The use of cell phones by high school learners in the Mahikeng area : an exploratory study

Abstract

The main objective of the study is to examine how high schools learners in the Mahikeng area use their cellular phones. This study will further explore whether educators and parents have the necessary skills to understand how the learners use their cellular phones. Six schools had been identified for the study, three in urban parts of this town (Mafikeng High School, Golfview Secondary School, Mmabatho High School) and three in rural parts of the town (Barolong High School, Danville High School and Saint Mary's Secondary School). The study addresses social problems such as pornography, abduction and rape which have become prevalent since the advent of the new Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) devices, such as the Internet, Twitter, Facebook and MXit. These new technologies have made communication easy by eliminating spatial distances. Learners are now able to communicate with strangers whom they have never met in person, and this poses a threat to their lives. This study has adopted the qualitative research method. It deals with opinions and perceptions of learners, teachers and parents, and a qualitative methodology will be more suitable for this data. The data revealed that all learners in all schools which participated in the study have cellular phones. The data further revealed that learners from the schools which participated in the study have seen pornographic images from the cellular phones. With regard to teachers the data revealed that all schools had cell phone policies. In terms of the parents the data revealed that 60 per cent had cellular phones with Internet access and 40 per cent of parents said their phones did not have access to Internet. The study highlighted that some learners do not sleep at night due to MXit, as they chat throughout the night and only sleep for two hours per night. They end up feeling sleepy at school and cannot concentrate in the classroom.