The effects of smartphone addiction on learning: A meta-analysis

Research on smartphone use among college students is extensive. Although numerous studies have examined the relationships between mobile phone use and academic achievements, many such studies have yielded mixed findings. Hence, the overarching goal of this meta-analysis was to comprehensively synthe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adesope, O.O (Author), Maarhuis, P.L (Author), Sunday, O.J (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd 2021
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Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
Description
Summary:Research on smartphone use among college students is extensive. Although numerous studies have examined the relationships between mobile phone use and academic achievements, many such studies have yielded mixed findings. Hence, the overarching goal of this meta-analysis was to comprehensively synthesize existing research to investigate the effects of smartphone addiction on learning. The authors included 44 studies (45 effects) in the analysis yielding a sample size of N ​= ​147,943 college students from 16 countries. The results show that smartphone addiction negatively impacts students' learning and overall academic performance (Q (43) ​= ​711.87, p ​< ​.001, r ​= ​−0.12). Further, findings suggest that the greater the use of a phone while studying, the greater the negative impact on learning and academic achievement. Additionally, the results suggest that skills and cognitive abilities needed for students’ academic success and learning are negatively impacted. Implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations for future research are delineated. © 2021
ISBN:24519588 (ISSN)
DOI:10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100114