Use of Smartphones and Worship Decorum by Students of Babcock University
By: Zayzay Jr, Emmanuel Forkpa
By: Zayzay Jr, Emmanuel Forkpa
Abstract
The coming and integration of smartphones into worship influenced Worship Decorum (WD). Some see this as enhancing worship, while others see them as pediments to WD, especially among university students. It is against this bedrock that this paper sought to study the use of smartphones and WD among Babcock University (BU) Students.
The survey research design was used with a self-structured questionnaire called “Use of Smartphones and Worship Decorum Questionnaire” for data collection. Out of the 23 worship centers on BU campus, 3 were randomly selected and used for this research, which are Canaan Land (458), Dominion (235), and Living Spring (458) Chapels, with a total of 1266 students. The questionnaire was administered to 330 (26%), by 303 were obtained and used for analysis.
The hypothesis showed that there was a negative correlation between the use of smartphones and worship decorum awareness and practices (R= -.139. The lesser students used their smartphones during worship (X = 1.823) the greater their awareness and practice of worship decorum (X = 3.590). The results indicated that almost all the students (98.6%) had access to Smartphones and 96% brought them for worship, while 74.5% used them during worship. Though students were aware and practiced WD features, some sued their smartphones during worship to play games, listen to music, chart on social Medias, send/receive emails, read Bible, and sing hymns. However, reading of Bible (X=3.1056) and signing of hymns (X=2.5) were the main reasons students used their smartphones for during worship. There were more females (191) than males (112), suggesting that there were more females than males in the worship centres and BU.
Smartphones with various applications were accessible to most Students at BU which they brought and used during worship. Most students were aware and practiced all the WD features, yet, few still used their smartphones during worship, thereby distracting WD. The study therefore recommends that worship centers leaders should not allow students to use smartphones during worship, but encourage them to bring printed Bibles and hymnals for worship, and also make available projectors and Easy worship to help enhance WD.
Keywords: Smartphones, Worship Decorum, Babcock University, Worship Centers, and ICTs
Word count: 347
Please note that this article was a course requirement for my Masters program
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