Share
Although combining the advances of modern technology with the education of the young is perhaps an effective way to improve the learning process, a new survey suggests home-based use of the Internet is actually having a detrimental effect.
Empty... everyone\'s at home. Cheating. Image: Cherise/Flickr.
More pointedly, research carried out by the Cranfield School of Management in the UK has revealed that almost 60 percent of schoolchildren are guilty of lifting content directly from online sources when completing homework beyond the gaze of their teachers.
Perhaps more worryingly, some 25 percent of those students also intimated through the survey that copying online information was acceptable – despite acknowledging that to do so was plagiarism.
The study, which was conducted across a sample of 260 high-school students aged between 11 and 18, also revealed that a growing reliance on modern technology is having a negative effect on the nurturing of basic classroom skills.
“Our research shows that technology obsession hinders spelling skills, implicitly encourages plagiarism, and disrupts classroom learning,” commented Andrew Kakabadse, professor of international management development at Cranfield.
Not just pointing an accusatory finger in the direction of the Internet, the Cranfield survey also criticised the increasing influence of mobile phones and text-based messaging. Specifically, around 30 percent of respondents admitted to using timesaving messaging abbreviations and shortcuts such as “r u ok” and “gr8” while composing written texts.
While many schools impose anti-mobile phone restrictions on their students during attendance, the survey revealed that more than a third frequently engage in mobile phone use during class, often relying on unscheduled toilet breaks in order to indulge in social interaction or make personal phone calls.
Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter
Advertising
Comment on this Story