Date of Award

Spring 2018

Document Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

STEM Education & Professional Studies

Program/Concentration

Occupational and Technical Studies

Committee Director

Karina Arcaute

Abstract

New technologies available with cellular devices and the introduction of smartphones have become a large part of individual’s lives in the past few decades. Smartphones have the ability to perform almost every operation necessary for individuals at any time or place. Smartphones are means for individuals to communicate quickly while interacting on other websites and social networking platforms at the same time. Each day the capabilities of smartphones continue to grow and allow users to establish more information through these mediums, without the extra work of using other devices and programs. The study investigated the daily usage of smartphones by individuals in different age groups.

The study included a 13-question survey that asked questions about participants’ daily use of smartphones, including the social media applications they used, and hours spent using them. There were 20 participants in the study, and 6 of them responded to the 3 optional open-ended questions to describe any personal experiences participants have had with their smartphones. The data obtained from the surveys was compiled into graphs and tables to categorize the respondents into gender, age group, hours spent using smartphones, and the smartphone applications most used. A descriptive qualitative analysis was used to examine the findings in the study. The results of the study showed that the majority of respondents spend 3-5 hours a day using their smartphones, with 75% of respondents saying that they used Instagram and Facebook most. The conclusions of the study indicate that individuals in the 18-30 age range are the ones most affected in their social interactions because of the reliance on smartphones. These younger individuals use the smartphones as their main form of communication.

Comments

A Research Paper Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the for the Degree of MASTERS OF SCIENCE [Occupational and Technical Studies]

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