available to the researcher, who is their teacher. Cohasset is a very wealthy,
suburban, coastal, racially homogenous school system that prides itself on offering a
rigorous academic environment within a close-knit community. The students in the class
mentioned above are a very friendly and conscientious group of eighteen-year-olds in 12th
grade, who engage in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. With loquacity and
amicability they often engage in conversations with each other and their teachers. They
show an interest in current events, music, film, art, history, and a wide variety of academic
topics, but this interest is secondary, generally speaking, to concern about academic
achievement. Half of the senior class takes AP English Literature and Composition, some
out of interest, but many to boost their potential GPA. Nearly every student in the class
applied for early decision and early action at prestigious universities, and many of them

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

18

have been accepted. Recently, however, the classroom teacher noticed that many of the
students in this class were taking an increasing number of restroom breaks lasting for
longer periods of time. This was not observed to occur to the same extent in another AP
class of the same subject taught by the same teacher. Additionally, these students, like
most of their peers, spend a great deal of time using their phones. Frequently, they must be
reminded to put them away during class. As a result of these factors, the researcher
selected this group of students to be the participants in the study.
Results
The innovation developed by the researcher involves the implementation of a cell phone
collection policy. 18 students in a grade 12 AP Literature and Composition course at Cohasset
High School had been increasing the frequency and duration of their restroom breaks. The new
policy was designed to limit both of these factors in order to increase student time-on-learning,
which has been linked to increased student performance, within the classroom.
Before implementing the new policy, baseline data was collected. The researcher
observed and recorded the number and duration of student restroom breaks for a four-day period.
The researcher then asked each student to complete a questionnaire, in which they commented
upon and ranked the extent to which they believed having a cell phone affected restroom break
frequency and duration. After the policy was implemented, the researcher observed and recorded
the number and duration of student restroom breaks for a 12-day period. The researcher then
shared the findings of the observations with the students and asked them to complete a second
questionnaire. This questionnaire asked students to comment upon the individual effects of the
policy, to describe their reaction to it, and to speculate about the meaning of the results.
Findings

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

19

Before the implementation of the cell phone collection policy, quantitative baseline data
was collected over four class periods (one academic week) by the researcher using Restroom
Break Form 1. During each period the researcher recorded the number of restroom breaks taken
by students and the duration of those breaks. At the conclusion of the baseline data-collection
period, the total number of restroom breaks and the total duration of those breaks for the
academic week and for the average period (82.5 minutes) as well as the average duration of each
break were calculated. Similarly, comparative data was collected after the implementation of the
cell phone policy by the researcher using Restroom Break Form 2. The collection period
covered 12 class periods (three academic weeks). At the conclusion of the comparative data
collection, the average number of restroom breaks and the average duration of those breaks for
the average academic week and the average period as well as the average duration of each break
were calculated. Table 2 juxtaposes the baseline and comparative data. Columns 2 and 3 show
the number of breaks and the duration of all breaks in an average week. Columns 4 and 5 show
the number of breaks and the duration of all breaks in an average day. Column 6 shows the
average duration of each break.
Table 2.
Restroom Breaks Before and After Cell Phone Collection Policy
Average Calculations
Implementation Weekly # of Weekly Duration Daily # of Daily Duration
Status
Breaks
of all Breaks
Breaks
of all Breaks
Before policy
37
176:43 minutes
9.25
44:11 minutes
implementation
After policy
implementation

24

102:55 minutes

25:44 minutes

Duration of
Each Break
4:47 minutes

4:17 minutes

In addition to this quantitative data, qualitative data in the form of the Initial
Questionnaire was gathered before the collection of the comparative data. Students were given a
series of four statements, and they were asked to rate their level of agreement with each

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

20

statement as well as to explain each rating selected. The ratings are presented in Table 3.
Column 1 lists the statements. Columns 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 list the number of students who selected
Strongly Agree, Agree, Uncertain, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree, respectively. The
results of the explanation section are presented in narrative format below the table. Out of the 18
students in the class, 16 were present to take the survey; all sixteen students completed all of the
survey fields.
Table 3.
Student Beliefs Before Cell Phone Collection Policy
Statement
Phone use increases # of times I

Strongly
Agree
1

Agree

Statement Responses
Uncertain
Disagree

Strongly

Disagree
2

leave the room.

