Evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 period on university students in terms of leisure time meaning, internet addiction, and life satisfaction

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the significance of university students' free time during the COVID-19 pandemic, their inclination towards the internet due to the challenges and restrictions brought about by this period, and the subsequent impact on their overall life satisfaction. In this study, involving 500 university students (254 female, 246 male) enrolled in various faculties of Necmettin Erbakan University and Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University during the 2020-2021 academic year, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on variables such as gender, age, faculty, academic year, family income status, COVID-19 exposure, increased free time during the COVID-19 period, enjoyment of activities during this time, and more were evaluated. The study was conducted using a descriptive survey model, with the sample group determined through convenience sampling. In addition to a personal information form created by the authors, data collection tools such as the "Leisure Time Management Scale," "Young Internet Addiction Test-Short Form," and "Life Satisfaction Scale" were used.Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 26 package program. Descriptive statistics, including percentages and frequencies, were used to determine the distribution of participants' demographic information. Additionally, skewness, kurtosis values, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test were employed to determine data distribution parameters. Alongside descriptive statistical methods, T-tests, Anova Tests, and Tukey HSD tests were used to identify significant group differences "Furthermore, a correlation analysis has been conducted to examine the relationship between individuals' leisure time management, internet addiction, and levels of life satisfaction.".The findings suggest that variables like gender, faculty, academic year, family income level, and weekly free time may have an impact on individuals' leisure time management, internet addiction, and life satisfaction. Keywords: Recreation, Meaning of Leisure, Internet Addiction, Life Satisfaction