Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers

Faria Sana, Tina Weston, Nicholas J. Cepeda

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Articlepeer-review

459 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Laptops are commonplace in university classrooms. In light of cognitive psychology theory on costs associated with multitasking, we examined the effects of in-class laptop use on student learning in a simulated classroom. We found that participants who multitasked on a laptop during a lecture scored lower on a test compared to those who did not multitask, and participants who were in direct view of a multitasking peer scored lower on a test compared to those who were not. The results demonstrate that multitasking on a laptop poses a significant distraction to both users and fellow students and can be detrimental to comprehension of lecture content.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)24-31
Number of pages8
JournalComputers and Education
Volume62
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Keywords

  • Attentional control
  • Laptops
  • Multitasking
  • Pedagogy

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