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Masters Thesis
Stuck online: internet use and self-control in children in grades 4 through 6
The current study examined differences in time spent online and behavioral and internet self-control in 280 children in grades 4 through 6. The combination of time spent online and behavioral self-control created support for the construct of Internet self-control. Behavioral self-control focused on an ability to monitor, evaluate, and modify behavior(s) in general. Internet self-control measured one's ability to control time spent on the Internet. Internet self-control is a new concept and addition to the literature. Internet self-control is considered a type of behavioral self-control, applied to the domain of the internet instead of general behavior. Self-report scales of Internet and Behavioral Self-Control were used as indicators of levels of self-control. Children reported spending an average of 1.35 (SD = 1.41) hours online per day, with varying results with some students reporting no time online per day and others reporting to spend 8 hours online each day. When grouped into high, low, and average time spent online groups, high and low time online groups significantly differed in both behavioral and internet self-control. Children reporting high time online reported lower internet and behavioral self-control whereas children reporting low time online had higher internet and behavioral self-control than did children reporting high time online. Additionally, the relationship between internet and behavioral self-control was moderately positive as hypothesized, also suggesting validity for the concept of Internet Self-Control. Differences in high and low time spent online in internet and behavioral self-control highlight the importance of both internet use and self-control in children in grades 4 through 6.
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