Technology has become an inseparable part of students’ daily lives. From taking notes in class to researching assignments, staying connected with peers, and accessing online learning platforms, devices like mobile phones and laptops are now essential tools in education.
Yet, this has come at an academic cost. In particular, students are engaging in more multitasking behaviours than ever. One study found that 90% of students multitask when using their devices, while another revealed that 69% of students text during class.
To understand how technology and multitasking affect students’ grades, researchers published an article in the International Journal of Education Technology in Higher Education, reviewing the current multitasking research. Read on to learn more about their findings…
How does multitasking decrease academic performance?
Cognitive Load Theory argues that our brains can only handle so much information at once. Unlike long-term memory, which can store a vast amount of information, our working memory has a limited capacity. In fact, research has suggested that we can only hold about seven things in working memory at a time.
When students multitask, according to the scattered attention hypothesis, they overload their working memory by bringing in extra, irrelevant information. This forces their brains to focus on unimportant tasks, leaving less mental resources for the learning task at hand. As a result, they can understand and remember less, which can in turn harm their academic performance.
The research on technology, multitasking, and student grades
A review of the research on technology use, multitasking, and academic performance was conducted to explore the relationship between the variables. It turns out, multitasking isn’t just a problem when students are studying at home. Here are three key findings that the authors presented:
1. In-class multitasking harms learning and grades
Using technology in class while trying to focus on in-class material can harm students’ grades. For instance, a study from California State University found that students who frequently texted during class scored 10.6% lower on a test compared to those who texted less. Among this group, those who sent and received more words in their texts performed even worse.
Not only does in-class multitasking lead to lower grades, but it also reduces the quality of learning. Another paper showed that students who avoided multitasking during lessons wrote 62% more notes, included more details in these notes, and remembered more information from their class. Similar to the previous study, these students also scored about a grade and a half higher than their peers who used mobile phones during lessons.
Other than mobile phones, laptops have also become a common sight in classrooms, especially at the university level. While helpful for accessing online materials and taking notes, laptops can be a major source of distraction for students. Another survey revealed that students using laptops in class opened an average of 65 new tabs per lecture, with 62% of these tabs being unrelated to the lesson. Like mobile phones, laptop multitasking led to lower recall and poorer test scores.
2. Multitasking outside the classroom reduces academic performance
Just like multitasking in class, multitasking outside the classroom can hurt learning and performance. For example, a survey of 1,839 students found that using Facebook while doing schoolwork lowered their grades, and texting while studying made it harder for students to deeply understand the material.
Research has also shown how laptop multitasking affects reading. In one study, students were asked to read passages of different difficulty levels. Some were allowed to multitask, while others were not. Although both groups scored the same on reading comprehension, the multitasking group took much longer to finish reading. In fact, students distracted by their phones or the internet took twice as long to read as those who stayed focused. This is likely because multitasking left them with fewer mental resources to fully understand the material, forcing them to spend extra time studying.
3. Students underestimate the impact of multitasking on their learning
Even though multitasking can hurt their learning and grades, many students don’t fully realise how harmful it can be. Surprisingly, some studies have shown that students often believe that multitasking makes them more productive, supporting a common myth about its benefits.
Research also shows that while students know technology can be distracting, they underestimate how much it affects them and how often they multitask. For example, students underreported their email and text multitasking habits by 7% and 40%, respectively. This might explain why so many still multitask, with one survey finding that 68% of students believed they could text and pay attention to a lecture at the same time.
How can we reduce the impact of technology-based multitasking?
What are some things we can do to combat multitasking? The authors of the research review offer three practical suggestions:
- Create learning environments that foster motivation and goal-directed learning – Research has shown that this reduces the likelihood of students multitasking. For more on these, check out our InnerDrive blogs on motivation and goal-setting.
- Provide clear mobile phone policies in schools – This can help decrease phone use among students, reduce multitasking behaviours during lessons, and improve their learning experience.
- Invest in students’ metacognitive skills – Improving students’ Metacognition, critical thinking and self-awareness helps them identify what does and doesn’t work, so they can deduce what to do differently if they experience a setback, failure, or make a mistake. Developing this Metacognition can encourage them to better self-regulate their laptop and mobile phone multitasking habits.
Final thoughts on technology and multitasking
Research shows that using technology to multitask, whether in class or while studying, hurts students’ learning and grades. What’s even more concerning is that many students keep multitasking, even though they know it can be harmful. As technology becomes a bigger part of our lives, it’s important to take steps to reduce its influence on students’ tendency to multitask. This way, we can enjoy the benefits of technology without letting it interfere with student learning.
