Comment on Study finds smartphone bans in Dutch schools improved focus
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 6 days agoYou shouldn’t poll anyone, instead look at test results. If there is better focus, it’ll improve learning outcomes like test scores, graduation rates, and reduces instances of cheating. IMO, if we poll anyone, it should be parents about how much assistance they give their kids (i.e. are they filling in the gaps in their education less?).
It’s nice that teachers think kids are paying more attention, but that only matters if kids are learning more.
slackassassin@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
That’s another type of study that is also worthwhile. But the effects of distracted students on teachers and the classroom as a whole is also relevant.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
Sure, I just don’t trust results from subjective studies, unless it’s tracking trends over time. So maybe if they had opinion polls like this before smartphones were a thing in classrooms, while smartphones were a thing, and after they were banned I’d trust the results somewhat. But if we’re just tracking an after-the-fact poll, it just feels like confirmation bias. I believe teachers have an incentive to overstate the impact of policies that give them more control, because they want to encourage more such policies, even if they aren’t effective at achieving tangible results.
So yeah, I distrust this type of study. I don’t think it’s necessarily worthless, I just don’t think many conclusions can be taken from it.
slackassassin@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
You can conclude that teachers experience a better classroom environment. There was also 1/3 that did observe academic improvement.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
I mostly care about longer term impacts. The ban has only been in place for a year and a half, so it’s really not much to go on.
HollowNaught@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Yes, but there’s a huge degree of bias whenever you ask people anything. Obviously teachers are going to think phones are detrimental to class focus, and thus they’re more likely to say their ban helped with that same focus
Same thing If you asked students, but reversed
slackassassin@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
Both great metrics to have, true.