According to a research done by Swansea University and University of Milan, students who use digital technology excessively are less motivated to engage with studies. The students reported more anxious about tests. It also made students feel more lonely.
285 university students, enrolled on a range of health-related degree courses, participated in this research. They were assessed for their use of digital technology, their study skills and motivation, anxiety, and loneliness.
The study found a negative relationship between internet addiction and motivation to study. Those students also found it harder to organise their learning productively.
“This suggests that students having internet addiction may be particularly at risk from lower motivations to study, and, hence, lower actual academic performance,” said Professor Phil Reed of Swansea University.
About 25% of the students reported that they spent over four hours a day online, with the rest indicating that they spent between one to three hours a day. The main uses of the internet for the student sample were social networking (40%) and information seeking (30%).
Professor Truzoli of Milan University said: “Internet addiction has been shown to impair a range of abilities such as impulse control, planning, and sensitivity to rewards. A lack of ability in these areas could well make study harder.”
