Are Students Self-Regulating Their Device Usage? The Effects of Off-Task Device Usage in a Classroom Setting

Abstract

Although previous research indicates a negative relationship between personal device usage and classroom performance, how students self-regulate the use of these devices has not been explored. This study investigated a) the influence of off-task device usage in class on subsequent exam performance, and b) whether students self-regulate their device usage throughout the semester. Results indicated that off-task device usage was associated with lower performance on exam one, but not the last regular exam. Findings suggest that off-task device usage may impact students’ grades in a class; however, when their grades are negatively impacted, students appear to self-regulate their device usage.

Keywords:

• Academic performance
• classroom behavior
• device usage
• self-regulation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Scott Meek and Jan Griffin for allowing the students in their classes to participate weekly in the current study, and for allowing class time for data collection.

Disclosure statement

The authors report that there are no competing interests to declare.