Computer Addiction Among College Students.docx

Chapter 1

Problem and its Setting

Background of the Study Computer addiction is a new term pertaining to one’s dependency on computers. It is not only limited to the use of personal computers but also to video games and Internet usage. It affects a person’s life in different aspects. The studies of students who become addict to online games have been affected. These students would most likely to cut classes, go to computer shops and spend their time in a virtual world of their own. This situation if not stopped, would result to failing grades and eventually becoming dropouts. Manaois (2008) Furthermore, Aldous (2012) mentioned that the computer and video game industry has grown considerably over the past decade. In 2005 a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation: "Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 year-olds", showed that over 80 percent of teenagers had a video game player in their home. The widespread use of video games has led to a series of questions. The most common question discusses the effects that the video/computer games have on the academic performance of the gamer. Researchers have found that each situation should be handled independently because the effects vary from individual to individual. Hivner

(2013)

mentioned

that

in

December

2008,

former

FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate stated that online gaming, more specifically “World of Warcraft,” was one of the top reasons for college dropouts in the U.S. A commonly held notion about gaming is that it is bad - it

causes a disruption in the leisure time of today’s youth, barring them from major responsibilities, such as homework and other important obligations. However, there is little evidence found that supports this claim. Lanuza (2003) cited that the Philippines was connected to the Internet only in March 30, 1994.The Angus Reid study shows that there are more than 300 million Internet users worldwide. Today there is an estimated 750,000 to 1 million Filipino Internet users. In Metro Manila alone, ten percent of the population is Internet users. As a result, more and more young people are being hooked on to the Internet. Moreover, Barredo (2009) mentioned that in Davao City, commonly seen in many internet cafes especially during classes hours are students from different levels of education. Most of these students are in high school and college levels because these students have enough knowledge to understand computer instructions as to how to play the games. Today’s trend in technology provides a lot of virtual entertainment that people are accepting it because it generates psychological pleasure. Indeed, this pleasure if uncontrollable will result to addictive behavior.

The

proponents of this study would like to partake to all readers specifically to students that addiction to video/computer games can be destructive to one’s self physically and mentally.

Statement of the Problem This research study aimed to determine the effect of computer games to the academic performance of Criminology students of the University of Mindanao. Specifically, it will answer the following question:

1.

What are the profiles of the students-respondents of the

University of Mindanao in terms of : 1.1 Age; 1.2 Gender; and 1.3 Year Level? 2.

What is the level of academic performance of the Criminology

students in terms of: 2.1 School attendance 2.2 Examinations; and 2.3 Interest in school activities? 3.

As to what extent of time do the Criminology students spend in

playing computer games? 4.

Is there a significant relationship between playing computer

games and the academic performance of the Criminology students?

Review of Related Literature In this section of the study, related literatures relative to the research of the proponents are arranged below to provide further details associated with the discussion. The popularity of video games has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. Video games now rival television and film as entertainment media for leisure time use. Contemporary youth report watching between 2 and 3 hours of TV per day and playing video games between 23 and 60 minutes per day (Marshall, Gorely, & Biddle, 2006). Video games are a fairly recent new form of entertainment, the first metaanalyses (Anderson & Bushman, 2001; Sherry, 2001) showed that there is a steadily growing body of research

looking at their impact on players. The prominence of violent content in many types of games (Heintz-Knowles et al., 2001) and its potential association with aggression has attracted particular attention (Griffiths, 1999, 2000). Relatively little research has examined the relationship between video game use and other behaviors like school performance. Before TV viewing and other forms of media became mainstream forms of entertainment, educators and parents expressed concern that this entertainment might begin to compete for academic time and eventually decrease school performance (Gentile & Anderson, 2003; Shin, 2004). As video games become more prevalent, concerns are also being expressed about potential detrimental relationships between video game play and school performance. According to Jones (2002), technology nowadays has brought man to an era of digital and advanced world of computers. Not only are computers used in studies, research and work, it is now being used as part of leisure and entertainment. Most of the youth today know how computers work and even a 3 year old child who is still yet to learn how to read and write knows how to operate a simple computer. This is because the interactive element of a lot of software that computers use excites and attract students and this makes them learn to use and play with the computers. The higher level of involvement may mean that violence in computer games has a much bigger impact than violence on television (Dill & Dill, 1998, p. 411; Griffiths, 1999; Anderson & Dill, 2000, p.772; Sherry, 2001, p. 411). A number of studies have shown a negative association between amount of video game play and school performance for children, adolescents, and college students

The violent content of video games may be especially troublesome. There is a negative relation between exposure to violent media and academic performance (Huesmann,1986; Huesmann & Miller, 1994). Increased exposure to violent video game playing may disrupt school performance by increasing aggressive behavior (Anderson & Dill, 2000). Many current college age students grew up playing video games, whereas twenty years ago this would not have been the norm. Huesmann (1986, 1998) proposed that when students observe violence in the mass media, they learn aggressive scripts. Scripts define situations and guide behavior: these scripts are oftentimes invented by mostly college students because these students were already well-versed in video games. The person first selects a script to represent the situation and then assumes a role in the script. Once a script has been learned, it may be retrieved at some later time and used as a guide for behavior. This approach can be seen as a more specific and detailed account of social learning processes. Scripts are sets of particularly well-rehearsed, highly associated concepts in memory, often involving causal links, goals, and action plans. Peek (2013), pointed out that the allure of video games seems to be stronger among men than women. Although women appear to play games just as much as men, men are far more likely to play games on consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. A 2008 Pew Internet & American Life Project report reveals that 35 percent of men play console games, compared to just 21 percent of women. As in any situation where new technology is introduced, the social impact of the Internet is being looked at. One social problem that has been

observed is that the Internet café has become mainly game centres. About one-half to two-thirds of the computers in a typical Internet café, according to one study, are devoted to games (violent and gory games). According to one concerned Internet café entrepreneur, “These competer or video games are seducing youths to a new form of addiction, one which may not destroy their bodies as drugs do, but which is certainly twisting their minds. (Maslog C. (1998)

In relation, youth, especially students who are most likely exposed to entertainments, are the ones who were affected worst. These students fall to be on the stage of addiction in online games. Research and analysis to these games is nascent, but critical. Games play to such excess that they die in the worlds, which is having the potential to draw almost everybody. Compulsive game playing kills the role-playing variety, they tend to have risk failing grades and withdrawal of financial results from tuition-paying parents. Thus, online gaming does interfere some aspects in our life- including academic performances. On school days, keen boy who intend to play online games appear to have less time reading than those who didn’t (Sciencedaily, Cyber Psychology & Behavior, Vol. 10, 2007 issue July 4, 2007). On the other hand, according to Pearson (2012) that research published in the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology found that students who play computer games more frequently get poorer grades in college. However, some computer game promoters argue that video games contain elements that can increase student learning. Since computer games motivate students more than learning by itself, these computer games might be harnessed for educational purposes in the future.

The Philippines is not free from such kind of addiction. In an article (Killing Time Online, October 2006) which appeared in the Asian edition of Readers Digest, Cebu journalist Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr. explored the story of an 18-year-old computer science student who flunked from most of his exams, thus failing to graduate on schedule. For almost three years, the student compulsively logged on to play Ragnarok an online role-playing adventure game based on Norse mythology until he suddenly realized that he was no longer living his own life, to quote the words of Mosqueda. He had lost contact with friends, failed behind in his studies and had spent about 100,000 pesos playing online games more than enough to finance a year of his education. According to Briones (2012) that in less than 10 years, Filipinos fully utilized the internet and started benefiting from it. It has advanced communication, education and industrialization paving the way for a new source of income. It is the business of selling internet consumptions through internet cafés. There are 114 million people around the world who play online games and most of them come from Asia, according to research firm DFC Intelligence. Tacio (2009) also cited that in the Philippines, more and more teenagers most of them students (high school and college) and even elementary pupils are hooked on online games as internet cafe’s, which are readily accessible day and night, are proliferating not only in the cities but in far flung areas as well. Dado (2012) mentioned that the growing problem of video games addiction of students can be observed especially in almost all internet cafes in Davao City. Widely known game DOTA which is played online is just one of

these video games that made students become addicted to playing video games. Most students found inside the internet cafes do not go there for the purpose of research studying but instead to play online games. Majority of the students who are addicted to playing computer/video games have low academic grades and worse, some have resulted to dropped-out of school. Balanza (2012) cited that internet cafes are major causes of absenteeism and poor performance students. Most often than never, these students always come home past midnight because they spend time in internet cafes after school. Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said if the situation comes to worse, City Hall may be forced to close down internet cafes. Duterte agreed that many students are addicted to playing games in internet cafes as others are addicted to drugs. Many of them go home in the wee hours of the morning, said Duterte to illustrate the situation. With the growing problems related to video game addiction of students, the proponents believe that there is a need to conduct a research study regarding this concern. Through this study, this will serve as an eye-opener to each and every one of us the effects of video game addiction to students and the proponents were optimistic that this study will contribute suggestions and recommendations to the school administrators, teachers, parents and students relative to the effect of computer/video games towards the students’ school performance.

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework This study is anchored on three theories of Chambers & Ascione (1997), which are based on the Social Cognitive Theory, scholars hypothesize that symbolic violence explicitly justified during game playing is easily

internalized by players and can be substantially transferred to the real world, because players tend to identify themselves with the game characters. Another popular explanation for the effects of violent games on aggression is the excitation transfer of residual excitement from a previous game playing may serve to intensify a later emotional state of a game player. According to this explanation, playing violent games increases accessibility to a subset of cognitions specifically related to violence and aggression, which later can be transferred to real world aggressive behaviors. Media use and selectivity often focuses on single aspects of media related behaviors, e.g. the (absolute or relative) amount of use of certain media or content, the choice between a given set of options, or the strategies of choice applied in concrete reception situations. Media repertoires can be understood as integral part of lifestyles, they have to be interpreted with regard to their practical meaning. Moreover, the collective roots of habitués lead to milieu specific lifestyles with typical patterns of action which are also reflected by patterns of media use (Michel, 2003). The schematic diagram of the study shown in Figure 1, displays the interrelationship of the independent variables (Computer games) and dependent (Academic performance of Criminology students) variables of the study.

