When Engagement Meets Distraction: The Effects of Multitasking Types on Learning from Video Lectures
Abstract
Students often multitask with lecture-relevant (e.g., note-taking) and lecture-irrelevant (e.g., texting) secondary tasks during lectures and such behavior tends to be more common in asynchronous than synchronous settings. Two experiments investigated the combined and comparative effects of lecture-relevant and lecture-irrelevant secondary tasks on attention to and retention of a geology video lecture in a simulated asynchronous setting. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: lecture-only, lecture-relevant multitasking (i.e., taking notes during the lecture), lecture-irrelevant multitasking (i.e., completing a survey in Experiment 1 or instant messaging in Experiment 2 during the lecture), or hybrid multitasking (both note-taking and survey or instant messaging). Participants completed several attention checks during the lecture and then took a retention test, which assessed their knowledge of facts and concepts presented in the lecture. Results from both experiments showed a pattern that indicates that participants who engaged in lecture-relevant multitasking demonstrated the most attention and retention in both factual and conceptual knowledge types, while those who engaged in lecture-irrelevant multitasking showed the least attention and retention. Participants who only watched the lecture (lecture-only) or engaged in hybrid multitasking showed moderate attention and retention. Moreover, the benefits of lecture-relevant multitasking and the detriments of lecture-irrelevant multitasking appeared to be similar for the acquisition of both factual and conceptual knowledge. Participants also demonstrated various multitasking strategies, including serial, concurrent, and mixed strategies. Findings are discussed from the perspectives of cognitive load, attention, and generative processing theories.
Committee Chair
Professor Andrew C. Butler
Committee Members
Professor Christopher Rozek Professor Mark Hogrebe
Degree
Master of Arts (AM/MA)
Author's Department
Education
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
8-2025
Language
English (en)
Recommended Citation
Mahama, Zubeiru, "When Engagement Meets Distraction: The Effects of Multitasking Types on Learning from Video Lectures" (2025). Arts & Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 3633.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/3633