Factors that affect smartphone adoption by high school students in Gauteng, Ekurhuleni Region

Abstract

Technology has changed the way people conduct daily activities such as shopping, banking, organising our diaries, and learning. School management generally does not allow smartphones in the classroom because they consider them a form of distraction rather than learning. The main objective of this research is to study the impact of smartphones on high school student’s performance and examine factors that can influence smartphone usage on this performance. The purpose of the study is to conceptualise a framework for smartphone usage in high schools. The study was conducted at secondary schools in South Africa, in Gauteng, in the Ekurhuleni region. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use Technology 2 model (UTAUT2) was used to construct the hypotheses tested in the study. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Three schools participated in the study, and 259 students responded to the survey. The hypotheses that were tested in the study are effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, habit, hedonic motivation, and behavioural intention to use smartphones. All the hypotheses were supported in the study, except social influence. It was discovered from this study that the main factor affecting the use of smartphones is that students do not always have resources that afford them the use of their smartphones. In addition, students are not easily influenced by others to use their smartphones. The study can help to increase awareness of learning with smartphones and can contribute to the integration of smartphone use in schools, taking into consideration the advantages and disadvantages of learning with smartphones.