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Astronomy Education Review / Volume 11 / Issue 1 / RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

2012, AER, 11 (1), 010108, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2012011

Digital Devices, Distraction, and Student Performance: Does In-Class Cell Phone Use Reduce Learning?

Published 31 July 2012

Douglas K. Duncan, Angel R. Hoekstra, and Bethany R. Wilcox

University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309

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The recent increase in use of digital devices such as laptop computers, iPads, and web-enabled cell phones has generated concern about how technologies affect student performance. Combining observation, survey, and interview data, this research assesses the effects of technology use on student attitudes and learning. Data were gathered in eight introductory science courses at a major university. Results show a significant negative correlation between in-class phone use and final grades, with use of cell phones corresponding to a drop of 0.36 ± 0.08 on a 4-point scale where 4.0 = A. These findings are consistent with research (Ophir, Nass, and Wagner 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 15583) suggesting students cannot multitask nearly as effectively as they think they can. While 75% of students reported regular cell phone use, observation suggests undergraduates typically underreport the frequency of their in-class use of digital devices.

© 2012 The American Astronomical Society

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

astronomy, educational courses, further education, human factors, mobile handsets, physics education, College nonmajors, college majors, research on teaching and learning, teaching approaches, technology in the classroom

PACS

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1539-1515 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef The American Astronomical Society

ARTICLE DATA

History
Received 05 April 2012
Accepted 12 June 2012
Published online 31 July 2012
Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2012011

    References

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  6. Hoekstra, A. 2009, “A Socio-Cultural Analysis of the Use of Clickers in Higher Education,” doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado, available in Digital Dissertations.
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  8. Ophir, E., Nass, C., and Wagner, A. D. 2009, “Cognitive Control in Media Multi-Taskers,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 15583.
  9. Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B., Adams, W. K., Wieman, C. K., Knight, J. K., Guild, N., and Su, T. T. 2009, “Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions,” Science, 323, 122.

Figures (1) Tables (1)

Figures (click on thumbnails to view enlargements)

FIG.1
Self-reported frequency of cell phone use vs final grade.

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Tables

Table I. Frequency of cell phone use vs class grade.

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