Educator Perceptions of Digital Devices

Abstract

There is a growing concern regarding student use of digital devices such as smartphones during classroom instruction. This pilot study used a mixed-method survey to collect data from 146 K-16 educators. Eighty percent of the participants said that students multitask, and 50% said they multitask a lot. Many of the instructors reported they are distracted by students' use of phones while more than half of the participants indicated they felt doing multiple tasks at the same time disrupts class time and may impact a students' ability to learn. These findings have important implications because classroom instructors may need to modify instructional strategies to keep students on task, have clear policies on the use of electronic devices, and ensure that students understand instructor expectations.