Predictors of Cyberloafing among Preservice Information Technology Teachers

Abstract

The current mixed-method study investigated the extent of involvement in cyberloafing within classroom settings among preservice information technology teachers. Thirteen state universities were picked randomly from hierarchical clusters, which were determined according to the national university rankings. Then, a recent five-factor cyberloafing scale was administered to 1856 participants in these universities to collect the quantitative data. An open-ended survey was also administered to two volunteers from each university (n: 26) to address their rationale for cyberloafing. Parametric analyses on cyberloafing scores were conducted through considering background variables including gender, university, grade level, grade point average, socioeconomic status, ownership of mobile devices and online social networking habits. The qualitative data were processed through descriptive content analysis, which was confirmed by an independent scholar. Findings revealed that males surpassed females in terms of three cyberloafing types (i.e., shopping, accessing online content, and gaming). Significant differences were observed in terms of university and grade level. The relationship between the grade point average and cyberloafing was negative and statistically significant. Socioeconomic status, ownership of mobile devices and social network use predicted cyberloafing behavior. Finally, qualitative data from openended questions revealed student- and instructor-related rationales for cyberloafing.