Is Your Child Addicted to Games?

School Happiness and Digital Games: A Look at Primary School Students

In today's digital world, video games are a popular pastime for children. However, concerns exist about the potential negative impacts of excessive gaming, particularly on aspects like school performance and overall well-being. This blog post explores a recent study that investigated the relationship between school happiness and digital game addiction among primary school students.

Key Findings:

 A recent study by Çayak, & Özge (2024) found the following with their research:

1. School Happiness: Students reported moderate happiness levels on average, suggesting room for improvement in fostering positive school environments.
2. Digital Game Addiction: A surprisingly high prevalence of digital game addiction was found, highlighting a potential concern for this age group.
3. 
   Gender and Digital Games: Contrary to some existing research, no significant difference in addiction levels between boys and girls was observed. More studies are needed to understand this contrast.
4. School Achievement and Happiness: Students with moderate achievement reported the highest levels of school happiness, suggesting a potential link between academic challenge and a positive school experience.
5. Happiness and Game Addiction: A weak negative correlation emerged, indicating that happier students tend to have slightly lower game addiction levels. However, school happiness explained only 3% of the variation in game addiction, suggesting other factors play a more significant role.

Comparison with Existing Research:

The study's findings on gender and digital game addiction, as well as the explanatory power of school happiness on game addiction, differ from some existing research. This highlights the need for further investigation to understand these variations and the complex interplay of factors influencing digital game addiction in primary school students.

Recommendations:

As a result of their research, the researchers made the following recommendations for future studies:

1. Conduct studies with larger and more diverse samples for broader applicability of results.
2. Incorporate qualitative data collection methods (interviews with students, parents, and teachers) to gain deeper insights.
3. Explore ways to create more engaging and stimulating school environments to promote student happiness, potentially leading to a reduction in digital game addiction.

Conclusion:

This study adds to our understanding of digital game addiction and its potential links to school happiness. While a connection is suggested, more research is needed to solidify these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms. By understanding these factors, educators and parents can develop strategies to promote positive school experiences and potentially reduce problematic digital game use among primary school students.

 References

1. Çayak, Semih & Erduran Tekin, Özge. (2024). The Relationship between School Happiness and Digital Game Addiction. Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health. 190-198. 10.55549/jeseh.688.