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Impact of Multitasking on Students' Performance

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 International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Vol.11, No. 2, (2020), pp. 1511–1528

Impact of Multitasking on Students’ Performance

1
Nazia Aslam
Turbat University
2
Naeem Akhtar
SZABIST Karachi

Abstract

This research has been created to analyze the adverse effects that result from the increase use of
electronic devices for multitasking on the academic performance of the students. The research
has specifically examined whether increase use of electronic/technological devices like mobile
phones and laptops that students utilize for the purpose of multitasking is undermining their
concentration on their studies, reducing their grades and increasing their dropout rates within
their educational institutes (such as universities). To carry out the analysis within this research,
the methodology of quantitative research was used and a questionnaire was administered on a
sample size of 100 students (by conducting a survey) who were selected from a degree awarding
institute after utilizing convenience sampling technique. To analyze the impact of explanatory
variable (i.e., multitasking on laptops and mobile phones) on explained variables (i.e., poor
grades, increased drop-out rates, and loss of concentration) the statistical technique of
regression analysis was used. Moreover, to further validate the relationship between dependent
and independent variables of this research, the analysis of correlation was also utilized in the
research. Finally, to assess the reliability of scale associated with each variable, the Cronbach
Alpha analysis technique was also used within the research. The findings of the study concluded
that multitasking on mobiles phones and laptop devices was significantly undermining the
academic performance of the students by decreasing their concentration on the studies, reducing
their grades in the courses, and increasing their drop-out rates.

Keywords: Multitasking, Poor Grades, Dropout Rates, Loss of Concentration

Introduction
In the contemporary world, it is becoming increasingly challenging to ensure that the
students’ concentration remains optimal when they conduct their studies within their homes or at
the premises of their educational institutes. This is because there are numerous problems in the
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form of increased usage of technological devices by the students for non-learning purposes that
possess a significantly high potential to undermine both their focus, as well as their learning
process drastically. Even in emerging economies like Pakistan, it has been noted that various
types of technological devices (that include smart phones, laptops, tablets, notebooks, etc.) are
increasingly invading the classrooms of the higher education institutes (or universities) at an
increasing rate (Arif & Kanwal, 2016). Akhtar & Tuba (2015) recommended utilizing
information and communication technology in education that would help students to exploe
constructive attributes of technology.

Upon analyzing the current literature, a considerable amount of discussion can be found
on the potential negative impacts that different types of technological devices have on the
learning process (or academic performance) of the students. This, as a result, has also motivated
several teachers, instructors, and management within the educational institutes to completely ban
the use of such devices in the classrooms. Moreover, many teachers even advise parents to
discourage their children from using technological devices in their homes so that they are better
able to concentrate on their studies (Knott, Steube, & Yang, 2013).

There are numerous studies that also support the fact that technological devices if used for
non- learning purposes, can undermine students’ performance by causing them to form various
dysfunctional behaviors that can negatively impact their ability to attain education appropriately
in their studies. This, in turn, leads to poor grades or results and often causes the students to fail
in their courses. The study of Ragan et al. (2014), for instance, inferred that the increased
utilization of laptops during classes can negatively impact the learning and performance of the
students.

Similarly, Kposowa and Valdez (2013) also discovered that the use of laptops by the
students for the purpose of education has no or very minute influence in improving their
grades/academic results. Paradoxically, the lighting and movement of the text, as well as the
pop-up messages within the laptops have been discovered to have a high correlation with the
poor academic performance of the students and increased amount of errors that they make in
their studies (Aguilar-Roca, Williams, & O'Dowd, 2012). The environment where students
conduct their studies, which also includes the behaviors of both teachers and students can
generate distraction for the students and undermine their learning drastically. For instance, Aloe

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et al. (2014) stated that the misbehavior of the student can be both overt and covert. The
misbehaviors or the dysfunctional behaviors that can be considered as covert are usually more
passive. These behaviors can include disengagement or boredom, sleeping during lectures,
leaving early from the class, and arriving late during the lectures.

Objectives of the Study

The following are some of the objectives that were set to conduct this study:

• To determine whether the habit of multitasking on mobile phones and laptop devices is
causing students to fail in their courses and increasing the dropout rates of the universities.
• To determine whether the habit of multitasking on mobile phones and laptop devices is
undermining the performance and grades of the students drastically.
• To determine whether the habit of multitasking on mobile phones and laptop devices is
causing students to lose concentration on their tasks.

