INTERNET DEPENDENCY IN ADOLESCENTS: IMPLICATION FOR SCHOOLWORK PARTICIPATION AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ENUGUSTATE

Abstract

Because of the proliferation of internet technologies, which has been associated with internet addictions, more and more media reports indicate that most students no longer participate in activities associated with their education as much as they should. This trend may be hurting students'  academic  performance.  The  present  study  examined  internet  dependency  as  a variable that could account for the variations in schoolwork participation among secondary school  students.  Two  hundred  and  fifty-two  senior  secondary  school  students  from  five public and private schools in Enugu State participated in the survey. They completed a self- report measure of the Schoolwork Engagement Inventory and Smartphone Addiction Scale- Short Version (SAS-SV). The simple regression analysis conducted on the data revealed that internet   dependency   statistically   significantly   predicted   the   respondent's    schoolwork participation F (1,250), 36.71, P<.000. Thus, the result affirmed the hypothesis that internet dependency  would  significantly  correlate  with   schoolwork  participation.   The  practical implications and recommendations are discussed.