According to the theory of Chambers & Ascione, that video or

computer games can cause aggressiveness mentally, physically and emotionally. Hence, the proponents made an investigative study as to how computer games affect the study of the Criminology students.

Independent

Dependent

Academic performance of the Criminology students • School Attendance

Computer/Video Games

• Examinations • Interest in school activities

Moderator Variable

Profile of the studentsrespondents • Age • Gender • Year Level

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the study

Significance of the Study The findings of this research will be significant to the following: School Administrator.

The results of the study will serve as

informative guidance to the school administrator in motivating the students to focus more in their studies than wasting precious time playing computer games

and

to

provide

information

drive

to

all

students

and

teachers/professors the negative effect of prolonged hours of playing video/computer games. Teachers/Professors. With the study, the proponents are hopeful that teachers/professors/instructors will be able to give proper information and guidance to their students about the effects of computer games towards their studies. Parents. It is important first and foremost that parents should be informed that their children especially the students should be properly monitored when playing computer games. Parents should be the more careful and Students. The findings of this study will serve as a guide to all students of College of Criminal Justice Education that computer games, although it is very entertaining might cause problems mentally, physically and emotionally when one is already hooked on playing in prolonged hours. Researchers. The proponents of this study are optimistic and hopeful that this study can be useful as sources of reference for future study.

Definition of Terms The following operational terms were used in this study in giving meaning through how it is used by the proponents.

Video/Computer game. An entertaining simulation game which can be played using a computer and a console such as desktop personal computer, laptop, PSP, XBOX and etc.. This game can be played either without internet connection or through MMORPG Online Game. A virtual game played through the use of internet connection so that players can play with their opponents from any place in the world. Academic performance. This refers to the academic performance of College of Criminal Justice Education students of the University of Mindanao.

Chapter 2 METHOD The following methods and procedure used in this study are the research design, research environment, respondents of the study, research instrument, data gathering procedure and data analysis so as to come up with a valid and consistent interpretation of the data provided by the proponents.

Research Design The study made use of a descriptive – correlation design in the conduct of the research which is designed to gather information about the characteristics of the variables of the study. A descriptive correlation method is one that helps to determine if two or more variables are associated with each other by explaining their relationship but not necessarily implying that this relationship is also a cause. The focal point of this research study is to determine the effect of computer games to the academic performance of Criminology students.

Research Subjects The proponents randomly picked sixty (60) Criminology students of the University of Mindanao regardless of the student’s year level and gender.

Research Instruments The researchers used the following instruments:

1.

A letter request for the dean of the College of Criminal Justice

Education to allow the proponents to conduct survey to randomly-picked students of Criminology of the University of Mindanao. 2. Two sets of proponents-formulated questionnaire distributed sixty (60) students-respondents: and, 3. The researchers used the internet in supplying related articles to provide necessary data needed to further present useful information related to the subject study. Statistical Treatment of the Data The following statistical tools were used by the researchers provide support and accuracy of data presented in this study.

Likert Scale - is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research, such that the term is often used interchangeably with rating scale, or more accurately the Likert-type scale, even though the two are not synonymous. The questions were measured in a five (5) Likert scale. Likert scale is a psychometric scale

commonly

involved

in

research

that

employs questionnaires. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research, such that the term is often used interchangeably with rating scale, or more accurately the Likert-type scale, even though the two are not synonymous. To determine the respondent’s responses to the variable, the following parameter was used.

Scale

Parameter Of Limits

Descriptive Equivalent

Verbal Interpretation

5

4.50 – 5.00

Very High

If the level of academic performance of the respondents described in the item were manifested at all times.

4

3.50 – 4.49

High

If the level of academic performance of the respondents described in the item were manifested in many but not the majority of the cases.

3

2.50 – 3.49

Moderate

If the level of academic performance of the respondents described in the item was manifested in a few instances.

2

1.50 – 2.49

Low

If the level of academic performance of the respondents described in the item was manifested in some instances.

1

1.00 – 1.49

Very Low

If the level of academic performance of the respondents described in the item was manifested in some instances.

Percentage.

A percentage is a proportion between two quantities

expressed in hundredths. It is often used to define a portion as a fraction of a whole. It's widely used in statistics, and finance to define probability, rate of return etc. Frequency. is an arrangement of the values that one or more variables take in a sample. Each entry in the table contains the frequency or count of

the occurrences of values within a particular group or interval, and in this way, the table summarizes the distribution of values in the sample.