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Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship between

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International Journal of Instruction July 2022 ● Vol.15, No.3
e-ISSN: 1308-1470 ● [Link] p-ISSN: 1694-609X
pp. 483-502
Article submission code: Received: 19/09/2021 Accepted: 15/03/2022
20210916104808 Revision: 19/02/2022 OnlineFirst: 06/05/2022

Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship between

Mobile Addiction and Academic Behavior

Yuen Fook Chan

Prof. Dr., Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, yuenfook@[Link]
Suthagar Narasuman
Assoc. Prof. Dr., Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, suthagar@[Link]
Nurharani Selamat
Educational Planning Research and Development Division, Ministry of Education,
Malaysia, [Link]@[Link]

Since there is little research on the mediative effect of excessive mobile phone use
on mobile addiction and academic behavior among university students, hence, the
current study sought to study the relationship between these three variables. Data
was collected from 435 university students through an online Google form survey
sent through a WhatsApp link. Overall, the result shows that that level of mobile
addiction was moderate. More than 40% of the respondents had experienced the
impact of excessive use of mobile phone while more than 16% experienced
negative academic behaviour. Besides, structural equation model fit and
measurement models were used to analyze the data with a two-stage structural
equation modelling. The first stage involved the assessment of measurement model
or also known as Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for negative academic
behavior, excessive mobile phone use and mobile addiction. The measurement
model achieved a good fitness index where, RMSEA = 0.064, NFI = 0.9, CFI =
0.932, TLI = 0.921, and Relative Chi-square (Chisq/df) = 2.855. In the second
stage of assessment of the structural equation model, the study confirmed that
excessive mobile phone use mediates the relationship between mobile addiction
and negative academic behavior among students in higher education in Malaysia.
The novelty of this study lies in the exploratory analysis of these three variables
with a systematic method to find a conclusive result. In summary the findings
imply that higher education institutions need to have better guidelines to regulate
mobile phone use among students in higher learning institutes.
Keywords: academic behaviour, college students, excessive mobile phone use, mobile
addiction, university students

Citation: Chan, Y. F., Narasuman, S., & Selamat, N. (2022). Mediating effects of mobile phone use on
the relationship between mobile addiction and academic behavior. International Journal of Instruction,
15(3) 483-502. [Link]
484 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

INTRODUCTION
The Smartphones have become a device that is highly in demand due to its versatile
communication, entertainment and utility functions. Smartphones provide high quality
performance and quick access to information and entertainment, such as mobile audio
and video calls, mobile teleconferencing, sending and receiving emails, and easy access
to the internet for different types of users, including students. Obviously, smartphones
have made students' lives easier, as they can access their institutional learning platforms
on their gadgets through electronic learning (e-learning), and mobile learning (m-
learning) as well as access to various knowledge portals (Ali et al., 2018). Student
responses to e-modules in lectures were very positive (Sumarmi, Bachri, Irawan &
Aliman, 2021). It indicated that digital technology has begun to play a crucial role in
determining the important skills required by students (Indrawati, 2021). Besides, the
research by Sariyatun, Suryani, Sutimin, Abidin & Akmal, 2021 have also identified the
effect of digital learning material on students’ social skills in social studies learning.
Currently, smartphones have become a compelling learning tool used to enhance
teaching and learning in distance education. Its usage ensures flexible course delivery,
makes it possible for learners to access online learning platforms, access course
resources and interact digitally (Raza et al., 2020). Obviously, these academic sphere
and digital learning materials presented through mobile learning have been found crucial
to improve students’ social skills (Sariyatun, Sutimin, & Akmal, 2021).
Despite the many advantages and benefits of smartphones for students, there are an
equal number of disadvantages and negative effects as well. There are many issues that
need to be addressed empirically when it comes to students using smartphones in their
academic endeavor. The rate of smart phone addiction among younger students had
risen steeply in the past couple of years due to over dependency on technology in every
aspect, therefore it is imperative to find conclusive data on the beneficial as well as the
detrimental effect of smart phones on students’ academic performance.
Lepp, Barkley, & Karpinski (2014) in their study of smartphone use among college
students found a negative relationship between smartphone addiction and academic
performance. However, other researchers (Samaha & Hawi, 2016; Raza et al., 2020)
found that smartphone addiction does have a positive influence on satisfaction in life but
negative impact on academic performance. In addition, Sánchez-Martínez & Otero
(2009) who studied Spanish high school students, identified that intensive smartphone
use leads to school failure. Besides these studies, Jacobsen and Forste (2011) also
identified the negative influence of calling and texting on self-reported grade point
average (GPA) among university students in the United States. In a similar study, Hong,
Chiu, & Hong (2012) also identified a close relationship between calling and texting
with academic difficulty among Taiwanese female university students. Apart from the
above studies, social media access through mobile gadgets was found to have a negative
impact on students’ self-esteem (Acun, 2020) which in turn could impact academic
performance.
Thus far the literature has indicated that excessive smartphone use will distract student
learning (Levine et al., 2007). Majority of students surveyed in these studies treated the

