Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item The effect of cell phone policy on student achievement(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Sperling, Kenneth Alan, Jr.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesCell phones and their prevalence in the high school classroom has had disastrous effects on student attention and retention. Problems with cell phones and various forms of social media may have plagued classrooms, but in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic induced social isolation, these problems have been exacerbated. Four different cell phone policies were tested to see which policy contributed to the highest student achievement on summative assessments. Surveys were conducted on teachers within the school to collect general thoughts on cell phones and cell phone policies in their own classrooms. Surveys were conducted to gather student opinions on cell phones and social media. A Likert survey was given pre and post a metacognitive unit on cell phones/social media, mental health, and circadian science that was taught to see if students changed their beliefs about cell phones and social media once they were presented with the science about them. The results of my study suggests that while no one cell policy to be the best amongst all classes, the policy which made students turn in cell phones but allowed them to charged produced either the largest jump in student achievement comparatively to their last unit, or the least amount of drop in student achievement amongst all classes. Other results include mass consensus amongst teachers with frustration related to cell phones in the classroom, and that students' opinions on how cell phones affect their health and their ability to live life without cell phones can be changed if presented on a metacognitive unit on effects of cell phones and social media on their health.Item Don't peek: the cost of looking at your cell phone in science class(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Etter, Eric; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Walter WoolbaughThe purpose of this study was to try to quantify the effects cell phones have on learning in the science classroom. It attempts to show the various ways cell phones affect both students and teachers by taking a closer look at the effectiveness of one specific cell phone policy. The implementation of the new cell phone policy asked students to either put their phone on the side of the classroom or keep it hidden in their backpacks. Data was collected from student test scores, student surveys, teacher notes, and a survey of middle school principals and teachers. This data was analyzed for trends and patterns in order to both quantitatively and descriptively show the effects cell phones have on the learning environment. In the end, this study suggests that students who are separated from their phones perform significantly better than students who keep their phones in their pockets and/or backpacks. However, the implemented policy proved to be an ineffective way of eliminating the cell phone distraction; especially for the students who chose to keep their phone. In addition, this study also showed that removing cell phones may not only improve student learning but also creates an atmosphere that promotes better student-teacher relationships. In conclusion, the research conducted in this study suggests that the proximity of the learner's cell phone as an inversely proportional effect on learning. As such, it is important to continue to find better ways to separate learners from their cell phones for the betterment of everyone in the classroom.Item iPhone to IMAX : the social implications of screen size(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2008) Potter, George Alexander; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theo Lipfert.Screen size changes the way the moving image affects viewers and specific content is more likely to be influential if screened on the most appropriate media type. The ever-increasing popularity of portable devices, like the iPhone, means that viewers are watching more content on smaller screens than ever before. At the same time, movie theatres and Imax screens are still as popular as ever and seeing something on the big screen holds some kind of magic for the viewer. This fact has not been lost on environmental filmmakers who are increasingly finding ways of using different sized screens to promote their cause. Ultimately, the size of the screen not only determines what viewers watch, and how they are affected by what they see, but can actually be the deciding factor for whether they take action on an issue.