Phone use increases time I am out

of the room.
Phone collection would decrease

#/length of my breaks.
Time in class affects my learning.

The explanation section of the Initial Questionnaire yielded responses in all fields from
all 16 present students. Of the students who were asked to what extend they agreed with the
statement, Using a cell phone increases the number of times I leave the room during a period,
those who strongly agreed or agreed explained either that they like to take a break quickly to
check their phone or that the phone allows them to meet up with their friends in the hall. The
students who disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement revealed either that their phone
had no effect on their leaving to use the restroom, that they did not bring their phone when they
left the room, or that they never used the restroom more than once in a given period. Of the
students who were asked to what extent they agreed with the statement, Using a cell phone

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

21

increases the length of time that I am out of the room during a period, those who agreed
revealed either that they are distracted by their phone or that they try to complete all of their
texting while out of the room. Those who were uncertain cited that slower walking while using
the cell phone might slightly extend the duration of the break. Those who disagreed or strongly
disagreed explained that either they do not use their phone on break or that using the phone takes
no extra time because they use it while walking. Of the students who were asked to what extent
they agreed with the statement, A cell phone collection policy would decrease the number
and/or duration of restroom breaks that I take within a period, those who agreed revealed that
they believed other students might not leave the room if they could not use their phones. Those
who were uncertain revealed that it might affect others or that a student might wish to take a
break regardless of having the cell phone. Those who disagreed or strongly disagreed revealed
either that they would still leave, that they would lose track of time, or that, It would make me
leave the room more frequently. Finally, of the students who were asked to what extent they
agreed with the statement, The amount of time I am in class directly affects my learning, those
who strongly agreed or agreed revealed that missing class meant missing key information,
though one student felt that you wouldnt see a drastic improvement in grades if a cell phone
ban was implemented. The uncertain students wrote that it depended on the class. The students
who disagreed revealed that break times were carefully chosen so as not to miss key information,
that they taught themselves out of school, or that the essential learning in class was limited to
only part of the period.
Qualitative data was also gathered at the conclusion of the study. Students were
presented with the results of Table 2 and were asked to respond to a series of prompts on the
Final Questionnaire. Of the 18 students in the class, 17 were present, all of whom completed all

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

22

fields on the Final Questionnaire. When students were asked, How did the new cell phone
policy affect you? four responded that it had little or no effect, four indicated that they rushed
because they knew they were being timed, eight revealed that they went a little faster because
they didnt have their phones to distract them, and one said that the timing process interrupted
conversations. When students were asked, Did the results of the implementation of the new cell
phone policy surprise you? two indicated in the affirmative, while 15 indicated in the negative.
When asked to explain their surprise or lack thereof, of the two students who indicated that they
were surprised, one revealed that he or she knew the time would drop but thought it would be by
more, while the other revealed that he or she just did not believe that having a phone would
prolong break length. Of the 15 students who indicated that they were not surprised by the
results, nine believed that timing students would cause them to return more quickly, while six
believed that not having cell phones would equate with less time away from class. When
students were asked, How would you explain the results of the implementation of the new cell
phone policy? six indicated that they believed that knowing they were being timed affected their
behavior, seven indicated that they believed that not having the phone decreased the time out of
the classroom, two indicated a combination of those two responses, and two simply repeated the
results of the test.
Discussion
Table 2 reveals a significant shift in student behaviors after the implementation of the cell
phone collection policy. Before the innovation was implemented, on average 9.25 students (or
51.4% of the class) were taking restroom breaks in a given period. The duration of these breaks
for all students added up to 44:11 minutes for the period, or 4:47 minutes per student. By
contrast, after the innovation was implemented, on average 6 students (or 33.3% of the class)

