THE INFLEUNCE OF INTERNET ADDICTION AND MOBILE PHONE DEPENDENCY ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

Internet addiction and mobile phone dependency has become a serious social problem in the school systems. The ugly development has given much concern to parents, lecturers and stakeholders in Education. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, understanding its impact on students' academic success is paramount. This study examined the influence of internet addiction and mobile phone dependency on academic achievement among University students in Anambra State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three specific purposes: To examine the influence of internet addiction on academic achievement of university students in Anambra State. To ascertain the influence of mobile phone dependency on academic achievement of university students in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significant. Conceptual, theoretical and empirical studies were reviewed. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised 40,000 University undergraduates in Anambra State. The sample of the study comprised 365 university students of Anambra state origin. Standardized scales, Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and Test of Mobile Phone Dependence (TMP), were employed to measure levels of addiction and dependency. Academic achievement was assessed with students’ cumulative grade point averages (CGPAs). Three instruments were used to collect data for the study. The reliability of the instrument was measured using Cronbach alpha. The reliability test yielded coefficient values of 0.86 for Internet Addiction Test scale and 0.76 for the Test of Mobile Phone Dependence. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while hypotheses testing was done with analysis of variance (ANOVA).   The findings revealed a significant negative influence of internet addiction, mobile phone dependency, on academic achievement. The study also revealed a significant gender difference in the influence of internet addiction on academic achievement, but did not show a significant gender difference in the influence of mobile phone dependency on academic achievement. Based on the finding of the study, it was recommended that educational institutions should integrate digital literacy programs into the curriculum to equip students with essential skills for responsible technology use.