Disengagement during lectures: Media multitasking and mind wandering in university classrooms

Abstract

In university classrooms, the use of laptops or smartphones for purposes unrelated to the lecture is on the rise. Consequently, it is important to understand how frequently this behavior occurs, to track whether it increases throughout a lecture, and to quantify the potential costs to learning. In two studies, we measured rates of disengagement during lectures related to media use (i.e. media multitasking; Studies 1 & 2) and lecture-unrelated thoughts (i.e. mind wandering; Study 2). We also measured the impact of these behaviors on learning using quiz questions at the end of each lecture, and students’ actual course tests. In both Study 1 and 2, we found that rates of media multitasking were relatively high and increased as time elapsed in a lecture, while in Study 2, consistent with prior work, rates of mind wandering remained relatively stable. Interestingly, media multitasking - but not mind wandering - was associated with negative learning outcomes.