Evaluation Of Athlete Identity and Internet Addiction Of 9-14 Years Old Middle School Students

Abstract

Rapid advances in communication and technology have rapidly integrated smartphones, computers, and the internet into our lives. Over time, people have developed addictions to these technological devices and the internet. This has led to a shift in the interest of children and young people towards these areas. Thus, the number of people living sedentary lives, intertwined with the internet from a very young age, has rapidly increased. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the relationship between the sports participation status and internet addiction levels of middle school students aged 9-14 studying at various middle schools in Elazığ province. The research population consisted of middle school students between the ages of 9-14, and the sample consisted of 450 students of the same age group studying in Elazığ province. The research findings revealed that the internet addiction level of students who did not participate in sports was lower than that of students who did. This result indicates that students who participated in sports had lower internet addiction levels than those who did not (t: 2.512; p<0.05). A highly significant difference was found between the average athlete identity scores of students who participated in sports (3.33) and those who did not (2.81) (t: -6.440; p<0.05). Consequently, it can be said that students who participated in sports had lower internet addiction. Furthermore, there was a negative, moderate correlation between the internet addiction (IAA) and athlete identity (ACA) levels of the students participating in the study. Consequently, it can be said that the internet addiction level of middle school students is significantly affected by their sports participation.