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A small study into electronic device usage during lectures found that there was minimal difference in scores between those who were distracted while listening to the lecture and those who weren't when there was a quiz afterwards.
Results. The sample was comprised of 26 students. Of these, 17 were distracted in some form (either checking email, sending email, checking Facebook, or sending texts). The overall mean score on the test was 9.85 (9.53 for distracted students and 10.44 for non-distracted students). There were no significant differences in test scores between distracted and non-distracted students (p = 0.652). Gender and types of distractions were not significantly associated with test scores (p > 0.05). All students believed that they understood all the important points from the lecture.
Conclusions. Every class member felt that they acquired the important learning points during the lecture. Those who were distracted by electronic devices during the lecture performed similarly to those who were not. However, results should be interpreted with caution as this study was a small quasi-experimental design and further research should examine the influence of different types of distraction on different types of learning.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 17 2014, @08:01AM
there is much more to any course than what is covered in an exam.
And there is a lot more to any subject than what is being said in the classroom. There is no universal guide to optimal learning, it all depends on the person.
Personally I have always had problems keeping my focus during lectures (with or without electronics around), and even when I can focus, I get very little learning value compared to the time I spend there. So ever since second year at University, I've skipped almost all my classes, and attended only those few with compulsory attendance.
But this doesn't mean that I'm a slacker. I take some time to check out several textbooks on the topic to find the one that fits my style best (even if it isn't the one followed by the professor), then I sit down and focus and study that textbook cover to cover. And I do all the exercises suggested by the professor on my own, supported by my chosen textbook, googling for relevant lecture notes from other universities and sometimes academic papers, and dialogue with the other students. This way of studying fits me a lot better than attending lectures, and it has given me mostly just A's in all the classes that I've skipped. Now I'm doing a master thesis in theoretical physics, and doing a master's actually feels no different from the way I've been studying for years already, except that I now have weekly meetings with a very skilled professor that can guide me along.
But I'm not saying that this way of studying suits everybody, I know a lot of other students who say they learn a lot more from lectures than textbooks too. And I know several students who say that they need to doodle or use electronics or read a book or something during a lecture in order to stay focused, that this is something that distracts them a little bit, while sitting in a lecture and not doing anything else would distract them completely (sleepiness, wandering thoughts, etc). I'm just saying that the best way to learn is dependent on the person, so don't be to quick to judge someone as a slacker or "assh**e" just because they tend to study in a different way from you.
(Score: 1) by hendrikboom on Wednesday September 17 2014, @04:31PM
have a close friend who always knits during lectures in order to be able to focus her mind on what is being said. Otherwise her mind waders to hopelessly distracting topics. Knitting apparently takes just enough of her excess mental capacity that it helps her focus. I suspect it is an anchor that grounds her attention deficit somewhat.
I notice the same effect when I'm doing nonogram puzzles (entirely visual reasoning) while watching (well, actually listening to) Jeopardy. Potential answers pop into my head, whereas otherwise I keep wondering what the clue is they are trying to answer.