Reducing the negative effects of multitasking on online or distance learning by using retrieval practice.

Abstract

Students often multitask during class and while reading content, which can impair academic achievement, especially during online teaching, when they cannot be monitored. People also prefer to restudy class content by rereading, which is not very effective in promoting lasting learning compared with retrieval practice, that is, trying to recall information to which one has been previously exposed. We investigated whether the negative long-term recall effects of encoding content while multitasking (reading text messages on a cell phone while reading to-be-remembered information from texts presented onscreen), could be reduced by subsequent retrieval practice (answering multiterm or fact questions about the texts) instead of rereading text information. Sixty undergraduates took part in this withinparticipant, randomized, repeated measure experiment which manipulated exposure to content (no multitasking or multitasking) followed by reexposure to content (rereading or retrieval practice). We found that answering questions about texts (retrieval practice) that were read with and without multitasking, both led to better recall 7 days later than texts read with multitasking followed by rereading. Hence, we showed that providing retrieval practice opportunities can potentially partially mitigate the adverse effects of multitasking while studying. Judgments of learning showed that participants believe that rereading was a more effective technique than retrieval, whereas the results showed the opposite was true. However, participants were aware that multitasking during reading was less effective than reading without multitasking.

How can retrieval practice improve educational achievement in Brazil?

“…After 2 days, participants who practiced retrieval recalled more words than those from the restudy condition, and as shown by mediation analyses, the increase in the number of recalled words in the retrieval practice group was due to the greater organization of information during recall. In a final study with Brazilian undergraduates, researchers investigated whether retrieval practice can diminish the negative effects of receiving text messages on cell phones while learning from texts (i.e., multitasking; Ekuni, Macacare, et al, 2022). Retrieval practice was significantly more effective than rereading in mitigating the negative effects of multitasking.…”

Student Webcam Behaviors and Beliefs: Emergent Norms, Student Performance, and Cultural Differences

“…Having one's camera on during class has been likened to sitting in the high interaction zone of a classroom, with the assumption that it will reduce multitasking and lead to increased participation and learning (Peper et al, 2021). Although multitasking in online learning has not been heavily studied (Alghamdi et al, 2020), it can inhibit learner ability to perform cognitive tasks (Ekuni et al, 2022) and is greater in online settings where students are unmonitored (Lepp et al, 2019). In a study of workers, findings showed that when webcam audio and video are turned off, multitasking is more prevalent (Cao et al, 2021), suggesting that webcam use may discourage such behaviors by making them visible.…”

OLJ December 2022 26(4)

“…Having one's camera on during class has been likened to sitting in the high interaction zone of a classroom, with the assumption that it will reduce multitasking and lead to increased participation and learning (Peper et al, 2021). Although multitasking in online learning has not been heavily studied (Alghamdi et al, 2020), it can inhibit learner ability to perform cognitive tasks (Ekuni et al, 2022) and is greater in online settings where students are unmonitored (Lepp et al, 2019). In a study of workers, findings showed that when webcam audio and video are turned off, multitasking is more prevalent , suggesting that webcam use may discourage such behaviors by making them visible.…”