ERIC Number: EJ1249003
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1449-5554
EISSN: N/A
Laptops and Mobile Phones at Self-Study Time: Examining the Mechanism behind Interruption and Multitasking
Deng, Liping
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, v36 n1 p55-67 2020
This study examines university students' multitasking with computers and mobile phones in an authentic self-study context, with the primary focus being on off-task multitasking and interruption as precursor to multitasking. The study drew on interviews, observation, and video-stimulated recall to reveal the triggers for and processes of multitasking. It has identified pop-up notifications as the main external interruption and task completion as well as boredom as the internal sources of interruption. The results also pinpointed task as an important dimension associated with both internal and external interruptions. A framework of multitasking triggers was constructed encompassing user, technology and task. The implications of the findings for students, teachers and researchers are also discussed. Implications for practice or policy: (1) Students should ward off the disruptive influence of notifications on phones during study time; (2) Students should have a better sense of the optimal timing for switching attention; and (3) Teachers should strive to provide meaningful, relevant and personalized learning tasks.
Descriptors: Laptop Computers, Telecommunications, Handheld Devices, Independent Study, Computer Mediated Communication, College Students, Time Management, Time on Task, Attention, Foreign Countries, Study Habits, Stimuli, Student Reaction
Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education. Ascilite Secretariat, P.O. Box 44, Figtree, NSW, Australia. Tel: +61-8-9367-1133; e-mail: info@ascilite.org.au; Web site: https://ajet.org.au/index.php/AJET
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A