Smartphones and Mobile Apps: Case Study on Usage Behavior of Elementary School Students – Insights from a Rural Area in Northern Germany

Authors

  • Atilla Wohllebe Doctoral School in Management and Organizational Science, MATE Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus, Kaposvár, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5848-3453
  • Dirk-Siegfried Hübner Doctoral School in Management and Organizational Science, MATE Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus, Kaposvár, Hungary
  • Uwe Radtke Doctoral School in Management and Organizational Science, MATE Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus, Kaposvár, Hungary
  • Arabel Wohllebe Europa-Universität Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i12.22565

Keywords:

Elementary School, Smartphones, Education, Mobile Apps

Abstract


With digitization and the spread of smartphones in many areas of life, mobile devices have also become increasingly relevant in education. While comprehensive research exists especially for smartphone use among teenagers and students, the findings for elementary school students are limited. Based on a survey, this case study provides exploratory insights into the smartphone usage behavior of elementary school students in a rural region in northern Germany. The responses of 33 students in grades 3 and 4 (ages 8 to 10) show that many students already own a smartphone at this age and use it daily, sometimes for several hours, especially for gaming and media consumption. The influence of owning an own smartphone on usage and leisure activities is reviewed. School use is of little relevance among the elementary school students surveyed.

Author Biographies

Atilla Wohllebe, Doctoral School in Management and Organizational Science, MATE Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus, Kaposvár, Hungary

Atilla Wohllebe is currently a Ph. D. student at Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences – Kaposvár Campus, Hungary. His research topics include mobile apps and digital marketing, e-commerce and retail, and agile working methods. He holds a M. Sc. in E-Commerce from Wedel University of Applied Science, Germany. Working in stationary retail and e-commerce, he advises companies on how to meet the challenges of digitalization both strategically and technologically.

Dirk-Siegfried Hübner, Doctoral School in Management and Organizational Science, MATE Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus, Kaposvár, Hungary

Dirk-Siegfried Hübner is the owner of an energy consulting company and specializes in bakeries. At the same time, he is a doctoral student at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus. He is dedicated to research in the field of energy management and sustainability. Dirk holds an M.A. in Project Management from Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences and lives in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Uwe Radtke, Doctoral School in Management and Organizational Science, MATE Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus, Kaposvár, Hungary

Uwe Radtke is a Development Architect at SAP. He lives and works in Dresden, Saxony, and is currently completing a part-time PhD program at the Hungarian Uni-versity of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Kaposvár Campus, Hungary. Uwe studied Business Informatics in Zwickau, Germany.

Arabel Wohllebe, Europa-Universität Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany

Arabel Wohllebe studied Educational Sciences with a focus on German Studies and Textiles & Fashion. She holds a Master of Education from Europa-Universität Flensburg and is a prospective elementary school teacher in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. She lives in Flensburg in the north of Germany.

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Published

2021-06-18

How to Cite

Wohllebe, A., Hübner, D.-S., Radtke, U., & Wohllebe, A. (2021). Smartphones and Mobile Apps: Case Study on Usage Behavior of Elementary School Students – Insights from a Rural Area in Northern Germany. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 15(12), pp. 184–192. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i12.22565

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 12 (2021)

Section

Short Papers