Smartphone Features and Students’ Engagement in Academic Activities
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between smartphone features and students’ engagement in academic activities among college students at Palompon Institute of Technology, Palompon, Leyte, Philippines. Specifically, it assessed students’ usage of smartphone features in terms of capturing/recording, searching, editing, downloading/uploading, and presenting; determined the level of students’ engagement; and tested the significant relationship between smartphone feature usage and engagement. Anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model and Student Involvement Theory, the study employed a descriptive-correlational design with 65 respondents selected through universal sampling. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and Pearson’s r correlation. Findings revealed a high level of students’ engagement and high levels of smartphone usage across all features. Results further showed significant positive relationships between students’ engagement and all smartphone features, with searching and capturing/recording demonstrating the strongest associations. The findings indicate that smartphone features serve as valuable academic tools that support student engagement in technology-enhanced learning environments. The study concludes that increased utilization of smartphone features is associated with higher academic engagement and recommends integrating smartphone-supported learning strategies in higher education.
Downloads
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Adams, M. (2023). The influence of brand perception on student engagement with educational technology. Journal of Educational Technology Research, 35(2), 145–160.
Alrahabi, A., Khan, S., & Alharbi, M. (2021). Facilitating collaborative learning through smartphone applications: A case study. International Journal of Educational Technology, 8(3), 101–115.
Amali, L., Hassan, M. S., & Mokhtar, S. Z. (2021). Mobile learning in higher education: The case of Universiti Teknologi MARA. Universiti Teknologi MARA Institutional Repository. https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/53696/
Astuti, I. P., Wibawa, B., Suarmanayasa, I. M., & Renda, N. T. (2021). The effectiveness of smartphones as learning media: A systematic literature review. Journal of Education Technology, 5(1), 14-22. https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/JET/article/view/34806
Aziz, N. A., Hassan, N. S. I. C., & Omar, A. (2020). Investigating students' perceptions of mobile learning: A review study. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1252536
Cabero-Almenara, J., & Barroso-Osuna, J. M. (2022). Mobile learning and student academic engagement: A systematic review. Education and Information Technologies, 27, 3945-3962. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10639-022-11430-9
Computer Hope. (2025, February 21). Smartphone. Computer Hope. https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/smartphone.htm
Fitria, J., Mariono, A., & Maureen, I. (2023). Highest education smartphone use and its relationship with student engagement. Jurnal Teknologi Pendidikan: Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengembangan Pembelajaran.
Gopalan, N., Ros, M., & Abu, N. (2020). Digital learning, smartphone usage, and digital culture in Indonesia education. CyberLeninka. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/digital-learning-smartphone-usage-and-digital-culture-in-indonesia-education
Hegarty, B. (2019). The impact of mobile learning on student engagement: A systematic review. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 18, 113-159. https://jite.org/documents/Vol18/JITEv18ResearchP113-159Hegarty4896.pdf
Kalyani, D. (2024). The role of technology in education: Enhancing learning outcomes and 21st-century skills. International Journal of Scientific Research in Modern Science and Technology, 3(4), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.59828/ijsrmst.v3i4.199
Kearney, M., & Maher, D. (2021). Mobile learning in higher education: Evaluating the impact on student engagement and satisfaction. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 37(5), 1–16.
Kukulska-Hulme, A., & Viberg, O. (2018). Mobile collaborative language learning: State of the art. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(2), 207–218. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12580
Kumar, V., & Nanda, P. (2022). Social media as a learning tool: A perspective on formal and informal learning. International Journal of Educational Reform, 33, 105678792210943. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879221094303
Lee, S., & Choi, H. (2023). The role of smartphone features in promoting collaborative learning among students. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 59(6), 1243–1262.
Lestari, A. D., & Santoso, H. B. (2020). The influence of smartphone addiction on students' academic performance. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 14(20), 45-60. https://online-journals.org/index.php/i-jim/article/view/18461
Li, B., Smith, J., & Johnson, K. (2023). Problematic smartphone uses and its impact on academic procrastination and sleep quality among university students. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 12(1), 45–56.
Liu, Y., Han, S., & Li, H. (2022). Mobile learning platforms and their effect on student engagement and academic performance. Educational Technology & Society, 25(4), 85–98.
Oruikor, G. J., Ewane, H. D., Durotoye, M. P., & Akomaye, C. U. (2023). The impact of classroom design on student learning: A case study of Cameron schools. Journal of Global Issues and Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(1), 21–36.