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Chan, Narasuman & Selamet 485

smartphone as a leisure device rather than as an educational tool (Barkley & Lepp,
2013; Lepp et al., 2013). Undeniably, smartphones used for leisure has a high tendency
to distract learning in class and leads to multitasking (Jacobsen & Forste, 2011; Junco &
Cotton, 2011, 2012; Karpinski et al., 2013; Kirschner & Karpinski, 2010; Wood et al.,
2012) and task-switching (Rosen, Carrier & Cheever, 2013), both of which are
negatively related to academic performance. Looking at the context of mobile phone use
and the student’s academic behavior, Horwood & Anglim (2018) have also found that
an extensive amount of time spent using smartphone can contribute to much regular task
switching between device and learning among students. Task switching occurs when
students switch between learning and using their mobile phone at the same time. When
this occurs in the classroom during lessons it becomes a disruptive behavior leading to
poor academic performance.
Both problematic behaviors of multitasking and task-switching have been recognized as
contributing factors which are able to decrease the overall achievement of grades among
students. Therefore, high rates of smartphone use can be risky to the students, especially
if they exhibit obsessive tendencies towards engaging their smartphone (Kwon et al.,
2013). These findings support the idea of a time trade-off between smartphone use and
learning activities. That is, the time spent on smartphone use is time lost for learning
activities. Hence, it can be concluded that smartphone addiction could have a negative
impact on students’ academic performance. A growing body of literature (see, e.g.
Junco, 2012; Junco & Cotton, 2012; Levine, Waite, & Bowman, 2012) has conclusively
identified the negative impact of smartphone use on students’ academic performance.
In fact, a study conducted by Giunchiglia et al. (2018) has indicated that social media is
actually detrimental to students’ performance. This is because social media contains
enticing and emotive aspects which can draw student’s attention towards it. Rozgonjuk
et al. (2018), for example, had also discovered that most students who engage their
social media during lectures will result in problematic smartphone use and
procrastination in performing their academic task as students. For instance, a study from
Ophir et al (2009) has found that while studying, most students engage in multi-tasking
also known as task switching which mean that they are using social media and instant
messaging while listening to academic lectures. This often results in divided attention
and a shift in focus away from the primary activity which is the learning activity (David
et al., 2015). Since there are not many studies investigating the relationship between
excessive smartphone use and academic performance especially in the Malaysian
context, there is an urgent need to conduct this study to identify the mediation effect of
excessive mobile phone use on the relationship between mobile addiction and negative
academic behavior.
Hence, the study endeavors to explore the following research objectives:
1. To describe the level of mobile addiction, impact of excessive mobile phone use
and negative academic behavior.
2. To validate the measurement model of mobile addiction, excessive mobile phone
use and negative academic behavior.

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486 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

