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Cited by 20Impact of Technology on AdolescentsPersonal Information Management and User BehaviorCyberloafing and Workplace Behavior

The Effect of Free Time Management Skills upon Smartphone Addiction Risk in University Students

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GEZGİN, Deniz Mertkan, MIHCI, Can, GEDİK, Sinem·2021·Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health
DOI 10.21891/jeseh.991910
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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of free time management skills upon smartphone addiction risk in university students. The study follows a relational screening model of research and makes use of descriptive analyses alongside correlation and stepwise regression statistical methods. The study group consists of 591 university students. A glance at the findings indicate that the overall smartphone addiction risk in the study group is relatively low and that a statistically significant yet weak and negative relationship exists between smartphone addiction risk and free time management skills. Three out of the four sub-dimensions of free time management scale; namely "scheduling", "leisure attitude" and "goal setting" were found to be have statistically significant correlations with smartphone addiction risk at moderate, weak and weak levels respectively. Lastly, a stepwise regression test has shown that the "scheduling" sub-dimension alone is a significant predictor of smartphone addiction risk, explaining 15.2% of variance in scores. In conclusion, these findings may be interpreted as the possession of higher free time management skill in university students is associated with lower risk of smartphone addiction. The basis of this phenomenon may be inclination of some students to prefer spending all their free time using their smartphones, due to lack of management skills. The results have been further discussed further under the light of associated findings in the academic literature and implications for future research have been made.

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  • Some studies have reported contradictory findings, suggesting that the moderating function of FTM may differ based on individuals' levels of technology-related compulsivity.

    “However, some studies have reported contradictory findings, suggesting that this moderating function may differ based on individuals' levels of technologyrelated compulsivity.”

    From Fear of missing out and psychological well-being: Examining the dual pathways of problematic social media use and digital burnout (2026) · cites this paper as Gezgin et al. (2021)

    The Discussion and Conclusion (page unavailable) reports differing findings: this study found an association between free-time management and smartphone addiction risk, while a study it discusses found no relationship between free-time satisfaction and Facebook addiction risk. The paper does not report that free-time management has a moderating function that varies with individuals’ levels of technology-related compulsivity; its analyses examine correlations and prediction instead. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Gezgin et al. (2021) indicated that FTM may serve as a protective factor against addiction risk but also noted that this function may vary depending on addiction severity.

    “For instance, Gezgin et al. (2021) indicated that FTM may serve as a protective factor against addiction risk but also noted that this function may vary depending on addiction severity.”

    From Fear of missing out and psychological well-being: Examining the dual pathways of problematic social media use and digital burnout (2026) · cites this paper as Gezgin et al. (2021)

    The Discussion and Conclusion (page unavailable) reports a negative relationship between free-time management skills and smartphone addiction risk in university students, supporting the possible protective role. It does not report that this relationship varies by addiction severity; its discussion of differing correlation strengths concerns free-time management sub-skills, not severity groups. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 39

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Authors
GEZGİN, D. M., MIHCI, C., & GEDİK, S.
Affiliations
Trakya University (TR)
ORCID
GEDİK, Sinem
Venue
Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health
Publisher
ISRES Publishing
Published
2021-09-10
Volume
7
Issue
4
Pages
354-366
ISSN
2149-214X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.21891/jeseh.991910
OpenAlex
W3209421978
Cited by
19
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7
FWCI
4.50
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-sa
Locations
  • Journal of Education in Science Environment and Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • DergiPark (Istanbul University) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Journal of Education in Science Environment and Health
Funders
Trakya Üniversitesi
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Personal Information Management and User Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Cyberloafing and Workplace Behavior
Keywords
smartphone addiction, free time management, university students, scheduling, leisure attitudes, goal setting, addiction risk

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