Internet Addiction, Student-Lecturer Relationship and Social Anxiety as Predictors of Truanting Behaviour Among Undergraduates in Owerri, Imo State.

9ABSTRACTThis study investigated internet addiction, student-lecturer relationship and social anxietyas predictors of truanting behaviour among undergraduates in Owerri, Imo State, sixhundred (600) participants comprising of males and females undergraduates wereselected for the study from three different institution were selected namely; ; Imo StateUniversity, Owerri (IMSU), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) andAlvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri using stratified random samplingtechnique. Their age ranged from 16-30years with a mean age of 21.14 and a standarddeviation age of 2.11. Four instruments; Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Student-LecturerRelationship Scale (SLRS), Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) and the TruancyQuestionnaire (TQ), was used for data collection. The hypotheses were postulated andtested using Multiple Regression Analyses. The design used was a cross sectional surveydesign. Findings of this study showed that internet addiction significantly predictedtruanting behaviour among undergraduates in Owerri, Imo State also Student-lecturerrelationship significantly predicted truanting behaviour among undergraduates in Owerri,Imo State and social anxiety significantly predicted truanting behaviour amongundergraduates in Owerri, Imo State. The researcher recommends that parents, lecturers,and institutions should educate students on responsible internet usage, emphasizing timemanagement and the importance of balancing online activities with academicresponsibilities. Universities should train lecturers in mentorship, empathy, andcommunication skills to build positive relationships with students, thereby reducingsocial anxiety and increasing student engagement in academic activities. Schools andstakeholders should involve parents in workshops and seminars to educate them onrecognizing signs of internet addiction and social anxiety, while encouraging them toprovide emotional support and monitor their children's academic progress