The Role of Online Gaming on Learning Engagement levels in Australian Secondary Students and the Moderative Impact of Anxiety on this Relationship
Date
2022
Authors
Smith, Stephanie
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Thesis
Citation
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
Many adolescents are Online Gaming which makes their Learning Engagement levels at school increasingly challenge with shifted attention. Many studies have researched the effects of gaming on engagement. However, there has been a gap in literature measuring the effects of Anxiety, and the negative ramifications from excessive online gaming levels in secondary students. The current study measured the relationship between online gaming and Australian secondary students' learning engagement levels and if anxiety acted as a moderator on this relationship. A total of 17,082 Australian secondary students were administered with the Resilience Survey in 2021. Participants provided demographic data such as age, grade, gender, and their suburb/postcode. Other items included engagement levels and daily online gameplay. Anxiety was measured using the GAD-2 scale. There were statistically significant findings of a negative association between online gaming and learning engagement, where higher levels of online gaming were associated with lower levels of learning engagement. Anxiety was found to moderate this relationship with higher levels of anxiety being predictive of higher levels of online gaming and lower levels of learning engagement. Limitations of our study include the cross-sectional nature limiting the causal effects of our variables and the directions of our associations. Anxiety and engagement levels were measured at one point in time which does not account for changes over the academic year. In addition, only one gaming item was used to measure frequency of gameplay. Potential future studies could measure possible coping effects and include various gaming items related to genre and platforms. The next step would consider how to improve this relationship between online gaming and learning engagement to improve adolescent wellbeing and introduce measures that can decrease the impact of anxiety that predicts this relationship. Keywords: Online Gaming, Learning Engagement, Anxiety, Adolescents.
School/Discipline
School of Psychology
Dissertation Note
Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2022
Provenance
This electronic version is made publicly available by the University of Adelaide in accordance with its open access policy for student theses.
Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the author of this thesis and do not wish it to be made publicly available, or you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please complete the take down form located at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/legals
Description
This item is only available electronically.