Abstract

Despite positive impacts of the Internet on engagement of university students, higher-education professionals have increasingly expressed concerns about students’ problematic Internet use (PIU) in the classroom. While it has been a growing burden on instructors to handle disruptive student behaviors associated specifically with PIU and the resulting interpersonal conflicts with students in the classroom, no study has investigated how students’ PIU in the classroom contributes to such student-instructor interpersonal conflicts. This study examined African American students’ PIU in the university classroom and the resulting student-instructor interpersonal conflicts. A total of 322 African American students completed a cross-sectional survey during class that assessed interpersonal conflicts, PIU, depression, resilience, and socio-demographics. Hierarchical binary logistic regression analysis revealed employment and resilience predicted students’ PIU in the classroom, while PIU levels predicted interpersonal conflicts. Universities should develop interventions that reduce PIU and enhance resilience, especially among working African American students.