1

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Technology has made a huge impact in the society. Ever since its first

invention, it has drastically evolved through time, from bulky televisions to flat

screens, from telegraph to mobile phones; technology comes up with different forms

and varieties of things to satisfy the needs of individuals. One of technology’s most

recognized and successful invention is the gadget.

The world today is brimming with gadget. Every household owns a television,

desktop computers, laptops, and tablets, as well as individual people own a piece of

metal carried around every day to connect to the world. These lifeless objects have

greatly shaped humanity nowadays. It has changed the way we communicate, the way

we socialize and the way we preoccupy ourselves. Gadgets are technically created to

faithfully serve humanity however; these things also impose negative effects if not

properly employed.

Gadgets have introduced the social and virtual world to us. It has brought us to

wider horizons, creating a community wherein each one of us can explore and connect

but because of this we tend to be addicted and much more inclined to its cyclical

routines that there is no time in our lives where we don’t check our phones, browse on

different social media platforms and entertain ourselves with online games and other

activities that allows us to feel intrinsic enjoyment that satisfy our emotional and

personal needs.

Electronic contraptions also known as gadgets are accessible to any age and

for any activity, but the excessive use of gadgets gets to a point that people become

fully dependent on their devices. These gadgets are designed to make everything
 2

easier, in school, offices and at home. The most common and significant uses of

gadgets are to socialize with others and to be informed of what are the latest trends

and the current events in the society.

Great amount of information at the fingertips, for example, the Google Maps,

it is used to get directions, YouTube, for watching videos to gain knowledge in

cooking, drawing, learning science, and others. Health monitoring apps are available

in cellular phones that alerts the people when to walk, run, bike, check BP

periodically, etc. The ability to share daily life or special events instantly with

thousands of people and see reactions in a matter of minutes. Access to any research

papers. Ability to watch videos that have just released from abroad on Netflix,

Amazon, etc. To read e-books, without carrying heavy books. Parents use tablets for

their kids to stop them from crying. Existence of mobile apps for entertainment, social

interaction through digital media, paying bills, accessing bank accounts and etc.

Our lives have been undeniably simplified through the use of gadgets. It is a

fact that is unarguable. The intensity of human dependence on technological devices

is so immense that the ability of a person to function discontinues due to the absence

of the gadget (Human Dependence on Gadgets, n.d.).

In the school of Andres Bonifacio College, majority of students rely more on

gadgets and more drawn to gadget dependency. Due to this, the researchers aim to

compare the performances of gadget dependent and non-gadget dependent students

through matched comparison. The respondents will come from the Grade 11 STEM

Students of Andres Bonifacio College and will be categorized through a pre-survey,

and shall be given a post-survey test after.

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1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The purpose of this study is to quantitatively compare gadget dependent

students with non-gadget dependent students in terms of; time spent using gadgets,

academic performance and health. Therefore, the study aims to answer the following

questions:

1. How much time do students have intended for using their gadgets?

2. How many gadget dependent and non-gadget dependent students are there

in STEM 11?

3. Is there a significant difference among the academic performance of gadget

dependent and non-gadget dependent students?

1.3 OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of this study are:

1. To identify the gadget dependent students and non-gadget dependent

students among the STEM 11 students.

2. To examine the respondents’ performance in terms of time spent using

gadgets, academic performance and productivity.

3. To compare and discover the differences between the performance of

gadget dependent students and non-gadget dependent students.

1.4 SIGINIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The results of the study would be beneficial to the following:

Students. This study shall benefit the students through making and raising

awareness of the effects of gadget dependency. The results will enable the students to

be cautious. Therefore, students will start to manage the time that they spare in using

their gadgets.
 4

Teachers. The results of the study will enable the teachers to evaluate and

impose rules for the better management of gadget use among students.

School. This research study will provide ideas for the school on how to

incorporate and introduce gadget use in terms of learning considering that students

nowadays are technologically inclined and also impose rules on proper gadget

management.

Future Researchers. This study will serve as a reference to other researchers

who would be conducting a study related to this topic.

