While technology disruption may have the potential to reduce distractions, it may not significantly improve learning outcomes in university classrooms, prompting the need for more targeted interventions.
Research: Assessing the technological disruption of mobile phone use in university classrooms. Image credit: insta_photos / Shutterstock.com
A recent study from Frontiers in Education evaluates the effectiveness of technology breaks (TBs) in reducing cell phone use in university classrooms.
Effects of mobile phone use in the classroom
Using technology in the classroom can greatly enhance the learning experience. However, students may also use electronic devices during class to engage in non-academic activities such as watching sports, reading the news, using social media, and texting, all of which can affect class participation and academic performance. may decrease.
A previous study found that students self-reported using their cell phones during class about 11 times each day for non-academic reasons. Using a cell phone during class can be considered task switching, which has a negative impact on memory and learning.
One potential intervention to reduce the negative effects of cell phone use is technology breaks (TBs), where students can check their devices at designated times. Previously, researchers closely monitored two students while experimentally evaluating them for tuberculosis during a study session. This significantly reduced the use of multimedia during study time. Despite this evidence, tuberculosis needs to be tested more widely in other settings, including classrooms.
About research
Researchers in the current study evaluated a tuberculosis intervention in a university classroom setting and quantified its impact on cell phone use. In an undergraduate critical thinking class, both TB and question breaks (QB) were alternated using a multicomponent design, with the latter serving as a control condition. QB allowed students to ask questions of professors, and TB encouraged students to check their phones.
The 1-, 2-, or 4-minute TB sessions occurred 15 minutes after the 45-minute lecture. Fixed time (FT) delivery of potentiating factors was used to serve as an annulment operation (AO) during tuberculosis.
The average attendance for the 22 class periods was 21 students, with a minimum and maximum of 17 and 27 students, respectively. The TB policy was implemented during 11 class periods, with an average attendance of 21 students.
The average attendance for TBs with durations of 1, 2, and 4 minutes was 20, 20, and 22, respectively. When the QB policy was in effect, the average attendance was 21 people. The average attendance for all QB periods was 21, 22, and 21, respectively.
Research results
Mobile phone usage was calculated by dividing the sum of mobile phone usage frequencies by the number of intervals across all duration conditions. The average TB usage rate was 0.35 times per minute, which was significantly lower than the control QB usage rate of 0.53 times per minute.
Utilization rates for the TB group were maintained at 0.3 uses per minute, except for the 6th class period, when higher utilization rates were observed in the 2-min TB condition. In the control group, the usage rate increased to 1 once per minute at the beginning of the semester and then consistently decreased from the 7th class period onwards. The introduction of break end warnings starting from the 17th period had no significant impact on mobile phone use during TB.
Wilcoxon signed-rank tests did not identify any significant differences in quiz scores between the TB and QB groups, and only a 1-min difference was observed between QB and TB, respectively. During the TB 1 minute, the average quiz percentage was consistently higher at >80% compared to other periods of the TB intervention. This study found that 1 minute TB was the most effective time in terms of quiz performance, producing higher scores compared to 2 and 4 minutes TB. There was no significant difference in the average percentage of quizzes across different QB times.
The lowest mobile phone usage before the break was recorded during the 1-minute TB with 1.25 uses, followed by the 4-minute TB with 4.75 uses. An increase in mobile phone use was observed immediately after 1 and 4 minutes of TB.
Mobile phone use during TB was similar in each period, with 15 to 20 uses per minute reported. Cumulative cell phone usage during QB remained close to zero regardless of duration.
conclusion
TB appears to be a promising approach to reducing mobile phone use in the classroom. However, data variability weakened the study results. More specifically, variation was observed across the two data points for the main condition. This included higher cell phone use in one session of the TB 2-minute condition and lower cell phone use in one session of the QB-1 minute condition. The study also noted an increase in cell phone use immediately after TB, indicating that students may continue to use their phones even after the break period ends.
Another limitation of the current study is that it did not take into account the use of smartwatches or laptops, which students might use to send text messages or communicate with friends. This omission may explain some of the variation observed in the data. Therefore, future studies incorporating other types of devices into breaks are needed.
Reference magazines:
Redner, R., Hurtado-Parrado, C., Cifuentes, J. et al. (2024) Assessing technology disruption regarding mobile phone use in university classrooms. Frontiers of education. doi:10.3389/feduc.2024.1393070
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