Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 17 hrs ago
Classroom phone ban raised grades in a large trial at Indian colleges
Students at 10 colleges in Odisha, India, handed in their phones before lectures as part of a semester-long trial.
Researchers randomly assigned 198 of 420 student groups to the ban, which ran from February to May 2024.
The trial covered 16,683 students and 2,305 courses at colleges and universities.
Students in groups with the ban earned slightly higher grades overall, while attendance did not change.
Lower-performing students and first-year undergraduates improved the most, while researchers found no measurable change for students already doing well or for those in several other groups.
The researchers said the unchanged attendance suggests the gains came from better attention in class, but that does not prove a ban will work everywhere.
The researchers say a phone ban may be a low-cost policy worth considering, not a solution that guarantees better grades.
A randomized trial at 10 colleges and universities in eastern India found that students required to hand in their phones before lectures earned slightly higher grades.
The trial covered 16,683 students, 742 teachers and 2,305 courses.
The ban was in place for the spring semester of 2024, from February to May.
Lower-performing students and first-year undergraduates improved most, while several other groups showed no measurable change.
Attendance did not change, which researchers said pointed to better attention in class rather than more time spent there.
- Who
- College students in the trial, led by researcher Alp Sungu and co-authors.
- What
- A randomized classroom phone ban was associated with slightly higher grades.
- When
- The ban ran from February to May 2024.
- Where
- 10 colleges and universities in Odisha, eastern India.
- Why
- Researchers said unchanged attendance suggested the gains came from better attention in class.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Students in randomly assigned groups handed in their phones before each lecture for the spring semester.
Students took exams written and marked by outside examiners, and researchers compared grades between groups.
- Trial participants
- 16,683 students
- Study sites
- 10 colleges and universities in Odisha
- Assigned groups
- 198 of 420 groups were assigned to the ban
- Study period
- February to May 2024
- Phone storage
- About 1,000 wooden deposit boxes made from recycled materials
What people are saying
Banning phones is not a silver bullet, but it is plausibly a simple, low-cost policy lever worth considering.
That doesn’t guarantee the same ban will work everywhere.