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study will be focused on finding out the differences between the gadget

dependent and non-gadget dependent students of Andres Bonifacio College STEM

11. The participants will be the Grade 11 STEM students of Andres Bonifacio

College. Categorizing of participants shall only be through the pre-survey results, any

data aside from that shall be considered irrelevant. The study shall be conducted

within the locality of Dipolog City specifically in Andres Bonifacio College. The

study shall be done through a pre-survey and post-survey, by this strategy the

researchers will be able to gather the sufficient data for match comparison and to

know the differences between gadget dependent and non-gadget dependent students.

1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms are operationally and/or conceptually defined to provide a

clearer understanding of this study.

Gadgets. A small mechanical or electronic device or tool, especially an ingenious or

novel one (Oxford Living Dictionaries, n.d.).

Gadget Addiction. In this study it refers to the extreme level of gadget dependency.
 5

Gadget Dependency. The overuse of gadgets even when the individuals are aware of

the usage effects in doing so (Gupta, 2013).

Gadget Dependent Students. In this study it refers to the students who are involved

in gadget dependency.

Non-Gadget Dependent Students. In this study it refers to students that are non-

dependent in using gadgets.

Technology. It is knowledge and science put into practical use to solve problems or

invent useful tools (Your Dictionary, n.d.)

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 AVERAGE TIME TO USE GADGETS

According to the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (2019) the

recommended time of gadget use is only supposed to be 2 hours per day. However,

Tsukuyama (2015) stated that teens spend an average of nine hours a day online,

compared to about six hours for those in ages 8 to 12. This is already clear evidence

of gadget overuse.

2.2 GADGET DEPENDENCY

There is no standard definition for gadget dependency, however based on a

study conducted by Gupta (2013) it was defined as the overuse of gadgets even when

the individuals are aware of the usage effects in doing so. It was stated in the study

that gadgets are already a part of human’s everyday life and gadget and internet use

have been put into universal practice especially among students. Gadget usage has

both negative and positive effects. The study shows the rise of percentage number of

gadget dependent medical students. Thus there is a need in creating certain awareness

for that specific matter to administer the positive and negative effects of gadget

dependency among students. Furthermore, the results of the said study showed that

the younger generation is inclined towards having more gadgets and becoming gadget

dependent. There is a need to counsel students and parents regarding dependency on

gadgets.

Moreover, Livazovic (2010) stated that the youth use gadgets for various

purposes like playing online games, watching videos, listening to music, chatting with

friends, and browsing different websites for additional knowledge and entertainment.
 7

Kumar and Sherkhane (2018), states that in this modern era, youth are the

most vulnerable group among the population to be dependent on gadgets due to

technology. In addition, studies have shown that the usage of gadgets produces

positive and negative impacts. The use of gadgets could educate, improve cognitive

and competitive skills or worst it could cause language delay, attention deficit and

learning problems.

Nowadays people have been dependent to gadgets that it has become the most

important part of their lives. The students are known to be the ones who exceed the

use of gadgets. Today a lot of information is shared about the effects of gradual use of

gadgets with regards to people’s health in the negative aspect. The increasing trend

and bad effect of improper use of gadgets are most necessarily needed to be known in

order to prevent it from becoming the world’s greatest problem (Nikhita, Jadhav, &

Ajinkya, 2015).

To add to this, Capulong (2018) said that in today’s generation electronic

gadgets have a great influence and effects on student’s academic performance not like

before when there are no gadgets yet, students were more active in doing school

academic activities such as reading books and going to the library. Through the years

it changed and now students are more engage and dependent to the gadgets to the

point that they can’t live without it. Gadgets were made to make our life easier but it

has an effect especially to people particularly to the students’ since they became more

dependent and the student’s gets lower grades than before due to it. It has a great

effect to all the learners since they will prioritize now their gadgets than doing their

homework and academic school activities to the extent that they will disregard

everything including their school activities, friends and relatives.

