An Evaluation of Students Addiction to Mobile Devices at a South African University

Mobile technology has undoubtedly become an integral part of every user's life. The adoption of mobile technology in the education sector has brought about a concept of mobile learning. This allows easier teaching and learning processes, communication and sharing of information among students and lecturers. The over-reliance on mobile devices by students is likely to lead to addiction. There has been limited research focusing on determining the addiction of students towards mobile usage within teaching and learning. Additionally, some lecturers find it difficult to accommodate mobile technologies within the lecture rooms. This study explored how the mobile ownership and usage by students could be attributed to mobile addiction within teaching and learning. A quantitative case study research approach was considered. Students at a selected university were engaged through an online questionnaire. Results show that students are addicted to their mobile devices. Students are always having and utilizing mobile devices for both learning and communication purposes. The total hours spent on mobile devices and common usage of mobile devices for academic purposes indicate some levels of addiction by students. Institutions of higher learning have seen the benefits in mobile phone usage and ownership, and this has forged the incorporation of these devices in teaching and learning.