ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL AND NON-EDUCATIONAL SMARTPHONE APP USE, TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS, AND GPA IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Sohaib Ullah, Marwa Zaib

Abstract


This research paper investigates the impact of smartphone use on time management and academic performance among students in higher education institutions. With smartphones becoming an integral part of everyday life, their potential to enhance or diminish academic performance is becoming increasingly important. The study surveyed undergraduate students (N = 170) and collected data on their smartphone usage patterns, time management skills, and academic performance (GPA). In addition to survey responses, smartphone usage tracking applications were used to obtain more objective measures of time spent on educational and non-educational applications. The findings indicate a markedly negative relationship between non-educational app use (e.g., social media, entertainment) and academic performance, suggesting that the time spent on these apps is associated with lower GPA scores. On the other hand, time management skills were observed to have a positive impact on academic performance, mitigating the negative influence of smartphone distractions. Although the educational use of apps showed a weak positive correlation with GPA, this correlation was not significant. The study discusses the role of time management in mitigating digital distractions and suggests that strengthening students’ time management skills may help improve academic outcomes by enabling more effective and purposeful smartphone use.

Keywords


smartphone usage; academic performance; time management; higher education; digital distraction;

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12709/mest.14.14.02.28

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