Standing in the Schoolhouse Door: Teacher Perceptions of Mobile Phones in the Classroom

AbstractThis study examines the perceptions of 1,121 teachers in Kentucky and Tennessee to determine their support for the use of mobile phones in the classroom, as well as their perceptions of the mobile phone features that are beneficial for school-related work and the instructional barriers to mobile phone use. The results indicated that slightly more teachers did not support the use of mobile phones in the classroom than those who did support their use, with approximately half as many teachers reporting uncertainty. The teachers perceived access to the Internet, educational apps, the calculator, the calendar, and the ability to play a podcast as the most beneficial features/functions of mobile phones for classroom use. In addition, they identified cheating, access to inappropriate information on the Internet, cyberbullying, and disruptions as the primary barriers to using mobile phones in the classroom.