 8

Gadget dependency carries its positive and negative sides; this was confirmed

through a study by Eyal Ophir (2019) which detailed that there are several studies

which show the positive impacts of the technological gadgets and services. Other

studies reveal the negative effects of these tech-gadgets and services. Individuals who

are engaged in high level of technical activities through the digital devices are better

in performing cognitive tasks. The effective use of the gadgets may have possible

impacts on cognitive thinking and also makes them master multitasking. In contrast, a

study stated that the given time that is needed to interact with other people are taken

away by the overusing of gadget and this causes them to care less with the people

round them. Another bad impact is the lack of focus that roots from their distraction to

gadgets. Being exposed to gadget in an early age can help develop some skills

important to succeed in careers related to technology.

2.3 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF USING GADGETS

Technology has been a necessity for youth and their education at present.

Many people benefit from it. It has been essential in gathering information,

entertainment, and for social status updates. Only that those gadgets take away the

sincerity from communication and interaction with loved ones, values of family

relations and education to the youth. Study shows that young adults spend an average

of 6 hours using gadget. One of its best features is that it is simple and only requires

less effort that makes the student rely on them more (Alabeza, 2018).

Business Matters (2018) specified that most student utilizing portable gadgets

can solve problems at the same time. For instance, while having discussion, the

student can play the game and from time to time listen to the teacher. Or when

travelling in vehicles and talking with friends/relatives, one can also tune in to music.

These could add up to advancement of performing multiple tasks. In the meantime,

 9

studies have demonstrated that the utilization of devices by these students does not

influence their academic performance. In addition, gadget makes learning more

enjoyable. As the digital society progress, kids are more exposed to technological

devices at an early age. They get impatient for lecture style teaching, when they go to

school. They want to experience high-tech digitals. Their wants may not be fulfilled,

but with the use of different digital gadgets, they are almost in the stage in which they

want to be. The quality of education in today's school is improved with the use of

gadgets. In contrast, the study habit of a student is affected by gadgets in many ways.

Students tend to become dependable and careless because they trust gadget to do all

the work needed in school. Mobile phones reduce study time and disrupts learning

since some students might try to do this activity while at school or during lectures.

As stated by Silva (n.d.), children who are young and are still in preschool

might have positive impact when it comes to gadgets. In addition, it will help them

enhance and develop their listening and speaking skills. These new electronic devices

help a lot of people and encourage their cognitive and analytical skills. To the

students their electronic devices help them improve their agility and make them

knowledgeable about technology.

2.4 NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF GADGET DEPENDENCY

According to K. Kumar (2018), technology has made our youth the most

vulnerable group among today’s population because of their accessibility and

addiction to gadgets. This is due to the availability and affordability of the gadgets

that it is now at everyone’s reach. In our society today, we worry about the term

“drug addiction” but “gadget addiction” is the most critical area of concern today

because it may ruin humanity’s way of interaction in the future. Addiction is an urge

that cannot be controlled and as an effect it lowers the emotional intelligence of a

 10

person as well also directly affects the academic and professional endeavours. A

cross sectional study was conducted to 200 undergraduate students using predesigned

and pretested questionnaires. 5- point likert-scale was used to analyze the gadget

dependency among students. The results showed that subjects had their first gadgets

at the age of 16-20 years old and 90.5% are smart-phone users as a common gadget

and 50.2% are using it for more than 7 hours a day and 61% had difficulty in a day

work performance. The results clearly showed the high level of gadget dependency

and certain actions should be taken to inform the users about the pros and cons of

gadgets to prevent future complications and worst problems.

Excessive use of gadgets and continuously staring of the screen of it can bring

negative and bad effect to your health. The USA Centres for Disease Control and

Prevention stated that a child spends about 8 hours a day of playing, browsing in the

internet, and watching shows on the screen with their gadgets. Gradually as they aged

the usage of gadgets also intensify. Excessively using of these devices can infect and

damage their eye sights (Sundus, 2017).