3. To determine the structural equation model of excessive mobile phone use on

mobile addiction and negative academic behavior.
4. To determine the mediation effect of mobile phone use on the relationship
between mobile addiction and negative academic behavior.
METHOD
Research Design
The purpose of this study was to study the mediation effect of excessive mobile phone
use leading to mobile addiction and negative academic behavior. Thus, this study
employed a quantitative research method where a descriptive correlational research
design was used to describe these research variables and to identify the relationships
between these three identified research variables. Besides, the two-stage structural
equation modelling was employed to conduct model fit and measurement model
analysis.
Sampling and Data Collection
Using a simple random sampling method, a sample of 435 college students from two
tertiary institutions were selected to glean data through a survey questionnaire.
Participants were taken from two comprehensive universities in Selangor, one is a public
university and the other one is a private university, and all of these students own a
smartphone. The data was gathered through the use of a Google Form, and the access
was shared with participants through WhatsApp groups.
Instrumentation
The instrument used to measure mobile addiction and the excessive mobile phone use
were determined using items adapted from a prior study by Noradilah’s study in 2012.
The ‘mobile addiction’ survey contained 9 items and the ‘excessive mobile phone use’
survey encompassed 3 items. On a 6-point Likert-type scale, respondents indicated the
statement to which they agreed, with regards to their mobile phone usage in the past 6
months (1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Somewhat Disagree, 4 = Somewhat
Agree, and 5 = Agree, 6 =Strongly Agree). On the other hand, the survey measuring the
construct of ‘academic behavior’ was adapted from a number past studies such as those
from Hoffman (2009), and Amez and Baert (2020). This section of the survey contained
5 items. These items were scored on a 6-point Likert scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 6
(Strongly Agree).
Validity and Reliability
Instrument validation and reliability tests were duly performed to achieve the
righteousness of measures and to incorporate a sufficient representative set of items
within the questionnaire. Concerning the instrument’s validity, two senior educational
psychology lecturers were asked to check on the content validity of the items as they
were considered educational experts. No items were deleted, but some changes were
made to the items’ sentence structure in order to improve clarity. Cronbach Alpha

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Chan, Narasuman & Selamet 487

analysis was used to measure the instrument’s reliability. The result of the reliability
coefficient indexes obtained showed that the Cronbach Alpha values for mobile phone
addiction (.859), excessive mobile phone use (.817), and negative academic behaviour
(.838) were deemed reliable (Table 1). Hair, Anderson, Tatham, & Black (1998) stated
that an alpha with more than 0.70 or higher values would be considered acceptable.
Thus, this instrument is deemed to have fulfilled the essential requirement of validity
and reliability in a survey study.
Table 1
Reliability index of the three research constructs
No. Constructs No. of Items Cronbach's Alpha
1. Mobile phone addiction 9 .859

2. Excessive mobile phone use 3 .817

3. Negative academic behaviour 5 .838
The items for the constructs of Mobile Addiction, Excessive Mobile Phone Use and
Negative Academic Behavior in this study are listed as follow in Table 2:
Table 2
Items for the selected constructs in thus study
No. Constructs Item No. Item
1. Mobile MA1 Won’t be able to stand not having a smartphone
Addiction MA2 Feeling impatient and fretful when I am not holding my smartphone
MA3 Having my smartphone in my mind even when I’m not using it
MA4 Never give up using my smartphone even when my daily life is already
greatly affected by it
MA5 Getting irritated when bothered while using my smartphone
MA7 Not being able to use my smartphone would be as painful as losing a friend
MA10 Checking SNS (Social Networking Service) sites like Twitter or Facebook
right after waking up
MA11 Preferring to talk with my smartphone buddies to hanging out with my real-
life friends or with the other members of my family
MA15 Feeling the urge to use my smartphone again right after I stopped using it
2. Excessive NEM3 Experiencing light head ache or blurred vision due to excessive smartphone
Mobile use
Phone Use NEM4 Feeling pain in the wrists or at the back of the neck while using a
smartphone
NEM5 Feeling tired and lacking adequate sleep due to excessive smartphone use
3. Negative NB1 Using smartphone devices distracted me from doing my classroom
Academic assignment
Behaviour NB4 I feel sleepless due to over use of smartphone, not my study
NB5 My academic performance has been interrupted due to the time I spend on
the smartphone
NB6 My grades or homework are interrupted due to the time I spend on the
smartphone
NB7 I waste my time writing / sending SMS during class time

Data Analysis
The collected data were analyzed with SPSS version 20, and structural equation
modelling. Descriptive statistical analysis has been used to describe the levels of

