Please Pick My Call! University Students and Mobile Telephony in Kenya Dr Hezron Mogambi

Introduction
This paper examined patterns of mobile phone usage by students in a large and top university in East and Central Africa- The University of Nairobi. The focus was on exploring the various mobile phone applications among students, the levels of mobile phone usage among university students for academic purposes and the gender difference between male and female students mobile phone usage for academic purpose. The respondents were 300 students from its various campuses. A self reported questionnaire was used to collect data for the study and was analyzed in figures and tables to represent the levels and the gender difference on mobile phone usage among students. The results of the study indicated that majority of the students (both male and female owned smart phones, and a small percentage of them (less than 25%) owned feature phones. Male students were more satisfied with their phones applications than their female counterparts, although the female students rated higher (very often users) for other purposes than academic. The study further showed that majority of the students were using their mobile phones to communicate with their classmates, and lecturers about lesson timetables, and exchanging other important academic information. Additionally, over 70% of the overall students sampled in this study confirmed to use their mobile phones applications to search important information in relation to academics and help in their assignments. Findings suggest a need to sensitize students and educators about the potential academic risks associated with high-frequency cell phone use.

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