While the last decade brought pushes to improve the choice and frequency of technology and electronics use in America’s classrooms, recent research makes the argument against this push. A study published in the journal Educational Psychology found that students who had technology for use in conjunction with the lesson, such as cell phones or laptops, scored five percent, or half a letter grade, lower on exams than students who didn’t use electronics.  According to a press release from Rutgers University, the study is the first-ever to show a causal relationship between distractions from electronics and exam performance.

Researchers separated 118 college students enrolled in the same course into two groups. Each group was taught the same material by the same professor, but one group was allowed to have cellphones and laptops open for non-academic purposes, while the other group was not. While the students allowed electronics didn’t score lower on comprehension tests during lectures, they scored lower on exams at the end of the term.

“The intrusion of internet-enabled electronic devices (laptop, tablet and cell phone) has transformed the modern college lecture into a divided attention task,” the study stated.  “Many dedicated students think they can divide their attention in the classroom without harming their academic success – but we found an insidious effect on exam performance and final grades. To help manage the use of devices in the classroom, teachers should explain to students the damaging effect of distractions on retention – not only on themselves, but for the whole class.”

Focus Word: electronics

While the last decade brought pushes to improve the choice and frequency of technology use in America’s classrooms, recent research makes the argument against this push. A study published in the journal Educational Psychology found that students who had technology for use in conjunction with the lesson, such as cell phones or laptops, scored five percent, or half a letter grade, lower on exams than students who didn’t use electronics.  According to a press release from Rutgers University, the study is the first-ever to show a causal relationship between distractions from electronics and exam performance.

Researchers separated 118 college students enrolled in the same course into two groups. Each group was taught the same material by the same professor, but one group was allowed to have cellphones and laptops open for non-academic purposes, while the other group was not. While the students allowed electronics didn’t score lower on comprehension tests during lectures, they scored lower on exams at the end of the term.

“The intrusion of internet-enabled electronic devices (laptop, tablet and cell phone) has transformed the modern college lecture into a divided attention task,” the study stated.  “Many dedicated students think they can divide their attention in the classroom without harming their academic success – but we found an insidious effect on exam performance and final grades. To help manage the use of devices in the classroom, teachers should explain to students the damaging effect of distractions on retention – not only on themselves, but for the whole class.”

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