Technology serves as both a gateway to productive and unproductive tasks, and students often struggle to resist temptation when engaging in both during class. Learning and processing material are hampered by these distractions.

Consequence of laptop use multitasking based on information processing theory

Information processing theory

Humans utilize attention mechanisms, such as working memory, to process stimuli instead of simply responding. The use of laptops distracts students from their academic work by providing additional stimuli to process.

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

•	There is a negative correlation between laptop use and multiple learning outcomes, including grade, focus on lectures, reported clarity of lectures, exam performance, and comprehension.

•	There was a significant decrease in recall and recognition scores when laptops were used during lectures.

•	A high percentage of students who use laptops in class are dissatisfied with their education, engage in multitasking more often, and are more distracted during class.

•	Academic performance can be undermined by laptop multitasking both for users and their peers nearby, who have direct view of multitaskers’ computers. 


Findings of laptop use multitasking

May, K.E., Elder, A.D. Efficient, helpful, or distracting? A literature review of media multitasking in relation to academic performance. Int J Educ Technol High Educ 15, 13 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0096-z


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