Rethinking College Students' Self-Regulation and Sustained Attention:Does Text Messaging During Class Influence Cognitive Learning?

Abstract

This study investigated whether texting during class influences students' cognitive learning. A theoretical model was proposed to study the relationships among college students' self-regulation, texting during class, sustained attention to classroom learning, and cognitive learning (i.e., grade-oriented academic performance and experience-oriented cognitive learning). Using a cross-sectional survey sample (N=190), structural equation modeling analyses showed that texting during class partially mediates the effect of students' self-regulation on their sustained attention to classroom learning. In addition, students' sustained attention fully mediates the effect of their texting during class on experience-oriented learning. Thus, the results also suggest that self-regulated students are less likely to text during class and are more likely to sustain their attention to classroom learning, which, in turn, facilitates cognitive learning.

Keywords:

• Cognitive Learning
• Text Messaging
• Self-Regulation
• Sustained Attention

Acknowledgments

We thank the editor, reviewers, and Dr. Lawrence R. Frey's professional suggestions in the revision. We also thank Dr. Carys Evans-Corrales, Dr. Michael Stuckart, Dr. Robar Stephen, Dr. Warren Fass, Dr. Tony Gaskew, Prof. Jeffery Guterman, Prof. Timothy Ziaukas, Prof. Gary Tessmer, and Prof. Rick Moritz's support in academic research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fang-Yi Flora Wei

Fang-Yi Flora Wei (Ph.D., University of Memphis, 2005) is an Assistant Professor of Broadcast Communications

Y. Ken Wang

Y. Ken Wang (Ph.D., Washington State University, 2008) is an Assistant Professor of Management and Education

Michael Klausner

Michael Klausner (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1976) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford