SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AS A PREDICTOR OF READING CULTURE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF TERTIARY EDUCATION STUDENTS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Reading is a ubiquitous part of everyday life and an essential component of the educational ecosystem of every society. However, the reading culture in Nigerias context has been fraught with many challenges, including the ever-increasing innovations in mobile technology. The present study examined smartphone addiction as a variable that could account for variations in reading culture among undergraduates. Five hundred and fifty-two undergraduates enrolled in three public higher education institutions in Anambra State participated in the survey. The respondents completed a self-report measure of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and Reading Culture Scale. The simple regression analysis performed on the data revealed smartphone addiction as a positive predictor of reading culture. Indeed, the result showed that smartphone addiction explained 43.1% of the variance in reading culture. The practical implications and recommendations are discussed.