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488 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

smartphone addiction, impact of excessive mobile phone use and negative academic
behavior. Besides, structural equation modelling was used to do model fit analysis and
measurement analysis on the three major constructs of mobile addiction, excessive
mobile phone use and negative academic behavior. Structural equation modelling
(SEM) is a multivariate statistical approach that allows simultaneous examination of
interrelated relationships among multiple independent and dependent variables (Hair et
al., 2010; Tabachnick & Fidell, 2007). This study employed the two-stage SEM analysis
as suggested by Anderson & Gerbing (1998), which is widely used in the context of the
current research context (Kaplan, 2000). The first stage involved the assessment of the
measurement model or also known as Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for negative
academic behavior, excessive mobile phone use and mobile addiction. The assessment
of the measurement model involves the test for the goodness of fit and the assessment of
construct validity. In the second stage, the assessment of the structural equation model
was conducted to examine the significant effects between the independent variable
(mobile addiction), the mediating variable (excessive mobile phone use) and the
dependent variable (negative academic behaviour). Guidelines for good fit was applied
(Hair et al., 2010) where, convergent validity needs to be considered in the measurement
model. Convergent validity indicators require factor loadings to be at least 0.5, and the
score of Average Variance Extracted (AVE) to be 0.5 or higher and the construct
reliability should be 0.6 or higher.
Table 3
Summary of the goodness of fit indices
Goodness of Fit Name of Index Recommended Sources
Indices Threshold
Absolute fit Chi-square/Degree of χ2/df ≤ 5 Hair et al. (2010)
freedom ratio (χ2/df)
Incremental fit Comparative Fit Index CFI ≥ 0.9 Bagozzi & Yi (1988);
(CFI) Hair et al. (2010)
Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) TLI ≥ 0.9 Bagozzi & Yi (1988);
Hair et al. (2010)
Parsimonious Root Mean Square Error of RMSEA ≤ Browne & Cudeck (1993);
fit Approximation (RMSEA) 0.08 Hair et al. (2010)
Next, the goodness of fit indices validates the model as these indices reflect how well
the data statistically fits the model. Hair et al. (2010), recommended the use of various
goodness of fit indices in determining the model fit. As there are no essential conditions
on types of fit indices that are recommended to be used by researchers, thus, Jaccard &
Wan (1996), suggest the use of fit indices from different categories. Therefore, the
strategy of using multiple indexes as suggested by Jaccard & Wan (1996) could
overcome the limitations of using only one index. Following these two scholars’ ideas,
this study used the three categories of model fit, which are commonly used in the
research namely, absolute fit, incremental fit, and parsimonious fit (Hair et al., 2010).
The first category of model fit of absolute fit index included normed chi-square (χ2/df);
the second category of model fit involving incremental fit index which consisted of
Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and Tucker-Lewis Index (TFI); and finally, the third

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Chan, Narasuman & Selamet 489

category of model fit involving a parsimonious fit index which consisted of the Root
Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). The goodness of fit indices used in
this study and their threshold values are as displayed in Table 3.
FINDINGS
Respondents
Based on the demographic profile of the respondents as shown in Table 4, majority of
the respondents (73.7%, n=334) were female and only 26.3%, n=119 were male. In
terms of ethnicity, majority of the respondents were Malays, yielding 72.8% (n=330) of
the total number of respondents. This was followed by other ethnic groups 12.0%
(n=54), Chinese 8.6% (n=39) and Indian 6.6% (n=30). The students’ age ranged from
18 to more than 56 years old throughout the undergraduate and post graduate programs.
The highest age distribution of the respondents entailed 18-22 years old, yielding 61.4%
of the majority (n=275). The second highest average age group was 23-27 years old,
yielding 27.7% (n=124) followed by the age group ranging from 28-32, yielding 2.9%
(n=13) respectively. Regarding the level of education, the findings indicated that the
highest percentage of respondents are diploma students (44.4%, n=201), followed by
bachelor’s degree (30.9%, n=140), and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia / Malaysian Education
Certificate (SPM) (17.2%, n=78) students.
Table 4
Demographic profile of respondents
Demographic Profile Frequency Percent
Age
Female 334 73.7
Male 119 26.3
Total 453 100%

Race
Malay 330 72.8
Chinese 39 8.6
Indian 30 6.6
Others 54 12.0
Total 453 100%

Age
18-22 275 61.4
23-27 124 27.7
28-32 13 2.9
33-37 7 1.6
38-42 17 3.8
43-47 7 1.6
48-52 3 0.7
53 and above 2 0.5
Total 448 100%

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490 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

