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Between Addiction and Immersion: A Correlational Study of Digital and Academic Behaviour Among Engineering Students
Open accessAbstract
In the age of digital transformation, where students increasingly rely on technology for learning and communication, concerns arise regarding its potential association with academic outcomes. This study quantifies the relationship between Digital Behaviour (DB) and Academic Behaviour (AB) among engineering undergraduates at Misurata, Al-Asmarya Islamic, and Al-Marqab universities in Libya. DB is conceptualised as a spectrum ranging from excessive, compulsive device use (addictive behaviour) to purposeful academic technology use (digital immersion). Using a descriptive-analytical design, a convenience sample of 300 undergraduate engineering students completed a validated 20-item questionnaire (Cronbach’s α = 0.711–0.899 for subscales). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, simple regression, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v23. The analysis identified a weak but statistically significant positive correlation between students’ DB and their AB (r = +0.19, p = 0.002). Notably, AB scores increased in the senior study years, while digital engagement remained consistently high across all years, suggesting an evolving capacity among students to regulate their digital habits. ANOVA results revealed significant differences in AB by year of study, while gender showed no significant overall association. These findings contradict the conventional assumption that heavy digital use uniformly diminishes academic outcomes; instead, in digitally immersed learning environments, strategic DB may coexist with or support academic performance. The study concludes that DB is not inherently detrimental to AB and may provide benefits when managed effectively, especially among more advanced engineering students. It recommends early educational interventions that promote digital self-regulation and the strategic use of technology for academic purposes.
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“Los estudios previos evidencian resultados heterogéneos en la relación entre adicción digital y rendimiento académico, lo que refleja la complejidad del fenómeno.”
From Relación entre la Adicción a Tecnologías Digitales y el Rendimiento Académico de Estudiantes de Ingeniería Sanitaria en una Universidad Pública de Cajamarca, Perú (2025) · cites this paper as Ben Hkoma et al., 2025
In the citing paper
“Ben Hkoma et al. (2025) encontraron en su estudio efectuado a una muestra de 262 estudiantes de ingeniería en Libia, una correlación positiva débil, a pesar de que esta fue estadísticamente significativa, entre el Comportamiento Digital (DB), incluyendo tanto patrones adictivos como de inmersión digital y, por otro lado, su asociación con el Comportamiento Académico (AB) (r = +0.194, p = 0.002).”
From Relación entre la Adicción a Tecnologías Digitales y el Rendimiento Académico de Estudiantes de Ingeniería Sanitaria en una Universidad Pública de Cajamarca, Perú (2025) · cites this paper as Ben Hkoma et al. (2025)
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Luicho Yopla, J., & Llamoga Vásquez, M. I. (2025) · Sciencevolution · doi:10.61325/ser.v4i4.232
Metadata
- Authors
- Ben Hkoma, M., Almaktoof, A., & Rugbani, A.
- Affiliations
- Libyan Centre for Studies & Researches in Environmental Sciences & Technology, Zliten, Libya
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology (ZA)
- Corresponding author
- Almaktoof, Ali
- Venue
- Education Sciences
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2025-08-13
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1037
- ISSN
- 2227-7102 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4413177268
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 3.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Education Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Communication › Digital Media and Philosophy
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Technology in Education
- Keywords
- digital behavior, academic behavior, digital addiction, digital immersion, engineering students, academic performance, digital self-regulation, device utilization, year of study, gender differences, Libyan universities
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