Abstract
The use of smartphones by international students in Australia is growing to provide them with a social connection, learning support, and even coordination in the workplace. Although smartphones are convenient, overuse and unregulated use of smartphones have cast doubts on the cognitive performance and productivity in the workplace. This study examines (i) demographic differences in smartphone overuse among international students in Australia, (ii) the relationship between smartphone overuse and workplace productivity among international students in Australia, and (iii) the relationship between smartphone overuse and perceived cognitive decline among international students in Australia. The positivist paradigm was followed, and cross-sectional quantitative design was used with valid instruments such as Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ) and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Scale (WPAI). The data were obtained from 138 international students across various states in Australia.
Results indicated that there were major demographic differences in being overused with smartphones, and students younger, female, and those who have just arrived in the country, and those students who belong to collectivist culture reporting of the highest level of overuse of smartphones. Regression analyses revealed that smartphone excessive use emerged as a key predictor of productivity impairment in the workplace to account large variance in absenteeism,
presenteeism, and inefficient execution of tasks. What is more, cell phone overuse has become the most effective predictor of cognitive decline, and a high attentional lapses, memory, and concentration failure. These findings are in-line along with theory of the Cognitive Load Theory, Displacement Hypothesis, and the Brain Drain Effect, which are theoretically authenticated in a multicultural student-worker setting.
The research may add to the literature in leadership, organisational behaviour, and digital wellbeing by emphasising the cognitive and productivity impacts of high rates of smartphone usage. In practice, the results highlight the necessity of specific wellbeing initiatives, policies on smartphone usage in the workplace, and culturally appropriate assistance of international students. Such limitations as self-report bias, cross-sectional design and non-random sampling
are observed. It should be suggested that further studies be conducted in longitudinal, experimental, and mixed-method designs. On the whole, the thesis gives important perspectives on how digital behaviours influence the academic, cognitive, and professional life of global students located in Australia.