Mbinda, B. B., Usadolo, S. E., & Maome, I. J. (2024). The effective use of smartphones for teaching and learning among undergraduates in higher institutions. International Journal of Business Ecosystem and Strategy, 6(3), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.36096/ijbes.v6i3.517
McCoy, B. R. (2016, January 15). Digital distractions in the classroom Phase II: Student classroom use of digital devices for non-class related purposes. Faculty Publications, College of Journalism & Mass Communications, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=journalismfacpub
Meşe, E., & Sevilen, Ç. (2021). Factors influencing EFL students’ motivation in online learning: A qualitative case study. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 708970. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708970/full
Miller, B., & Thomas, M. (2021). Accessing learning management systems with smartphones: What is the effect on learning behavior and student engagement? In C. Crawford & M. A. Simons (Eds.), eLearning engagement in a transformative social learning environment (pp. 221–243). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6956-6.ch011
Minhas, D., Pathak, A., Agarwal, V., Kapoor, P., Jessie, H., Goyal, S., Chauhan, D., Kumari, A., Pathak, V., Agarwal, P., Kapoor, H., & JessieRani, R. (2024). Analysis of the evolution and adoption of mobile technology in educational institutions. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture.
Nowrouzi-Kia, B., Stier, J., Ayyoub, L., Hutchinson, L., Laframboise, J., & Mihailidis, A. (2021). The characteristics of Canadian university students’ mental health, engagement in activities, and use of smartphones: A descriptive pilot study. Health Psychology Open, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029211024814
PhilAtlas. (n.d.). Palompon, Leyte. Retrieved November 26, 2025, from https://www.philatlas.com/visayas/r08/leyte/palompon.html
Phil2024ippine Statistics Authority. (2020). 2020 Census of Population and Housing – Palompon, Leyte. Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/classification/psgc/barangays/0803740000
Rahmah, F., & Ardiansyah, A. (2020). The role of smartphone-based learning in Indonesian higher education: A case study. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 44(3), 380-395. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03098265.2020.1802703b
R Core Team (2024). R: A Language and environment for statistical computing. (Version 4.4) [Computer software]. Retrieved from https://cran.r-project.org.
Revelle, W. (2023). psych: Procedures for Psychological, Psychometric, and Personality Research. [R package]. Retrieved from https://cran.r-project.org/package=psych.
Rung, A., Warnke, F., & Mattheos, N. (2020). Investigating the use of smartphones for learning purposes by Australian dental students. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.3120
Sambell, M. (n.d.). 5 benefits of mobile learning in the modern classroom. Schoolbox. Retrieved March 11, 2025, from https://schoolbox.education/blog/5-benefits-of-mobile-learning-in-the-modern-classroom/
Sari, R., & Saputra, B. (2021). Sistem pemilihan smartphone berdasarkan spesifikasinya pada mahasiswa sistem informasi Universitas Tanjungpura menggunakan metode Simple Additive Weighting (SAW). Jurnal Teknologi dan Sistem Informasi, 2, 329–338.
Shokeen, & Ruwali, P. N. (2024). The smartphone use and its impact on academic performance of undergraduate students. TECHNO REVIEW: Journal of Technology and Management, 4(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.31305/trjtm2024.v04.n01.001
Smith, A., & Jones, B. (2022). The dual impact of smartphones on student learning: Enhancing engagement while risking distraction. Computers & Education, 175, 104324.
Songur, A. (2024). The effect of smartphone features on customer engagement: The mediating role of brand value. Journal of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University and Administrative Sciences Faculty. 11(3), 1246-1264. https://doi.org/10.30798/makuiibf.1506039
The Glossary of Education Reform. (2016, February 18). Student engagement. https://www.edglossary.org/student-engagement/
The jamovi project (2024). jamovi. (Version 2.6) [Computer Software]. Retrieved from https://www.jamovi.org.
Tindell, D. R., & Bohlander, R. W. (2011). The Use and Abuse of Cell Phones and Text Messaging in the Classroom: A Survey of College Students. College Teaching, 60(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2011.604802
Wilson, S., Byrne, P., Rodgers, S., & Maden, M. (2022). A systematic review of smartphone and tablet use by older adults with and without cognitive impairment. Innovation in Aging, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igac003
Wang, X., Chen, Y., & Zhang, H. (2020). Educational apps and their impact on student motivation and participation in class activities. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 58(3), 623–646.
Yu, Z., & Jee, M. J. (2020). Exploring mobile learning and student engagement in higher education. SAGE Open, 10(3), 1-15. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0735633120953598
Author(s) and co-author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere. Author(s) agree to the terms that the Global Publication House will have the full right to remove the published article on any misconduct found in the published article.


















