research-article

Can I Have Your Attention, Please?: An Empirical Investigation of Media Multitasking during University Lectures

Authors:

Jean-Louis Leysens,

Daniel B. le Roux,

Douglas A. ParryAuthors Info & Claims

SAICSIT '16: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists

Article No.: 21, Pages 1 - 10

https://doi.org/10.1145/2987491.2987498

Published: 26 September 2016 Publication History

Abstract

The growing prevalence of continuous media use among university students in lecture environments has potential for detrimental effects. In this study the focus is placed upon the implications of digital media multitasking in a university lecture context for academic performance and learning. Previous studies reveal that students frequently engage with digital media whilst in a university lecture. Moreover, research has shown that multitasking imposes a cognitive cost, detrimental to learning and task execution. We propose, accordingly, that the constant distractions created by digital media interrupt the thought and communication processes of students and, subsequently, obstruct their ability to learn. To test this proposition we conduct a survey-based empirical investigation of digital media use and academic performance among undergraduate university students. A clear negative correlation was shown between frequency of media use and academic performance. This result confirms the hypothesis that there exists a negative correlation between digital media use during lectures and academic performance. The confirmation of this negative relationship suggests that media use poses a significant distraction to students.

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Cited By

Ochs CGahrmann CSonderegger A(2024)Learning in hybrid classes: the role of off-task activitiesScientific Reports10.1038/s41598-023-50962-z14:1Online publication date: 18-Jan-2024
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50962-z
Wang CSalisbury-Glennon JDai YLee SDong J(2022)Empowering College Students to Decrease Digital Distraction Through the Use of Self-Regulated Learning StrategiesContemporary Educational Technology10.30935/cedtech/1245614:4(ep388)Online publication date: 2022
https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/12456
Zhou YDeng L(2022)A systematic review of media multitasking in educational contexts: trends, gaps, and antecedentsInteractive Learning Environments10.1080/10494820.2022.203276031:10(6279-6294)Online publication date: 15-Feb-2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2032760
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SAICSIT '16: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists

September 2016

422 pages

ISBN:9781450348058

DOI:10.1145/2987491

Copyright © 2016 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 26 September 2016

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SAICSIT '16

SAICSIT '16: Annual Conference of the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists

September 26 - 28, 2016

Johannesburg, South Africa

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Cited By

Ochs CGahrmann CSonderegger A(2024)Learning in hybrid classes: the role of off-task activitiesScientific Reports10.1038/s41598-023-50962-z14:1Online publication date: 18-Jan-2024
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50962-z
Wang CSalisbury-Glennon JDai YLee SDong J(2022)Empowering College Students to Decrease Digital Distraction Through the Use of Self-Regulated Learning StrategiesContemporary Educational Technology10.30935/cedtech/1245614:4(ep388)Online publication date: 2022
https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/12456
Zhou YDeng L(2022)A systematic review of media multitasking in educational contexts: trends, gaps, and antecedentsInteractive Learning Environments10.1080/10494820.2022.203276031:10(6279-6294)Online publication date: 15-Feb-2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2032760
Ochs CSonderegger A(2021)What Students Do While You Are Teaching – Computer and Smartphone Use in Class and Its Implication on LearningHuman-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 202110.1007/978-3-030-85616-8_29(501-520)Online publication date: 26-Aug-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85616-8_29
le Roux DParry DTotolo AIyawa GHolloway JPrenter ABotha L(2020)Media Multitasking, Online Vigilance and Academic Performance among Students in three Southern African CountriesComputers & Education10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104056(104056)Online publication date: Oct-2020
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104056
Patil RBrown MIbrahim MMyers JBrown KKhan MCallaway R(2019)Digital distraction outside the classroomJournal of Computing Sciences in Colleges10.5555/3344081.334408634:7(46-55)Online publication date: 1-Apr-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3344081.3344086
Parry Dle Roux D(2018)Off-Task Media Use in Lectures: Towards a Theory of DeterminantsICT Education10.1007/978-3-030-05813-5_4(49-64)Online publication date: 31-Dec-2018
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05813-5_4
le Roux DParry D(2017)In-lecture media use and academic performanceComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2017.08.03077:C(86-94)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2017.08.030
le Roux DParry D(2017)A New Generation of Students: Digital Media in Academic ContextsICT Education10.1007/978-3-319-69670-6_2(19-36)Online publication date: 18-Nov-2017
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69670-6_2

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