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

23

were taking restroom breaks. The duration of breaks for all students dropped to 25:44 minutes,
or 4:17 minutes per student. The number of restroom breaks in a period saw an 18.1% reduction
as a result of the policy change. The total amount of time out of the classroom for all students
fell by 18:27 minutes, a 41.8% reduction. The average length of a restroom break per student
fell by 30 seconds, a 10.5% reduction.
Table 3 and the succeeding explanatory information gathered from the Initial
Questionnaire reveal that student beliefs about the relationship between cell phone use and
restroom breaks is mixed while student beliefs about the relationship between time in class and
learning leans slightly more toward unanimity. If the Uncertain category (Column 4) is seen as
the center of a spectrum, students were completely split, with 50% of students agreeing and 50%
disagreeing that having a cell phone increased the number of times they left the room in a period.
The students who agreed revealed that checking their phones, for a number of reasons, was the
cause of the increased restroom breaks. Interestingly, only one student was observed by the
researcher to be taking more than one break in a period. When students were asked if having a
cell phone increased the duration of the restroom breaks, 31% agreed, 25% were uncertain, and
44% disagreed in some form. The spectral shift towards denial that such a relationship exists,
based upon student explanations, seems largely to be due to student beliefs that using the cell
phone on break is accomplished while walking with no loss of time. Student beliefs about the
efficacy of implementing a cell phone collection policy for reducing restroom breaks and length
are extremely interesting; only 19% of students agreed that it would have any effect, 31% were
uncertain, and 50% disagreed in some form. One student who strongly disagreed commented,
It would make me leave the room more frequently. Though there is no directly supportive
data, this may reveal attitudes behind the shift in the spectrum; students may feel that the cell

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

24

phone policy connotes an impingement on student freedom that could breed a reactionary
response. Students agreed more conclusively that a relationship existed between time in class
and learning. 56% agreed in some form, 25% were uncertain, and only 19% disagreed. The
explanations given by those students who disagreed revealed not that no learning occurred in
class but that the entire period was not utilized for learning.
The results of the Final Questionnaire when compared with the Initial Questionnaire
reveal a mixture of beliefs about cell phone effects and the data collection method itself. When
asked about the individual effect of the policy, 47% of respondents felt that not having their
phone decreased their time out of the class, a 16% increase from the Initial Questionnaire. 24%
of respondents, however, felt that the decrease in breaks and break times were due to the fact that
students were more conscious of the time, because they knew they were being observed. This
trend in responses continued among the results of the Final Questionnaire. When asked if the
results of the implementation surprised them, 88% of students indicated that they were not
surprised, even though on the Initial Questionnaire 81% of respondents were uncertain or
disagreed that the policy would have any effect. Student explanations on the Final Questionnaire
are illuminative, as 53% of respondents believed that knowledge of being observed affected their
time, while only 35% cited the lack of a cell phone as having an effect. When asked to explain
the results of the implementation, student responses continued to confirm this belief about the
intrusion of the instrument itself into student behaviors.
The implementation of the cell phone policy reveals that a relationship exists between
student cell phone use and the number and duration of restroom breaks. Student behaviors, as
observed through data collection, and student explanations, as revealed through the Initial
Questionnaire and the Final Questionnaire, support this conclusion. Furthermore, the hypothesis