Descriptive Analysis
Level of Mobile Addiction
Table 5 reports the mean and standard deviation scores of respondents for mobile
addiction. The mean scores for each item were arranged in a descending order to rank
the levels of mobile addiction as perceived by students. Results show that students
perceived that they acquired a moderate to low level of mobile addiction, which varied
from the maximum of 3.96 to the minimum of 2.56. For example, the respondents
perceived a moderate level of mobile addiction by admitting that “feeling the urge to use
my smartphone again right after I stopped using it (mean = 3.96, S.D. = 1.30)” and
“never give up using my smartphone even when my daily life is already greatly affected
by it (mean = 3.69, S.D. = 1.30)”. However, the respondents did not really agree that
they prefer to talk with their smartphone buddies to hanging out with their real-life
friends or with the other members of my family (mean = 2.56, S.D. 1.52). The results
show that the overall mean score for mobile addiction was 3.41 (S.D.= 0.89). This
means score inferred that the level of mobile addiction was at moderate level.
Table 5
Level of mobile addiction
No. Item Mean S.E Level
1. Feeling the urge to use my smartphone again right after I 3.96 1.30 Moderate
stopped using it
2. Never give up using my smartphone even when my daily 3.69 1.30 Moderate
life is already greatly affected by it
3. Won’t be able to stand not having a smartphone 3.66 1.43 Moderate
4. Checking SNS (Social Networking Service) sites like 3.57 1.61 Moderate
Twitter or Facebook right after waking up
5. Getting irritated when bothered while using my 3.48 1.35 Moderate
smartphone
6. Feeling impatient and fretful when I am not holding my 3.27 1.38 Moderate
smartphone
7. Having my smartphone in my mind even when I’m not 2.97 1.36 Moderate
using it
8. Not being able to use my smartphone would be as painful 2.75 1.45 Moderate
as losing a friend
9. Preferring to talk with my smartphone buddies to hanging 2.56 1.52 Low
out with my real-life friends or with the other members of
my family
Overall mean 3.41 0.89 Moderate
Scale: Low (1.00-2.67), Moderate (2.68-4.35), High (4.36-6.00)
Impact of Excessive Mobile Phone Use
Table 6 reports the frequency and percentage of respondents who experienced excessive
mobile phone use. Result in Table 6 shows that 269 respondents (59.4%) felt tired and
lacked adequate sleep due to excessive smartphone use, 236 respondents (52.1%)
experienced light head ache or blurred vision due to excessive smartphone use and 194
respondents (42.9%) felt pain in the wrists or at the back of the neck while using a

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Chan, Narasuman & Selamet 491

smartphone. These results infer that excessive usage of smartphones have detrimental
effects to students’ health.
Table 6
Impact of excessive mobile phone use
No. Item Frequency Percentage
1. Feeling tired and lacking adequate sleep due to excessive 269 59.4
smartphone use
2. Experiencing light head ache or blurred vision due to 236 52.1
excessive smartphone use
3. Feeling pain in the wrists or at the back of the neck while 194 42.9
using a smartphone
Negative Academic Behaviour
Table 7 reports the frequency and percentage of respondents who responded to their
negative academic behavior. Result in Table 7 shows that 191 respondents (42.2%)
perceived that using smartphone devices distracted them from doing their classroom
assignment and 136 respondents (30.1%) felt sleepless due to over use of smartphone
but the use of smartphone was not for their academic purposes. Meanwhile, 106
respondents (23.4%) felt that their academic performance has been interrupted due to
the time they spent on the smartphone, 113 respondents (24.9%) felt that their grades or
homework were interrupted due to the time they spent on the smartphone and 74
respondents (16.0%) felt that they waste their time writing or sending SMS during class
time.
Table 7
Negative academic behaviour
No. Item Frequency Percentage
1. Using smartphone devices distracted me from doing my 191 42.2
classroom assignment
2. I feel sleepless due to over use of smartphone, not my study 136 30.1
3. My academic performance has been interrupted due to the 106 23.4
time I spend on the smartphone
4. My grades or homework are interrupted due to the time I 113 24.9
spend on the smartphone
5. I waste my time writing / sending SMS during class time 74 16.0
Measurement Model
The measurement model for the underlying constructs is provided with the path diagram
as shown in Figure 1. In each of the measurement models, multiple items are used to
measure each underlying factor. In order to improve the model fitness, Zainuddin
(2014), suggested items with the lowest standardised factor loading or items with factor
loading less than 0.5 should be deleted to improve the model fitness. Next, if the model
continues to indicate misfit, the measurement model needs to be respecified by
removing the redundant items (Hair et al., 2010; Kline, 2011). Parsimonious
unidimensional estimation can be achieved by removing the redundant items based on
the suggestion by Anderson & Gerbing (1988). The discriminant validity is achieved

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492 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

when the model and its constructs are free from redundant items. Thus, the pair of
redundant items in the model in terms of high modification indices was identified to be
eliminated.

