From interest to avoidance: How stress and gaming replace what students care about in homework motivation

Abstract

As digital technologies continue to transform educational environments, students face increasing challenges in managing academic demands alongside recreational screen time. This study investigates the interrelated effects of perceived stress and computer game addiction on children and adolescents’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to complete homework. A total of 620 primary and secondary school students (381 females and 239 males) participated in the study. The study examined direct and indirect relationships among the variables through a path analysis. Findings revealed that perceived stress negatively predicted intrinsic motivation and positively predicted extrinsic motivation and computer game addiction. Furthermore, computer game addiction significantly mediated the relationship between perceived stress and both types of motivation. These results suggest that stress-related gaming can push students to complete homework for approval or external rewards rather than personal interest. Findings also indicate that computer game addiction exacerbates the impairing effects of academic stress on intrinsic motivation. Targeted interventions that promote healthy stress coping strategies and digital balance are critical for sustaining meaningful motivation and preventing long-term academic disengagement.