Most South Korean Teachers Disapprove of Unlimited Mobile Phone Use in Class

According to the survey released by the Korea Federation of Teacher’s Associations on Wednesday, the vast majority of teachers expressed disapproval towards allowing students unrestricted use of mobile phones in class. (Image: Yonhap)

SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean teachers are almost unanimous in agreeing that students should not be able to use mobile phones in classroom without restrictions, a new survey has found.

According to the survey released by the Korea Federation of Teacher’s Associations on Wednesday, the vast majority of teachers expressed disapproval towards allowing students unrestricted use of mobile phones in class.

Over 82 percent of the respondents said they were ‘very against’ the idea, while 14.5 percent expressed a more moderate level of disapproval. In the meantime, only 2.5 percent of teachers agreed that it was a good idea to offer students unfettered access to their mobile devices.

When asked why, most respondents said that the unrestricted use of mobile phones in class could impede teachers’ right to teach and make guidance for students much more difficult, while others said the use of mobile phones could disturb the ability of students to study and focus on educational activities.

When it comes to abolishing the current points-based system in school, in which students either receive or lose points based on their conduct, over 7 in 10 teachers disagreed, while 22.3 percent were in favor of the move.

Nearly 37 percent of the supporters of the current points-based system argued that it helps create an environment where students learn to take responsibility for their actions, while 26.5 percent believed it is not ideal to abolish the policy without instituting a replacement.

Opponents of the system argued that students need to set their own standards and learn to behave appropriately on their own, while others said a scoring system is not ideal in education.

Currently, South Korea’s education law gives authority to school principals over issues such as the length of hair, clothing choices, and restriction on the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices, as a way of ensuring order and organization in school.

South Korean teachers are almost unanimous in agreeing that students should not be able to use mobile phones in classroom without restrictions, a new survey has found. (Image: Yonhap)

The Korea Federation of Teacher’s Association’s latest survey comes amid reports that the National Council of Governors of Education will discuss doing away with a clause that gives such powers to school principals.

The survey was conducted with a sample of 1,645 elementary school, middle school, and high school teachers between December 29 and January 8, and has a margin of error of 2.42 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95 percent.

Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)