The present study addressed four research questions. First, how much do the middle school students play computer games and chat. Second, what kinds of games and online chatting contents do they prefer. Third, how is their attitude toward the games and...
The present study addressed four research questions. First, how much do the middle school students play computer games and chat. Second, what kinds of games and online chatting contents do they prefer. Third, how is their attitude toward the games and online chatting. Finally, are there any relationships between computer game, online chatting, school adjustment, and academic achievement.
Four hundred thirty seven students were drawn from four middle school in Changwon City and Kimhae City. School adjustment scale for middle school student(SASMS) was constructed based on Kim, Jin-ho's school adjustment scale. Questionnaire preference computer game type and chatting contents, attitude of computer games/chatting and SASMS were administered. The academic achievement data were used after exchanging their records of final exams into z score.
The results were as follows:
First, most students have played games and chatting since their primary school days, but in games male students played earlier in their age, higher in frequency and longer in lasting time than female students. But in chatting, female students played longer than male students, and there was no difference in their starting point and frequency.
Second, the middle students preferred the games with chatting, role achievement, on-line and violence games to other types of games and male students preferred the role achieving, sports, adventure, piloting, on-line games to other types of games. The contents in chatting were including gossip, scheduling with friends, greeting to their friends. But male students preferred the information about the computer games to other contents and the female students enjoyed chatting, gossip, the information about performers, and private secret.
Third, the students had on the whole a little need for games, and male students had stronger need for games than female students. Also their belief toward games was on the whole negative. Female students had more negative belief than male students. The students had on the whole a little need for chatting and female students had stronger need for chatting than male students. But there was no difference by sex in their belief toward chatting.
Fourth, their starting point of games didn't influence on school adjustment, but higher frequency and longer time to play made it harder for them to adjust their schools. Also, their starting point of chatting and frequency didn't influence on school adjustment, but longer time for chatting made it harder for them to adjust their schools.
Fifth, there was significant negative correlation between the need for games/chatting and school adjustment, but there was no significant relationship between their belief toward games/chatting and school adjustment.
Sixth, there was no relationship between starting point of games/chatting and frequency, but the longer time for games/chatting they spent, the lower academic achievement they experienced.
Finally, there was no significant relationship between their belief and the need for games and academic achievement. Also there was no significant relationship between their belief of chatting and academic achievement. But the stronger need for chatting they had, the lower academic achievement they experienced.