How smartphone addiction disrupts the positive relationship between self-regulation, self-efficacy and student engagement in distance education

Given that students maintain a continuous connection with their smartphones in their daily lives and rely on them for participating in distance education, it becomes imperative to explore the factors associated with student engagement, considering the mediating role of smartphone addiction in distance education programs. Although extensive research has been carried out on smartphone addiction, very little is known about it in the context of distance education. This study aims to explore the relationship between student engagement, smartphone addiction, self-regulation, and self-efficacy among distance education students in online learning environments. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Türkiye. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 1514 university students (n = 842 females, n = 672 males; M_age = 33.11, SD = 10.09) enrolled in various distance education programs in Turkey, specifically those undertaking synchronous online courses, through an online questionnaire distributed via e-mail. Path analysis modelling was used to test the hypothesised model. Maximum Likelihood Estimation was used as a method for estimating parameters in path analysis. The findings of this study indicate that self-regulation had a positive impact on student engagement, while smartphone addiction had a negative influence. Importantly, smartphone addiction acted as a mediating factor, weakening the relationship between self-regulation and student engagement. No significant correlation was found between general self-efficacy and smartphone addiction. These results highlight the significance of interventions focusing on self-regulation skills and promoting healthy digital habits to enhance student engagement and addressing smartphone addiction is crucial for enhancing student engagement in distance learning environments.