Figure 1
Measurement model of excessive / negative effects of mobile phone use mediates on
mobile addiction and negative academic behavior
Prior to running the structural equation modelling, the overall measurement models were
assessed in three steps; firstly, all three latent variables with 30 observed variables were
entered into the model. Later, a re-specified model was modified and improved to
achieve the best model fit. In this step, 13 observed variables were eliminated from the
model due to low factor loading value (less than 0.5) and redundant items, namely,
MA6, MA8, MA9, MA12, MA13, MA14, MA16, NEM1, NEM2, NB2, NB3, NB8 and
NB9. Next, the re-specified model was performed with three variables followed by 17
observed variables. As a result, as shown in Figure 1, the measurement model of this
study achieved a good fitness index where the scores of RMSEA = 0.064, NFI = 0.9,
CFI = 0.932, TLI = 0.921, and Relative Chi-square (Chisq/df) = 2.855 were acceptable.
Once the unidimensionality of the constructs was achieved, each of the constructs were
assessed for their reliability and validity. Table 5 represents the result of Construct
Reliability (CR) and Average Variance Extracted (AVE), for the overall measurement

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Chan, Narasuman & Selamet 493

model. The AVE ranged from 0.537 to 0.608 which was above the cut-off value of 0.5
as suggested by Hair et al. (2010). Also, the Composite Reliability (CR) values ranging
from 0.822 to 0.849 has exceeded the recommended value of 0.60 for all the constructs
as recommended by Hair et al. (2010). Additionally, the factor loadings for all 19 items
ranging from 0.48 to 0.89 have met the cut-off value of 0.5 as suggested by Hair et al.
(2010). The results in Figure 1 showed the overall goodness-of-fit assessment for the
measurement model which indicated that all correlation coefficients among the research
constructs were less than 0.90, thus demonstrating a discriminant validity of no
redundant items. Hence, this measurement model can be presented as a good model fit
with adequate Convergent Validity and Construct Reliability (Bagozzi & Yi, 2012; Hair
et al., 2010) as shown in Table 8.
Table 8
Reliability and validity test for measurement model
Variables AVE CR
Academic behaviour 0.54 0.849
Mobile addiction 0.537 0.863
Negative effects of mobile phone use 0.608 0.822
Note: Construct Reliability (CR), Average Variance Extracted (AVE)

Figure 2
Structural equation model of excessive mobile phone use on mobile addiction and
negative academic behaviour

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494 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

Structural Equation Model

In this study, structural equation modelling was used to examine the mediation effect of
negative effect / excessive mobile phone use on the relationship between mobile
addiction and negative academic behaviour. The structural equation modelling presented
in Figure 2 demonstrated a good fitness index where, RMSEA = 0.064, NFI = 0.9, CFI
= 0.932, TLI = 0.921, and Relative Chi-square (Chisq/df) = 2.855.
Mediation Analysis
Bootstrapping method was used in this study to assess the mediation as recommended
by Preacher & Hayes (2008) because this method is the most robust and reasonable
method for obtaining the confidence limits for the specific indirect effect under most
conditions. Furthermore, the bootstrapping method yields a better level of statistical
power when bootstrapping the indirect effects (Hair et al. 2010). Thus, bootstrapping
was performed using 5000 subsamples with a two-tailed test type and bias correlated
and accelerated as a confidence interval method.
The result of bootstrapping analysis in Table 9, Figure 2 and Figure 3 shows that the
specific indirect effect (β = 0.280) was significant (p < 0.001) at t-value of 4.945 which
was > 1.96. Additionally, the specific indirect effect of 95% bias-corrected bootstrap
confidence interval for this specific indirect effect [LL=0.63, UL=0.172] which did not
straddle a 0 in between indicated that a mediation was present. The results revealed that
the mediation effect of negative / excessive mobile use on the relationship between
mobile addiction and negative academic behavior was statistically significant.
Table 9
Hypothesis testing on mediation analysis
Std. Beta Std. Error t-value Confidence Interval
LL UL
MA->NEM->AB 0.280 0.051 4.945*** 0.63 0.172
Note: ***p < 0.001, LL=Lower Level, UL=Upper Level
MA=Mobile addiction, NEM=Negative effect / excessive mobile phone use, AB=Negative
academic behaviour

