International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 20, No. 1 (2024)

The Effects of Technology Adaptation on Students’ Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Nyamagana District, Tanzania

Theresia K Silas, Nyamagana district council
Prospery Mwansa Mwila, Senior Lecture- Saint Augustine University-Tanzania

Abstract
Technology has been employed to streamline the process of acquiring knowledge and engaging in various endeavours, exemplified by the utilisation of computers. According to Dhiman (2021), there is a prevailing perception that secondary school students exhibit worse manners and earn lower academic outcomes as a result of their excessive use of mobile devices. The unregulated and extensive utilisation of technology has been found to have detrimental consequences on students' self-control and discipline, primarily due to their exposure to various media platforms, television videos, and cell phones, among other technical gadgets. This study was conducted to assess the effects of technology adaptation on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Nyamagana. The theoretical foundation for this study is aligned to Bandura’s social learning theory and the Technological Acceptance Model by Davis. The study employed a mixed methods sequential exploratory research design in which data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The data collected were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques, and the results of the quantitative analysis show a positive and significant relationship between smartphone use and student discipline (β = -228, p, <.001). The results further explain that a 1-unit increase in smartphone use affects student discipline by 23.6%. Moreover, the findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between watching television and the effects on student discipline (β =.315, p<.003). The results are interpreted to mean that a 1-unit increase in watching television affects the behaviours of students by approximately 35%. On the other hand, among social media users there is a positive and significant relationship between social media use and the discipline of students (β =.010, p<.000). Last, the findings for online gaming show that while there was a relationship between online gaming and student discipline, but it was negative and not statistically significant (β = -064, p<.689). This study recommended that policy makers should take into consideration the integration of the effects of using electronic devices on secondary school students’ discipline in education policy to simplify the implementation of ways of avoiding those effects. Additionally, the study recommends that teachers should ensure the implementation of the restrictions put on the use of mobile phones in schools, and education should be provided for parents and the general community on the importance of limiting students from spending much time on electronic devices.

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