School Attachment and its Dimensions as Predictors of Internet Addiction among High School Students in Kosovo

Background Nowadays, the importance and influence of the Internet have increased in lives of adolescents, and this has also affected, to some extent, the attachments that adolescents have with the school. This study aimed to examine if the dimensions of school attachment are predictors of Internet addiction among high school students in Kosovo. Methods The data were gained from a research population of adolescents aged 15–19 years attending secondary schools in Kosovo. The whole sample consists of 525 students; 310 (59%) of them were female, and 215 (41%) were male, respectively 214 (40.8%) were students attending the tenth grade, 189 (36%) were in the eleventh grade and 122 (23.2%) were in the twelfth grade. Data were collected via a survey with paper-pencil questionnaires from 6 different secondary schools in 4 different cities in Kosovo. In the data analyses, percentage, arithmetic mean, t-test for independent groups, one-way variance, correlation, and regression analysis were performed. Results The results of the study show that some of the dimensions of school attachment are predictors of Internet addiction, such as feelings about school (ß=-.306, p<.001), attitudes toward students (ß=.150, p<.01), and student's perception of school (ß=-.143, p<.001). However, two dimensions have not shown a significant impact on internet addiction: interest in learning (ß=0.018, p>0.05) and attitudes toward teachers (ß=-0.02, p>0.05). Conclusion Based on the study findings, it can be concluded that the stronger attachment to school is, the lower level of internet addiction is, and vice versa.