Mobile Phone Addiction and Academic Procrastination Negatively Impact Academic Achievement Among Chinese Medical Students.

Chen-Xi Zhao,Li-Bin Yang,Qing-Lin Li,Jia-Ming Xu,Li-Yan Zhu,Jing Tian,Rui Gao,Shu-E Zhang,Hai-Chen Guo,Ji-Yang Zhao,Tao Sun,De-Pin Cao

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.758303

Abstract

The problem of mobile phone addiction and academic procrastination among medical students has been widely acknowledged. This study aimed to explore the influence of demographic factors on mobile phone addiction, academic procrastination, and academic achievement among medical students. Further, it investigated the association between mobile phone addiction, academic procrastination, and academic achievement. This cross-sectional study was conducted between May and June 2019. A total of 3 511 medical students participated in an online questionnaire survey (effective response rate = 81.7%). Demographic factors, the Scale of Academic Achievement, the short scale of the Mobile Phone Problem Use (MPPUS-10), and the Academic Procrastination Scale–Short (APS-S) were used. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the average scores for academic procrastination, mobile phone addiction, and academic achievement were 2.66 ± 0.91, 5.13 ± 1.53, and 4.51 ± 0.71, respectively. Moreover, there were significant differences in gender, grade, leadership experience, and family monthly income across mobile phone addiction, academic procrastination, and academic achievement. Mobile phone addiction was negatively associated with learning dedication, learning performance, and relationship facilitation. Academic procrastination was negatively associated with learning dedication, learning performance, relationship facilitation, and objective achievement. Mobile phone addiction and academic procrastination was revealed as prevalent among Chinese medical students, and negatively influences their academic achievement. It is critical to establish a more efficient learning environment for Chinese medical students to minimize the negative impact of mobile phone addiction and academic procrastination.

Highlights

Medical education is essential for promoting the development of healthcare systems worldwide
We found that mobile phone addiction was significantly negatively associated with learning dedication (β = −0.080, p < 0.01), learning performance (β = −0.112, p < 0.01), and relationship facilitation (β = −0.033, p < 0.05)
This study investigated the association between academic procrastination, mobile phone addiction, and academic achievement among Chinese medical students

Summary

Introduction

Medical education is essential for promoting the development of healthcare systems worldwide. Academic learning in medical school is crucial for students to acquire the knowledge and skills to become qualified doctors. Academic achievement is defined as the sum of medical students’ learning consequences, attitudes, and behaviors (Yanfei et al, 2011). It comprises two aspects: behavioral performance and objective achievement. Studies suggest that academic achievement is associated with learning strategies (Rugutt, 2005), outcome expectations (Nabizadeh et al, 2019), thinking skills, learning styles (Shirazi and Heidari, 2019), lifestyle (Heidari, 2017), selfesteem (Jirdehi et al, 2018), family support (Abdulghani et al, 2014), and social and psychological factors (Džubur et al, 2020). Considering cross-cultural differences, continuous attention should be given to academic achievement and its influencing factors among medical students in China

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Discussion

Conclusion