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

25

of this study, that following the implementation of the cell phone policy students will
demonstrate a decrease in both the duration of and incidence of restroom breaks, is confirmed. It
should be noted, however, that the efficacy of that policy may not be due entirely to the
restriction on cell phones; it may be due, in part, to a shift in student behaviors when they are
aware that they are being observed.
Limitations
The key limitation to the study that may have impacted the results was the inconsistency
between student knowledge of the data collection before and after the policy implementation.
Researcher concerns that student behaviors would be affected if students knew in advance that
baseline data was being collected resulted in the decision not to inform students that they were
being observed initially. However, it became necessary to inform students of the observation
when garnering information on the Initial Questionnaire and when explaining the steps of the
new policy. Because students were using their own cell phones as timers during the study, their
meta-awareness of the process may have affected their behavior. Despite researcher attempts to
allay concerns by ensuring students that only occurrences and durations of breaks were being
recorded, subconscious student concerns about teacher retaliation or opinion may have
contributed to this effect. Student responses on the Final Questionnaire support this
interpretation.
It should be noted that this limitation was largely due to a lack of resources. Had it been
possible for an outside researcher to collect the data, students could have been kept unaware of
the details of the process until the conclusion of the study. However, if students had been made
aware of the data collection before the baseline data was collected, the comparisons to later data
should have been equally influenced. Lack of foresight on the part of the researcher is to blame.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

26

Summary and Further Research

Following three weeks of a cell phone collection policy, 18 students in an AP Literature
and Composition course at Cohasset High School demonstrated a decrease in both the duration
of and incidence of restroom breaks. The number of restroom breaks in a period fell by 18.1%,
the total amount of time out of the classroom for all students fell by 41.8%, and the average
length of a restroom break per student fell by 10.5%. Student responses to the Final
Questionnaire reveal that students believe this change in behavior was due both to a lack of cell
phone access, which caused fewer and shorter breaks as distractions were reduced, and to student
knowledge of the comparative data collection, which caused students to hurry on their breaks as
they knew they were being observed.
Further study is needed to confirm the findings about behavioral observations and student
beliefs. Firstly, the aforementioned limitation in the study must be corrected before findings may
be validated. Either an outside data collector must be implemented or students must be made
aware of data collection for the whole study in order for findings to be consistently appropriate.
Once this limitation has been addressed, the study should be done on a similar demographic of
students of the same classroom teacher, for instance another AP Literature and Composition
course with seniors. The study should then be extended to incorporate the students of other
teachers and other grades in the high school in order to increase generalizability. The conducting
of a similar study, one in which student cell phones are collected for the entire period while
restroom breaks are still monitored, would also be beneficial for the sake of comparison.
Similarly, studies with less invasive collection policies, such as leaving phones on desks without
student initiation of the phone timer, might be conducted in order to decrease distractions created
by the innovation.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

27

Action Plan
The researcher, also the classroom teacher within the study, will implement the
innovation in other classrooms. In one classroom, however, the data collection will be conducted
by an outside observer. Because of the possibility of the studys interference with the results of
the innovation, it will be significant to determine the effect of cell phone collection without such
intrusion. The presence of an outside data collector will remove distractions and students
concerns about teacher retaliation or negative attitudes. The results of the continuation of the
study will ultimately be shared with the students. In a third classroom, the innovation will be
implemented with no data collection; only informal observation by the researcher-teacher will be
conducted in order to obtain anecdotal results, with the desired goal of increasing student
learning time.
The results of the initial study will be shared by the researcher through personal
conversations with teachers at Cohasset High School. The specifics of the plan, its
implementation, the collection of data, and the results will be explained to members of the
English Department. Additionally, copies of the plan will be made available to interested
department members. Opportunities will be provided for teachers to ask questions, and teachers
will be encouraged to attempt to utilize the innovation in their own classes, recording and
reporting the results back to the researcher. Similarly, the results of the plan will be shared with
and copies of the plan will be made available to building level administrators, with a
recommendation that interested teachers in other departments attempt to replicate the study or
implement the innovation in their own classes.
Conclusion

