The Association between Screen Time Duration and Learning Focus among Alpha Generation Students: A Case Study at MI Al Islam

Ima Salamah, Choirul Anwar, Syaf Zidan Tamama

Abstract


The rapid digital immersion among the Alpha Generation has sparked significant concerns regarding their learning focus within formal educational settings. This study aims to analyse the correlation between screen time duration and learning focus among grade 3 students at MI Asas Islam, Salatiga. Employing a quantitative correlational design with a total sampling technique (N = 27), data were collected through closed-ended questionnaires, and subsequently analysed using the Spearman Rank correlation technique via IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings revealed a strong, negative, and statistically significant association between the variables (r = -0.642, p = 0.000), indicating that higher screen time duration is significantly associated with a decline in students' learning focus during classroom activities. In conclusion, the localized digital habits of Alpha Generation in this madrasah context necessitate responsive pedagogical strategies and the reinforcement of family-based digital literacy practices. This study highlights the critical need for collaborative digital regulation between educators and parents to safeguard students' academic focus.


Keywords


Alpha Generation, Screen Time, Learning Focus, Madrasah Ibtidaiyah, Case Study.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdullah, F. S., Praptiningsih, Baehaqi, & Kamal, Y. (2025). The role of school literacy environtment in strengthening students’ religious competencies. At Turots: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(2), 736–743. https://doi.org/10.51468/jpi.v7i2.1067

Ahsani, E. L. F. (2020). Analisis bahan ajar kurikulum 2013 berbasis multiple intelligence kelas IV. Elementary: Islamic Teacher Journal, 8(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.21043/elementary.v8i1.7398

Ahufinger, N., Aguilera, M., Guerra, E., Giberga, A., Verdaguer-Ribas, O., Balboa-Castells, R., Andreu, L., Esteve-Gibert, N., & Sanz-Torrent, M. (2025). Emotional suffering in school-aged children and adolescents with and without developmental language disorder. Acta Psychologica, 255, 104927. https://doi.org/https://-doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104927

Arikunto, S. (2019). Prosedur Penelitian: Suatu Pendekatan Praktik. In Rineka Cipta. Rineka Cipta.

Choy, Y. N., Lau, E. Y. H., & Wu, D. (2024). Digital parenting and its impact on early childhood development: A scoping review. Education and Information Technologies, 29(16), 22147–22187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12643-w

Fei, L.-L., Zhao, S.-X., Chen, Y.-F., Hao, C.-F., & Xin, Y.-J. (2025). Exercise and sleep health in college students: Efficacy, mechanisms, and implications for practice. World Journal of Psychiatry, 15(10), 108884. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v1-5.i10.108884

Ghamrawi, N., Shal, T., & Ghamrawi, N. A. R. (2025). Generation α effect on gen X, Y and Z teacher leaders’ enactment or disenactment of professional identities. International Journal of Educational Management, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2025-0800

Helsa, Y., Juandi, D., Turmudi, T., & Darhim, D. (2022). The Descriptions of TPACK oriented mathematics learning for elementary students. Elementary: Islamic Teacher Journal, 10(1), 43–64. https://doi.org/10.21043/elementary.v10i1.11746

Jourdren, M., Bucaille, A., & Ropars, J. (2023). The impact of screen exposure on attention abilities in young children: A systematic review. Pediatric Neurology, 142, 76–88. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2023.01.005

Kouhbanani, S. S., Arabi, S. M., & Zarenezhad, S. (2023). Does the frontal brain electrical activity mediate the effect of home executive function environment and screen time on children’s executive function? The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 184(6), 430–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2023.2223653

Kraska-Miller, M. (2013). Nonparametric statistics for social and behavioral sciences. Crc Press.

Massaroni, V., Delle Donne, V., Marra, C., Arcangeli, V., & Chieffo, D. P. R. (2024). The relationship between language and technology: How screen time affects language development in early life—A systematic review. Brain Sciences, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14010027

Santos, R. M. S., Mendes, C. G., Marques Miranda, D., & Romano-Silva, M. A. (2022). The association between screen time and attention in children: A systematic review. Developmental Neuropsychology, 47(4), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565641.2022.2064863

Sarvajna, D. H., Winston, J. S., Puttanna, D., Odeyar, S., Ravindran, R., Sunil Kumar, K. V, & Vettil, A. K. (2025). Screen-time exposure and modality-specific working memory capacity in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2025-0148

Skulmowski, A., & Xu, K. M. (2022). Understanding cognitive load in digital and online learning: A new perspective on extraneous cognitive load. Educational Psychology Review, 34(1), 171–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09624-7

Sugiyono. (2019). Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R&D (kedua). ALFABETA.

Tekeci, Y., Torpil, B., & Altuntaş, O. (2024). The impact of screen exposure on screen addiction and sensory processing in typically developing children aged 6–10 years. In Children (Vol. 11, Nomor 4, hal. 464). https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040464

Toth, C., Osser, B., Bondar, L. I., Fazakas, R., Marcu, F. M., Pascalau, N. A., Suciu, R. N., & Dogaru, B. G. (2025). Associations between screen time, sleep, and executive function in school-aged children and adolescents: The moderating role of digital content and age. In Journal of Clinical Medicine (Vol. 14, Nomor 24, hal. 8842). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14248842

Troussas, C., Krouska, A., & Sgouropoulou, C. (2022). Enriching mobile learning software with interactive activities and motivational feedback for advancing users’ high-level cognitive skills. In Computers (Vol. 11, Nomor 2, hal. 18). https://doi.org/10.3390/computers11020018




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21043/elementary.v14i1.37032

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

indexed by:

http://journal.stainkudus.ac.id/indexing/4.jpghttp://journal.stainkudus.ac.id/indexing/moraref.jpghttp://journal.stainkudus.ac.id/indexing/sinta.jpghttp://journal.stainkudus.ac.id/indexing/19.jpg