The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive Function
Background: Online gaming addiction can negatively affect academic performance. Thus, it is important to understand the factors that influence it. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between online gaming addiction and academic engagement with the mediating role of executive functions am...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of School Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://intjsh.sums.ac.ir/article_50756_f564331e227c2aa9c675847788c8f0b1.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850050959946809344 |
|---|---|
| author | Masoud Soltani Nazarlou Mohammadagha Delavarpour Seyed Musa Tabatabaee |
| author_facet | Masoud Soltani Nazarlou Mohammadagha Delavarpour Seyed Musa Tabatabaee |
| author_sort | Masoud Soltani Nazarlou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Online gaming addiction can negatively affect academic performance. Thus, it is important to understand the factors that influence it. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between online gaming addiction and academic engagement with the mediating role of executive functions among secondary school students.Methods: The present cross-sectional study included all secondary high school students in Tehran, Iran in the academic year of 2023-2024. A total number of 384 students were selected using the random cluster sampling method, and they were asked to fill out the Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20), Student Engagement Questionnaire, Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI), and Nejati Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 24.Results: The results showed that online game addiction is negatively correlated with students’ academic engagement (r=-0.336) as well as all dimensions of executive function, including planning (r=-0.425), cognitive flexibility (r=-0.455), working memory (r=-0.420), and inhibition (r=-0.350). Furthermore, path analysis revealed that online game addiction does not directly predict academic engagement (β=-0.12, P=0.37). However, it can indirectly predict academic engagement through the mediation of working memory (β=-0.013, P=0.025) and inhibition functions (β=-0.013, P=0.016). Overall, addiction to online games and the dimensions of executive function collectively account for nearly 44% of students’ academic engagement.Conclusions: These results suggested that excessive online gaming is destructive to cognitive abilities and motivation toward learning and schooling among adolescent students. Consequently, parents, teachers, and school psychologists should develop suitable educational, training, and therapeutic strategies to mitigate these harmful effects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-858a6af4a8f543a1af3ebca9b88416d3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2345-5152 2383-1219 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Shiraz University of Medical Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of School Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-858a6af4a8f543a1af3ebca9b88416d32025-08-20T02:53:18ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesInternational Journal of School Health2345-51522383-12192025-04-0112211812810.30476/intjsh.2025.104180.144650756The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive FunctionMasoud Soltani Nazarlou0Mohammadagha Delavarpour1Seyed Musa Tabatabaee2Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Semnan University, Semnan, IranDepartment of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Semnan University, Semnan, IranDepartment of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Semnan University, Semnan, IranBackground: Online gaming addiction can negatively affect academic performance. Thus, it is important to understand the factors that influence it. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between online gaming addiction and academic engagement with the mediating role of executive functions among secondary school students.Methods: The present cross-sectional study included all secondary high school students in Tehran, Iran in the academic year of 2023-2024. A total number of 384 students were selected using the random cluster sampling method, and they were asked to fill out the Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20), Student Engagement Questionnaire, Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI), and Nejati Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 24.Results: The results showed that online game addiction is negatively correlated with students’ academic engagement (r=-0.336) as well as all dimensions of executive function, including planning (r=-0.425), cognitive flexibility (r=-0.455), working memory (r=-0.420), and inhibition (r=-0.350). Furthermore, path analysis revealed that online game addiction does not directly predict academic engagement (β=-0.12, P=0.37). However, it can indirectly predict academic engagement through the mediation of working memory (β=-0.013, P=0.025) and inhibition functions (β=-0.013, P=0.016). Overall, addiction to online games and the dimensions of executive function collectively account for nearly 44% of students’ academic engagement.Conclusions: These results suggested that excessive online gaming is destructive to cognitive abilities and motivation toward learning and schooling among adolescent students. Consequently, parents, teachers, and school psychologists should develop suitable educational, training, and therapeutic strategies to mitigate these harmful effects.https://intjsh.sums.ac.ir/article_50756_f564331e227c2aa9c675847788c8f0b1.pdfinternet gaming disorderexecutive functionengagestudents |
| spellingShingle | Masoud Soltani Nazarlou Mohammadagha Delavarpour Seyed Musa Tabatabaee The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive Function International Journal of School Health internet gaming disorder executive function engage students |
| title | The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive Function |
| title_full | The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive Function |
| title_fullStr | The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive Function |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive Function |
| title_short | The Association between Addiction to Online Games and Students’ Academic Engagement: Determining the Mediating Role of Executive Function |
| title_sort | association between addiction to online games and students academic engagement determining the mediating role of executive function |
| topic | internet gaming disorder executive function engage students |
| url | https://intjsh.sums.ac.ir/article_50756_f564331e227c2aa9c675847788c8f0b1.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT masoudsoltaninazarlou theassociationbetweenaddictiontoonlinegamesandstudentsacademicengagementdeterminingthemediatingroleofexecutivefunction AT mohammadaghadelavarpour theassociationbetweenaddictiontoonlinegamesandstudentsacademicengagementdeterminingthemediatingroleofexecutivefunction AT seyedmusatabatabaee theassociationbetweenaddictiontoonlinegamesandstudentsacademicengagementdeterminingthemediatingroleofexecutivefunction AT masoudsoltaninazarlou associationbetweenaddictiontoonlinegamesandstudentsacademicengagementdeterminingthemediatingroleofexecutivefunction AT mohammadaghadelavarpour associationbetweenaddictiontoonlinegamesandstudentsacademicengagementdeterminingthemediatingroleofexecutivefunction AT seyedmusatabatabaee associationbetweenaddictiontoonlinegamesandstudentsacademicengagementdeterminingthemediatingroleofexecutivefunction |