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

28

The study involved the collection of cell phones before restroom breaks for 18 grade-12
students in an English class at Cohasset High School in order to discern if the innovation would
decrease the number and duration of the restroom breaks. The study juxtaposed observations of
break occurrences and lengths before and after the cell phone restriction was implemented. The
gathering of this data was made more complex by the fact that the researcher also served as the
classroom teacher. An initial questionnaire, exploring student beliefs regarding the effects of cell
phone use on break time, was distributed and collected, and a final questionnaire, exploring
student reactions to the results of the study, was distributed and collected. The study revealed
that the innovation decreased the total amount of time out of the classroom for all students by
41.8%. Further, the average length of a restroom break decreased by 30 seconds or 10.5%. The
questionnaires revealed that students believe these behavioral changes were partially due to the
removal of phones, which they identified as acting as distractors. However, some of the students
believed that the changes were due to student awareness that they were being observed. Future
implementation of the policy by the researcher and Cohasset High School faculty should attempt
to discern between and account for these causal differences. Regardless of the status of future
developments of the study, the implementation of the innovation into the other classrooms of the
teacher-researcher should enable students within those classrooms to have more time on learning.
As the literature review suggests, increased time on learning is related to student achievement;
therefore, student achievement should be improved. However, the link between restrictions to
access of student cell phones while on break and student achievement is outside of the purview
of this study. A continuation of this study might examine that relationship.
Finally, the systematic approach to the research process implemented within this study
enabled the researcher both to proceed in a logical manner and to reflect carefully upon each

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

29

stage of the process. All stages of the research were able to be conducted in a generally
uninterrupted manner; however, as previously mentioned, future studies should involve the use
of a data collector who is not the classroom teacher. This will avoid complication within the
class and within the results of the study.

References
Brown, J. (2014). Teachers stances on cell phones in the ESL classroom: Toward a
Theoretical Framework. TESL Canada Journal, 31(2), 67-78. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1045116.pdf
Cole, J. F. (2011). Interventions to combat the many facets of absenteeism: Action research.
Georgia School Counselors Association Journal, 18(1), 62-70. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ963130.pdf

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

30

Crichton, S., Pegler, K., & White, D. (2012). Personal devices in public settings: Lessons
learned from an iPod Touch/iPad project. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 10(1), 2331. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ969433.pdf
Cristol, D. & Gimbert, B. (2013). Academic achievement in BYOD classrooms. QScience
Proceedings: 15(3), 1-6. doi: 10.5339/qproc.2013.mlearn.15
Daniels, J. S., Jacobsen, M., Varnhagen, S., & Friesen, S. (2013). Barriers to systemic,
effective, and sustainable technology use in high school classrooms. Canadian Journal
of Learning and Technology, 39(4), 1-14. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1029315.pdf
Domitrek, J. & Raby, R. (2008). Are you listening to me? Space, context and perspective in the
regulation of Mp3 players and cell phones in secondary school. Canadian Journal of
Educational Administration and Policy, 81, 1-33. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ842492.pdf
Froese, A. D., Carpenter, C. N., Inman, D. A., Schooley, J. R., Barnes, R. B., Brecht, P. W., &
Chacon, J. D. (2012). Effects of classroom cell phone use on expected and actual
learning. College Student Journal, 46(2), 323-332. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.une.idm.oclc.org/pqcentral/docview/1022336944/fulltextPDF
/420D2DDE779D4396PQ/3?accountid=12756
Kidron, Y. & Linsday, J. (2014). The effects of increased learning time on student academic
and nonacademic outcomes: Findings from a meta-analytic review. Regional Educational
Laboratory Appalachia, 1-68. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED545233.pdf

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

31

Kukulska-Hulme, A. & Shield, L. (2008). An overview of mobile assisted language learning:

