Abstract:

This paper describes the results of a research study that examined the degree of addiction to the internet and online communication tools among the students of teacher training courses. The research method was the translated version of the international standardized CIAS scale designed for the assessment of internet addiction. To examine the length of students’ online activities and other characteristics a questionnaire designed by the authors was used.

The research sample consisted of 226 students of teacher training courses of various specializations. Internet addiction was observed in 3.1% of all the students. A higher degree of internet addiction was observed among men (score 44) compared with women (score 40) and in younger students up to 30 years of age (score 42) compared with older students over 30 years of age (score 37). The difference was statistically significant in both cases (p=0.05; p=0.003). At the same time, students of different specializations showed a similar degree of addiction to the internet.

A significant difference was observed in the length of online activities depending on the students’ gender only in the length of daily mobile communication (calls, text, chat), where women spent 126 minutes a day compared with 70 minutes for men. In terms of the length of online activities by age, a significant difference was observed in the length of social networking, mobile communication (calls, text, chat) and internet use for purposes other than school requirements. The students up to 30 years of age spent statistically significantly more time on these activities than the students over 30 years of age.

Keywords:

Internet addiction, online communication, students of teacher training courses.