The launch of current innovative contraptions created a major attention of

worldwide populace. The reliance of individuals on these technological devices and

services has come to such level that, without these, they can't think a stage forward

towards their development. This, as a result prompts into habits and obsession in the

use of gadgets. Youth is the most vulnerable bunch among the populace to be

dependent on innovation. The reasons for use of gadgets are delight driven instead of

need. Likewise, it uncovers the fixation that gadgets have many negative effects on

different angles and it also correlates to the mental wellbeing of a person. These

factors resulted into the change of lifestyle among students (Pathak, 2016).
 11

Pappas (2017) stated that the earlier the children will be provided with

gadgets, the more they are at risk of being dependent on it and develop mental

dysfunctions. Some students might also be sleeping late at night because of using

gadget, thus, slowing down their thinking the next day. They share more portion of

their time to using gadgets than studying hence it is getting in the way of their

academic performance (The Effects of Gadgets in Students Performances Essay,

2016).
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CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

The aim of this study is to know and understand the difference between the

gadget dependent and non-gadget dependent students which will be randomly selected

from the Grade 11 students of Andres Bonifacio College. The researchers in this study

will use the match comparison in order to attain and get the desired result. In this

design two groups will be compared and will be created by a non-random method

wherein the participants in each group will be assigned and gets the information of

their similarities such as their ethnic, assessment scores or other variables that may

affect the result of the study. This kind of research design is usually conducted

through surveys where the respondents will answer some questionnaires made by the

researchers.

3.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

TIME SPENT IN
USING GADGETS

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

PRE - TEST

GADGET NON-GADGET
DEPENDENT DEPENDENT
STUDENTS STUDENTS

DEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

POST - TEST

RESULTS

MATCHED
COMPARISON

Figure 1. Study Paradigm of the Variables Involved

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3.3 DATA GATHERING METHOD

In gathering the data, the first step upon conducting the testing proper is to

make a letter of approval addressed to the class adviser whom the study will be

conducted. In administering the questionnaires, the researchers will conduct a pre-test

to the subjects of the study to assess their attachment to gadgets. Second, after

collecting the pre-test a follow up post-test will also be given to the subject to further

assess their gadget dependency. Data will be then collected by the researcher from the

subjects for interpretation.

3.4 INSTRUMENTS USED

The instruments to be used will be a research – made questionnaire checklist

to gather needed data for the researchers. The questionnaires will be used as pre-

survey and post-survey to be given to the respondents. The questionnaire will contain

multiple choice checklist questionnaires as well as dichotomous questions that are all

close-ended, the answers have corresponding points based on the respondents’

answers. Through this type of questionnaire, the answers of the different respondents

will be graphed and sorted out for matched comparison.

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3.5 RESEARCH FLOW CHART

START

PREPARATION

FORMULATION OF SURVEY MATERIALS,

CONSENTS AND LETTERS

INFORMING THE RESPONDENTS

DISSEMENATING THE CONSENTS TO THE
RESPONDENTS FOR APPROVAL.

CONDUCTING THE PRE-SURVEY

CONDUCT THE PRE-SURVEY TO CLASSIFY

THE RESPONDENTS.

CONDUCTING THE POST-SURVEY

CONDUCTING THE POST-SURVEY TO THE

CLASSIFIED GROUPS OF RESPONDENTS.