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Chan, Narasuman & Selamet 495

NEM
Path a Path b

β = 0.288, t=4.921*** β = 0.383, t=6.207***

MA
AB

***p < 0.001

Figure 3
Figure 3
Path analysis of the mediation effect of excessive mobile phone use on mobile addiction
and academic behavior
DISCUSSION
Mobile Addiction, Impact of Excessive Mobile Phone Use and Negative Academic
Behavior
Overall, the result showed that the level of mobile addiction was identified at moderate
level which is similar to the findings of Lepp, Barkley, & Karpinski, 2014 and Acun,
2020. The findings of more than 40% of the respondents who experienced excessive
mobile phone use and more than 16% who demonstrated negative academic behavior
are identical to the studies of Acun, 2020 and Praveeni and Wickramasinghe (2020).
All of these current studies showed that varsity students did experience moderate level
of mobile addiction, and many students have used their smartphone excessively which
has affected their academic performance accordingly. This scenario needs attention
from the authorities in the university.
Structural Equation Modeling Analysis and Mediation Analysis of Excessive
Mobile Phone Use on Mobile addiction and Negative Academic Behavior
The measurement model and model fit analysis have verified validity and reliability of
the three identified research variables and allows it to proceed to the structural equation
modeling analysis. The structural equation modelling analysis in this study has
confirmed the mediation effect of negative / excessive mobile phone use in the
relationship between mobile addiction and academic behavior with bootstrapping
analysis. The result shows that excessive mobile phone use among students can induce
mobile addiction and leading to negative academic behavior. To some extent, this result
is supported by the study of Tangmunkongvorakul et al. (2019) from Thailand. They

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496 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

found a negative association between excessive smartphone use and the psychological
well-being of university students. In their study, excessive smartphone use was an
independent predictor of psychological well-being. The students with excessive levels of
smartphone use also derived lower scores on the social-psychological well-being than
those who did not use smartphones excessively. Basically, the study of
Tangmunkongvorakul et al. (2019) has supported the relationship of excessive mobile
phone use and mobile addiction as identified in this study.
The structural equation model validated in this study has also supported the previous
study which was conducted by Ahmed et al. (2020) in Pakistan. The purpose of their
study was to examine the influence of smartphones on the performance of university
students in Pakistan. Their study investigated the functions of the smartphone as
exogenous predictors such as smartphone applications, multimedia messaging service
(MMS), short message service (SMS), warp-speed processing, and entertainment on the
academic performance of students. Their study also addresses the impact of electronic
word of mouth (eWOM) and attitude as mediating variables between exogenous and
endogenous variables. These researchers from Pakistan incorporated technology and
addiction as moderating variables between independent variables and the outcome
variable to measure the influence of moderating variables. The findings of their study
demonstrate that smartphone functions have a significant influence on students’
academic performance which is similar to this study. They also found that moderating
and mediating variables also have a significant influence on exogenous and endogenous
variables. This is identical to this study where excessive mobile phone use has showed a
mediation effect between mobile addiction and negative academic behavior.
The relationship between mobile addiction and negative academic behavior that has
been confirmed in the structural equation modelling analysis in this study was also
supported by the study of Praveeni & Wickramasinghe (2020). The data was gathered
from 315 students from four universities. The scope is limited to management
undergraduates in Sri Lanka. In the study of Praveeni & Wickramasinghe (2020),
smartphone addiction is defined as the independent variable of the study. However,
undergraduates’ academic performance is identified as the dependent variable of the
study. Technology Driven Multitasking behaviour is considered as a mediator variable.
Descriptive and inferential analysis were used while regression analysis was used to test
hypotheses. Further, Sobel test was used to test the mediate effect in the relationship
between the independent variable and dependent variable.
This study from Sri Langka was designed to examine university undergraduates’ level of
smartphone addiction and to investigate the impact of smartphone addiction on their
academic performance with the mediating effect of Technology Driven Multitasking
behaviour. The findings of this study indicated that university students were highly
addicted to the use of smartphones. The data analysis from Praveeni & Wickramasinghe
(2020) also showed that smartphone addiction negatively impacted on academic
performance. Besides, Technology Driven Multitasking Behavior also negatively
impacted on academic performance. Furthermore, Technology Driven Multitasking
Behavior has also mediated the relationship between smartphone addiction and

