An Analysis of Some Variables Affecting the Internet Dependency Level of Turkish Adolescents by Using Decision Tree Methods

Abstract

Internet dependency is going to expand into social life in wide area whereas it has been accepted as a pathological and psychological disease. Knowing the basic effects of internet dependency is an inevitable approach to use the internet technology healthy. In this study, internet dependency levels of 754 students were examined with the Internet Dependency Scale. Total score which will be obtained from the scale is the dependent variable and using daily hours of internet, how many years the users are acquainted with the internet, the purpose of using the internet, education level of users' mother and father, income of users' families and gender variables are included in the model as independent variables. Model was tested both Classification Tree and Chaid Analysis. In the Classification Tree method; purpose of using the internet, using daily hours of the internet, gender, income of users' families and education level of users' father which affected dependent variable were found meaningful. In Chaid Analysis, purpose of using the internet and using daily hours of the internet users' independent variables were just found meaningful.