ANALYSIS OF DATA GATHERED

SORTING OUT AND INTERPRETING THE
DATA GATHERED THROUGHOUT THE
RESEARCH
 15

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ONLINE SOURCES
Alabeza, E. R. (2018, June 12). Gadget Dependency: A Current State of 21st Century
Youth. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from greenspiders:
https://invictusaladeza.wordpress.com/2018/06/12/gadget-dependency-a-
current-state-of-21st-century-youth/
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. (2019). Canadian 24-Hour Movement
Guidelines. Retrieved from CSEP GUIDELINES: https://csepguidelines.ca/
Gupta, N., Krishmurthy, V., Majhi, J., & Gupta, S. (2013). Gadget Dependency among
Medical College Students in Delhi.Indian Journal of Community Health, 362-
366.
Human Dependence on Gadgets. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.123helpme.com/human-dependence-on-gadgets-
preview.asp?id=244675
Indrakanti, A., Chutake, M., Prouty, S., Sundaranatha, V., & Koverkathu, a. V. (2018,
July 10). Gadget Addiction. Retrieved February 13, 2019, from UC Berkeley
Engineering's Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology:
https://scet.berkeley.edu/reports/gadget-
addiction/?fbclid=IwAR0R5kAgSfq4Vm5FPjQUC3tQBGwzRSnWqxs1se45FV52
01C5wLnBEI6nkA0
Kumar, A. K., & Sherkhane, M. S. (2018). Assessment of gadgets addiction and its
impact on health among undergraduates.International Journal of Community
Medicine and Public, 3624-3628.
Livazovic, G. (2010). Leisure-time media and children's academic achievement.
Occasional Papers in Education & Learning: An international Journal Volume
4, 111-118.
Muduli, J. R. (2014). Addiction to Technological Gadgets and Its impact on Health and
Lifestyle: A Study on College Students. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from
eThesis @ NIT Rourkela: http://ethesis.nitrkl.ac.in/5544/1/e-thesis_19.pdf
Nikhita, C. S., Jadhav, P. R., & Ajinkya, S. A. (2015). Prevalence of Mobile Phone
Dependence in Secondary School Adolescents.Journal of Clinical and
Diagnostic Research, VC06-VC09.
Ophir, E., Nass, C., & Wagner, a. A. (2019, September 15). Cognitive control in media
multitaskers. Retrieved February 16, 2019, from Proceedings of the National
Academy Sciences of the United States of America:
https://www.pnas.org/content/106/37/15583?fbclid=IwAR3s4capO4QGaaD_
eVeHmJNpgySbYAnB7ics9llXO5pr6zCg6wIvmDFOs34
 16

