Mapping and auditing internet addiction in technical education

Abstract

The current proliferation of social networking sites (e.g., Facebook), electronic devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets), and the internet has paved the way for a charge in promoting the phenomenon of internet addiction (IA). This paper analyzed and examined the validity and appropriateness of a well-established instrument for measuring IA among technical education students in Ghana, specifically students of Accra Technical University (ATU). Using a quantitative research method involving questionnaires, data collected from 260 (n=260) students in ATU was used to validate the research objectives and also measure the levels of IA among the students. The principal component tool in statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was employed to analyze the received data. Analytical results of the study showed that a sizeable majority of students in ATU, especially male students, suffer frequent addiction problems due to the use of the internet. Additionally, results of the study showed that IA psychometric constructs in the Western world differ from those in the African context.