Study Smart! Effectiveness of a Smartphone Use Intervention on Students' Performance and Well-being

Smartphone use in academic contexts (e.g., in lectures or while studying for an exam) appears to go along with negative effects on students' academic performance (i.e., concentration, perceived learning achievement, and grades) and well-being (e.g., anxiety, positive and negative affect). Despite these alarming effects, intervention studies aiming at reducing smartphone interference are generally scarce and evidential inconsistent. For instance, existing studies suggest that short separation phases from smartphones accelerate anxiety and lead to cravings and smartphone overuse after the separation period. Other studies, however, conclude that separation phases enhance individual well-being and academic performance. RESEARCH QUESTIONS. The present study aims at rigorously studying the effects of smartphone separation during exam phases on university students' performance and well-being. To do so, smartphone use reduction is incorporated into students' everyday life and encouraged through a planning intervention. The main research questions concern whether the intervention can reduce smartphone use in students, whether planning is effective in this regard, whether the intervention positively affects students' academic performance (e.g., concentration, perceived performance, grades), and whether the intervention enhances students' well-being (e.g., increased positive and decreased negative affect, lower anxiety). Furthermore, possible moderating (e.g., smartphone dependence, FoMO) and mediating variables (e.g., exam preparation-related flow, smartphone usage time, used mobile applications) are examined. METHOD. Students are to develop action plans (BCT 1.4; plans on how to reduce smartphone use during exam phases) and coping plans (BCT 1.2; plans on how to uphold reduced smartphone use during exam phases despite potential stressors or urges). The relevant variables are assessed over the course of 5 measurement points (t1-t3 take place on a weekly basis, t4 takes plac