Quantitative Analysis of Mobile Gaming Patterns and Their Impact on Academic Achievement and Digital Well-being Among TVET Students in Malaysia

Abstract

This study examines the association between mobile gaming habits, academic performance, and digital well-being among Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in Malaysia. By applying a quantitative approach, data were collected from 3,081 students at Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah using an extensive survey. This research examined the duration of gaming activities, problematic gaming behavior, perceived gaming benefits, self-regulatory tactics, and their impact on academic performance. Statistical analysis indicated that 41.2% of the students surveyed played mobile games for more than three hours a day, with noteworthy differences between engineering and non-engineering students as well as between male and female students. The study reported moderate negative relationships between excessive gaming and other factors such as academic performance (r = -0.32; p < 0.01 ). Furthermore, problematic gaming behaviors were more closely related to diminished academic achievement and lower digital well-being. Self-regulation strategies, where students reported actively coping with the negative impacts of excessive gaming, emerged as key moderating variables. Students who exercised better self-regulation were less susceptible to this impact. The results are relevant for educational institutions to develop specific programs aimed at changing students’ unhealthy gaming behavior and strengthening their digital well-being, while enhancing their academic performance in a TVET environment. This adds to the existing research on digital wellness within educational settings and provides suggestions for policy frameworks in Malaysian TVET Institutions.

Keywords: mobile gaming, digital well-being, TVET education, gaming patterns, self-regulation