The Relationships Among Children's/Adolescents' Frequency Levels of Playing Internet Games, Motives for Playing Internet Games and Adaptation to School

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine children's/adolescents' motives for playing internet games and adaptation to school in accordance with their frequency levels of playing internet games. Participants were 236 children from grades 4, 5, and 6 in two elementary schools and 237 adolescents from grades 1, 2, and 3 in one middle school. They were measured on frequency levels of playing internet games, motives for playing internet games, and adaptation to school. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS WIN 12.0 for reliability, frequency, Chi-square test, t-test, Pearson's correlation, and one way ANOVA. Major findings of the research are as follows: First, children's/adolescents' frequency levels of playing internet games differed by their gender. The male ratio was much higher than the female ratio in the potential risk group and the high risk poop. In contrast, no grade differences on the frequency levels of playing internet games were found. Second, children's/adolescents' motives for playing internet games differed by their gender. Especially, among the motives the greatest difference between male and female was marked for 'Social Relationship'. Third, children's/adolescents' motives for playing internet games differed by their frequency levels of playing internet games. For 'Conformity,' the low risk group differed from the high risk group. For 'Spending Time', 'Benefit', 'Competition', and 'Social Relationship', the low risk group differed from the potential risk group and also from the high risk poop. Fourth, children's/adolescents' adaptation to school differed by their frequency levels of playing internet games. The high risk group exhibited a low level of adaptation in 'Academic Activities', 'a subcategory of adaptation to school.