Technology Use for Non-Educational Purposes during Library Instruction: Effects on Students Learning and Retention of Information

ABSTRACT

The paper examines the impact of students’ use of technology for extracurricular purposes during instruction sessions and its effects on their learning and retention of information. It also reports on whether attendance at a previous library instruction session provided the students with the advantage of scoring higher in the assessment and whether the use of these technologies in class sessions was disruptive to other students. This study was conducted during the spring and summer of 2017 on students that attended twenty eight one-time library instructions session for three chemistry laboratory courses. Results indicate that students who used any devices to engage in non-educational activities during an instruction session on average earned lower points in the assessment. On average, the students who attended a prior library instruction session scored higher than those who did not. This result is true irrespective of the group the students were in (control or experimental), or if they used their devices for off-task purposes during the class.

KEYWORDS:

• Information literacy
• library instruction
• multitasking
• science undergraduate students