INTERNET ACCESS BLOCKING AND DO-NOT-DISTURB MODE AS DIGITAL DETOXIFICATION PREDICTORS OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENTS IN UNIVERSITIES IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

The study investigated internet access blocking and do-not-disturb mode as digital detoxification predictors of students’ academic improvements in universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the correlational design. The population comprised 3680 students from the Departments of Educational Management of the three public universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. A sample of 1,472 students, representing 40% of the total participants were drawn, using the stratified random sampling technique.  The instruments for data collection were: Internet Access Blocking and Do-Not-Disturb Mode Scale (IABDNDMS) and Students Academic Improvement Scale (SAIS), designed by the researchers in the modified 4-point Likert scale model. The reliability coefficients of the instrument using Cronbach alpha methods were 0.76 and 0.89. Simple regression was used to answer the research questions and in the test of hypotheses, t-test associated with simple regression was used.  The findings of the study revealed that internet access blocking and do-not-disturb mode as digital detoxification predictors, predict students’ academic improvements in areas of regaining self-control, accomplishment of work effectiveness, boosts productivity, enhances the creative functioning of the brain, combats screen addiction, enhances healthy living, encourages high project work involvement, amongst others. The study concluded that internet access blocking and do-not-disturb mode as digital detoxification strategies are strong and viable predictors of students’ academic improvements in universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. Consequently, the study recommended amongst others, that, school authorities and students should continue to utilize the different digital detoxification strategies in detoxifying students from digital technology devices in order to increase the tempo of their academic improvements.