Pappas, J. (2017, July 27). Childhood Gadget Dependency – Digital Revolution Gone
Wrong. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from Julia Pappas:
http://juliapappas.co/childhood-gadget-dependency/?fbclid=IwAR3fpIIf-
_V3UPzYPDXBzPPLtixbilfAoC3ly-xfjJwvPR8Ozzb9aG5qeAg
Sundus, M. (2017). The Impact of Using Gadgets on Children.Journal of Depression
and Anxiety, 296.
The Effects of Gadgets in Students Performances Essay. (2016, September 11).
Retrieved from Study Moose:https://studymoose.com/the-effects-of
gadgets-in-students-performances-essay-
?fbclid=lwAR2a-
`````````zzsjVR5EhgvrHJTgNYTADAKaQIPkNp09c0J5HACMXjuMInRfK5LBo
Tsukayama, H. (2015). Teens Spend Nearly 9 Hours A Day Consuming Media.
Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://
www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/11/03/teens-spend-
nearly-nine-hours-every-day-consuming-media/
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APPENDIX A. Questionnaire for Pre-Survey

Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale (60 items)

Name: _____________________ Strand & Section: ______ Age: ______ Sex: _____

Usage Subscales This scale includes 44 items which comprise 11 subscales:

Smartphone Usage (9 items), General Social Media Usage (9 items), Internet

Searching (4 items), E-Mailing (4 items), Media Sharing (4 items), Text Messaging (4

items), Video Gaming (3 items), Online Friendships (2 items), Online Friendships (2

items), Facebook Friendships (2 items), Phone Calling (2 items) and TV Viewing (2

items).

10-point frequency scale for items 1–40 (with scoring in parentheses): 1 – Never

6 - Once a day 2 - Once a month 7 - Several times a day 3 - Several times a

month 8 - Once an hour 4 - Once a week 9 - Several times an hour 5 - Several

times a week 10 - All the time

Please indicate how often you do each of the following e-mail activities on any device

(mobile phone, laptop, desktop, etc.)

1. ( ) Send, receive and read e-mails (not including spam or junk mail).

2. ( ) Check your personal e-mail.

 18

3. ( ) Check your work or school e-mail.

4. ( ) Send or receive files via e-mail.

Please indicate how often you do each of the following activities on your mobile
phone.

5. ( ) Send and receive text messages on a mobile phone.

6. ( ) Make and receive mobile phone calls.

7. ( ) Check for text messages on a mobile phone.

8. ( ) Check for voice calls on a mobile phone.

9. ( ) Read e-mail on a mobile phone.

10. ( ) Get directions or use GPS on a mobile phone.

11. ( ) Browse the web on a mobile phone.

12. ( ) Listen to music on a mobile phone.

13. ( ) Take pictures using a mobile phone.

14. ( ) Check the news on a mobile phone.

15. ( ) Record video on a mobile phone.

16. ( ) Use apps (for any purpose) on a mobile phone.

17. ( ) Search for information with a mobile phone.

 19

18. ( ) Use your mobile phone during class or work time.

How often do you do each of the following activities?

19. ( ) Watch TV shows, movies, etc. on a TV set.

20. ( ) Watch video clips on a TV set.

21. ( ) Watch TV shows, movies, etc. on a computer.

22. ( ) Watch video clips on a computer.

23. ( ) Download media files from other people on a computer.

24. ( ) Share your own media files on a computer.

25. ( ) Search the Internet for news on any device.

26. ( ) Search the Internet for information on any device.

27. ( ) Search the Internet for videos on any device.

28. ( ) Search the Internet for images or photos on any device.

29. ( ) Play games on a computer, video game console or smartphone BY

YOURSELF.

30. ( ) Play games on a computer, video game console or smartphone WITH OTHER
PEOPLE IN THE SAME ROOM.

31. ( ) Play games on a computer, video game console or smartphone WITH OTHER
PEOPLE ONLINE.
 20

Do you have a Facebook account? If the answer is “yes,” continue with item 32; if
“no”, skip to the Attitudes subscales below. NOTE: The word “social media” may be
substituted for Facebook in the question stem above and in items 32–34.

How often do you do each of the following activities on social networking sites such
as Facebook?

32. ( ) Check your Facebook page or other social networks.

33. ( ) Check your Facebook page from your smartphone.

34. ( ) Check Facebook at work or school.

35. ( ) Post status updates.

36. ( ) Post photos.

37. ( ) Browse profiles and photos.

38. ( ) Read postings.

39. ( ) Comment on postings, status updates, photos, etc.

40. ( ) Click “Like” to a posting, photo, etc.

Please answer the following questions about your Facebook and other online friends.
NOTE: In items 41 and 42 the words “social media” (or any specific social media
site) may be substituted for Facebook.

9-point scale for items 37–40 (with scoring in parentheses:

 21

1 – (0) 2 – (1–50) 3 – (51–100) 4 – (101–175) 5 – (176–250) 6 – (251–375) 7 –

(376–500) 8 – (501–750) 9 – (751 or more)

41. ( ) How many friends do you have on Facebook?

42. ( ) How many of your Facebook friends do you know in person?

43. ( ) How many people have you met online that you have never met in person?

44. ( ) How many people do you regularly interact with online that you have never
met in person?

Attitudes subscales These subscales include 16 items, which comprise four subscales:
Positive Attitudes Toward Technology (6 items), Anxiety About Being Without
Technology or Dependence on Technology (3 items), Negative Attitudes Toward
Technology (3 items) and Preference for Task Switching (4 items)

5-point Likert scale for all items (with scoring in parentheses)

5 - Strongly agree 2 - Disagree 4 - Agree 1 - Strongly disagree 3-

Neither agree nor disagree

45. ( ) I feel it is important to be able to find any information whenever I want online.

46. ( ) I feel it is important to be able to access the Internet any time I want.

47. ( ) I think it is important to keep up with the latest trends in technology.

48. ( ) I get anxious when I don‟t have my cell phone.

49. ( ) I get anxious when I don‟t have the Internet available to me.

50. ( ) I am dependent on my technology.

 22

51. ( ) Technology will provide solutions to many of our problems.

52. ( ) With technology anything is possible.

53. ( ) I feel that I get more accomplished because of technology.

54. ( ) New technology makes people waste too much time.

55. ( ) New technology makes life more complicated.

56. ( ) New technology makes people more isolated.

57. ( ) I prefer to work on several projects in a day, rather than completing one
project and then switching to another.

58. ( ) When doing a number of assignments, I like to switch back and forth between
them rather than do one at a time.

59. ( ) I like to finish one task completely before focusing on anything else.

60. ( ) When I have a task to complete, I like to break it up by switching to other

tasks intermittently.

*Scoring for item 15 is reversed with strongly agree = 1 and strongly disagree = 5.