Study of the infl uence of information and communication tools on the psychophysiological state of schoolchildren on the basis of subjective evaluation

Abstract

The relevance of the article is determined by the existence of contradictions between the need to introduce innovative technologies into the educational process at school, as an integral attribute of modern education, and the negative influence of factors on the physical and psycho-emotional state of health of students related to the use of information and communication tools (computers, phones, headphones). The goal of the study was to assess the relationship between the timing of the use of information and communication tools and the frequency of functional and psycho-emotional complaints in groups of middle and high school schoolchildren. 400 schoolchildren of the Saratov Region, the Moscow Region, Leningrad Region and the Republic of Dagestan were surveyed, who made up two groups of research: middle-school schoolchildren (grades 5–6) and high-school schoolchildren (grades 10–11 The survey was carried out by means of the standardized formalized cards which included the questions considering usage time of computers and mobile phones, complaints to a headache, hands pain, other pain and/or feeling of discomfort from visual organ and the organs of hearing, as well as a psycho-emotional state. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the STATISTICA application software program by StatSoft Inc (USA). To compare the frequencies of a binary feature, a fourfold table of absolute frequencies was constructed and the level of statistical significance for the exact Fisher’s two-tailed test criterion was determined. The study was conducted according to the requirements of bioethics, after signing informed consent statement by teenagers and their parents. The study examined the relationship between the timing of the use of information and communication tools and the frequency of complaints in groups of schoolchildren. The results of the study should be taken into account when developing and implementing preventive measures to prevent negative effects of computers and mobile devices on the body of students.