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Chan, Narasuman & Selamet 497

academic performance. In fact, the concept of Technology Driven Multitasking

Behavior is quite similar to concept of “Excessive Mobile Phone Use” in this study.
Hence, the findings of Praveeni & Wickramasinghe (2020) have supported the similar
findings of smartphone addiction among the students and its negative influence on
students’ academic performance as identified in this study. Besides, the study of
Praveeni & Wickramasinghe (2020) has also supported the mediation effect of excessive
mobile phone use on the relationship between mobile addiction and negative academic
behavior as identified in this study. Overall, this study suggests that the students should
reduce the intense use of Smartphones in order to perform well in their academic
activities. Overall, the findings of this present study which have been supported by these
three previous studies have provided an insight for university policy makers to develop
better guidelines to monitor excessive mobile phone use among university students in
the context of Malaysian higher learning institutes.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the result shows that that the levels of mobile addiction were moderate. More
than 40% of the respondents have experienced the impact of excessive use of mobile
phone and more than 16% have admitted negative academic behavior. The structural
equation model has confirmed the relationship between excessive mobile phone use with
mobile addiction and negative academic behavior. Besides, the mediation analysis has
also confirmed the effect of excessive mobile phone use on the relationship between
mobile addiction and negative academic behavior. Ultimately these findings provide a
clear-cut answer to the relationship between mobile addiction and academic behavior
mediated by excessive mobile phone use. Obviously, university students cannot distance
themselves from disruptive technologies. The findings in this study have provided
evidence that university students are intense multitaskers employing the latest
smartphone technologies. With the emerging trend of smart classroom pedagogical
concepts in educational environment, multitasking with technologies should be
effectively regulated for better academic behavior. The present study has laid down the
basic foundations for future researchers to undertake studies concerning the influence of
smartphones on student academic performance in the university as the outcome variable.
Based on the findings, it is recommended that students should reduce the use of
smartphones and the addiction to it, and prioritize their academic tasks (Hiscock, 2004;
Selwyn, 2003). Many educational institutions have restricted the use of smartphones and
other technology in the classroom while lessons are on-going, while some institutions
have banned cell phones all together or require students to keep them in a separate box
by the door to be retrieved at the end of class. Other options include concepts like
technology breaks can also be introduced to remove both internal and external
distractions whenever students engage in learning. Primary limitation of this study is the
sample size of this study which includes only one public and one private universities.
This limits the generalizability of the findings to other universities in Malaysia.
This study is also limited to the scope of a few selected variables which includes
excessive mobile phone use, mobile addiction and academic behavior. Hence, future
research should replicate the present study with other variables such as attitude, and

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498 Mediating Effects of Mobile Phone Use on the Relationship …

interpersonal relationship. This study only relies on quantitative data, which is confined
to the understanding of the phenomenon in more detail. For future studies, it will be
better to use a mixed method and include students for in-depth interviews or case study.
Future research can also be conducted by actual measurements in actual time spent on
multitasking and task-switching behaviors, through observation or online tracking
methods. Further it is recommended, to incorporate different methodologies to analyze
mobile addiction from different aspects in various context which will facilitate a strong
awareness with regards to effective utilization of technology devices.
In the near future, the most feasible study is to incorporate a more diverse population
and engaging in longitudinal studies to determine the variance level of academic
behavior. The future research can separate the respondents into two groups, namely: a
group of problem students who experience cell phone addiction and use cellphones
excessively to identify the relationship with their negative academic behavior, and a
group of normal students who do not experience cellphone addiction and do not use cell
phones excessively to identify the relationship with their academic behavior. From these
results, it will be seen the condition and level of their addiction to cellphones, and how
critical is the status of cell phone use which is considered excessive for Malaysian
students. These results will confirm the correctness of the relationship between cell
phone addiction and excessive cell phone use on students' academic behavior, whether it
applies only to students with problems or for both.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This paper is based on an FRGS research project funded by the Ministry of Education,
Malaysia and the Research Management Centre and the Faculty of Education, Universiti
Teknologi MARA, Malaysia [Project Code: 600-IRMI/RGS 5/3 (027/2019)] Malaysia.
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