From content delivery to supported collaboration and interaction. ReCALL, 20(3), 271289. doi:10.1017/S0958344008000335
Mills, G. E. (2014). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher. (5th ed.). New
Jersey: Pearson
Model, D. (2011). When the chips are down: Taking time to pay attention to real issues. College
Quarterly, 14(1), 1-3. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ944696.pdf
National Forum on Education Statistics. (2009). Every school day counts: The forum guide to
collecting and using attendance data (NFES 2009804). U.S. Department of
Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504716.pdf
Obringer, S. J. & Coffey, K. (2007). Cell phones in American high schools: A national survey.
Journal of Technology Studies, 33(1), 41-47. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ847358.pdf
Quillerou, E. (2011). Increased technology provision and learning: Giving more for nothing?
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(6), 178-197.
Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ964058.pdf
Rambe, P. (2012). Constructive disruptions for effective collaborative learning: Navigating the
affordances of social media for meaningful engagement. Electronic Journal of eLearning, 10(1), p132-146. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ969451.pdf
Roberts, D. F. & Foehr, U. G. (2008). Trends in media use. Future of Children, 18(1), 11-37.
Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ795858.pdf

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

32

Romero, M. & Barbera, E. (2011). Quality of learners' time and learning performance beyond
quantitative time-on-task. International Review of Research in Open and Distance
Learning, 12(5), 125-137. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ963927.pdf
Subrahmanyam, K. & Greenfield, P. (2008). Online communication and adolescent
relationships. Future of Children, 18(1), 119-146. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ795861.pdf
Thomas, K. M., O'Bannon, B. W., & Britt, V. G. (2014). Standing in the schoolhouse door:
Teacher perceptions of mobile phones in the classroom. Journal of Research on
Technology in Education, 46(4), 373-395. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.une.idm.oclc.org/pqcentral/docview/1632518068/fulltextPDF/
6F95387F677340F3PQ/5?accountid=12756
Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability
classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Wehrli, B. (2009). Technology as a fence and a bridge. Horace, 25(1), 1-4. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ859274.pdf

Appendix A
Restroom Break Form 1
Date:______
Time: ______
Number of breaks:

Number of students
present: ____/18
Duration of breaks:

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Date:______
Time: ______
Number of breaks:

Number of students
present: ____/18
Duration of breaks:

Date:______
Time: ______
Number of breaks:

Number of students
present: ____/18
Duration of breaks:

Date:______
Time: ______
Number of breaks:

Number of students
present: ____/18
Duration of breaks:

Appendix B
Restroom Break Form 2
Date:______
Time: ______

Number of students
present: ____/18

33

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

Number of breaks:

Duration of breaks:

Date:______
Time: ______
Number of breaks:

Number of students
present: ____/18
Duration of breaks:

Date:______
Time: ______
Number of breaks:

Number of students
present: ____/18
Duration of breaks:

Date:______
Time: ______
Number of breaks:

Number of students
present: ____/18
Duration of breaks:

Appendix C
Initial Questionnaire

34

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

35

Please respond to the following prompts to the best of your ability and with as much detail as
possible. Please do not include your name or any information that might personally identify you.
1. To what extent do you agree with the following statement:
Using a cell phone increases the number of times I leave the room during a period.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2. Explain your response to the previous question.

3. To what extent do you agree with the following statement:

Using a cell phone increases the length of time that I am out of the room during a period.
Strongly Agree

Agree

Uncertain

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

4. Explain your response to the previous question.

5. To what extent do you agree with the following statement:

A cell phone collection policy would decrease the number and/or duration of restroom breaks
that I take within a period.
Strongly Agree

Agree

Uncertain

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

6. Explain your response to the previous question.

7. To what extent do you agree with the following statement:

The amount of time I am in class directly affects my learning.
Strongly Agree

Agree

Uncertain

Disagree

8. Explain your response to the previous question.

Appendix D
Final Questionnaire

Strongly Disagree

IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONE COLLECTION TO DECREASE ABSENCE

36

Now that I have shared with you the results of the data, please answer the following questions,
providing as much information as possible. Please do not include your name or any information
that might personally identify you.
1. How did the new cell phone policy affect you?

2. Did the results of the implementation of the new cell phone policy surprise you?
3. If so, why? If not, why not?

4. How would you explain the results of the implementation of the new cell phone policy?