This study is based on analyzing the potential problems created by the use of technological
devices like mobiles phones and laptops and their harmful impacts on the performance of the
students, who are unable to give proper attention to their studies both in their homes, as well as
within the premises of the university. Modern technological devices, such as mobile phones,
smartphones, can have a negative impact on the functional state of students. A study by Farrer et
al. (2013) found that those students who use smart phones after 9 p.m. to answer emails or finish
ongoing work have bad dreams. Moreover, the use of a Smartphone greatly affects the energy
level of the students the next morning, which can undermine their academic performance. Lepp,
Barkley and Karpinski (2014) also highlighted in their research that smart phones, in comparison
to other technologies like laptops or televisions, have the most negative effect on sleep quality
and energy of the students. Lepp et al. (2014) further attributed this negative impact to the fact
that smartphones emit the so- called "blue light" which can be harmful to the eyes.

Similarly, within the study of Attia et al. (2017), the demerits associated with the use of
technological devices were highlighted with respect to the loss of focus and attention. Attia et al.
(2017) inferred that when students frequently use mobile phones or laptops in their daily
activities, this undermines their concentration, as well as their ability to give appropriate time
towards their studies. Another similar study of Kibona and Mgaya (2015) indicated that when
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students get distracted from the intense use of social media on their mobile phone devices, their
academic performance significantly diminishes. This same of goes for multitasking on devices
like laptops for which Kraushaar and Novak (2010) stated that when students use laptops for
playing video games, chatting, watching videos, etc., they are not able to give proper attention to
their studies, procrastinate in managing their work, and flunk in their educational institutes due to
poor academic performance.

These negative implications related to the increased use of technological devices are also
adversely affecting the performance of students under productive extra-curricular activities. For
instance, the research of Samaha and Hawi (2016) stated that the addiction to use smartphones
among students not only prevents them to give more time to their studies and limits their ability
to achieve good grades, but it also stops them from participating in physical or sports-related
activities that might be beneficial for their health. This, as a result, decreases their overall
performance drastically.

Distraction has been defined as any stimuli that prevent an individual to concentrate or
focus on something appropriately (Lavie, 2010). The problem of getting distracted is something
that students frequently face while conducting their studies both within their classrooms, as well
as in their homes. Beland and Murphy (2016) have stated in their report that learning optimally
what the teacher seeks to convey requires concentration and discipline. However, it is also the
duty of the teachers to know what factors distract students in order to combat them effectively.
Among these factors, Beland and Murphy (2016) added that the use of novel technological
devices can be identified as the main distraction that can affect the concentration of the students
within their studies.

According to Selwyn (2016) it has been stated that one of the most prominent distractions
associated with the use of technology to which students are considerably susceptible is related to
the ability to redefine the identities by using the internet. Students have been observed to place
high importance on their self-identities in terms of how they view themselves, as well as how
they view others. Uniformity of identity, for many people, is something which can be described
as a highly impossible task, because most individuals never get satisfied completely from
themselves.

However, the utilization of the internet platforms gives the ability to the students to control
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or manage all the information that they use to describe themselves to others. Those students who
lack confidence within their appearances or who believe that they are not popular/famous in their
social environment are able to attain the opportunity from using the internet to try on various
personas (Hogan, 2010). This experimentation can be highly distracting for students as some of
them would be more comfortable to spend the majority of their time under cyberspace. This, as a
result, can cause them to pay less attention to real-life events or activities (such as their studies),
which in turn, can undermine the quality of their lives drastically (Ahn, 2011).
Aagaard (2015) highlights excessive enthusiasm for text messaging is a strong predictor of
sleep problems, with frequent messaging leading to poor sleep, regardless of stress level.
Aagaard (2015) stated that students have been observed under constant pressure to immediately
respond to messages that come to them on their smartphones day and night. Students hold
smartphones while sleeping next to themselves, so they are constantly distracted by various
signals. Dietz and Henrich (2014) have also associated frequent text messaging with increased
psychological sensitivity and social stress levels.
Currently, the educational process in a university is characterized by the assimilation of a
large amount of information in a short time by modernizing the process of education and by
encouraging frequent innovations and the use of technology in the pedagogical procedures
(Gehlen-Baum et al., 2014). At the same time, students often do not adhere to a healthy lifestyle

during the period of study. This, as a result, negatively impacts the psycho-emotional,
psychophysical and physical condition of students in their academic performance. This is because
students have been observed to increase their reliance on the use of technology substantially and
when such technological devices are not present to assist the students, they are not able to perform
effectively on their own (Mokhtari, Delello, & Reichard, 2015).

The reason behind this is that using or increasing the reliance on technology from a very
early age diminishes the analytical, numeric and problem-solving skills of the students.
Moreover, they also procrastinate their work if they are not able to use technological devices.
Thus, it can be stated that today technology has become an important part of the students’
lifestyle, but their increased reliance on it can make such technological devices like laptops and
mobile phones bane rather than a boon for the students (Blackwell, Lauricella, & Wartella,
2014). Cardak (2013) discovered that overuse of mobile phone and laptop usage increases
anxiety and diminishes academic performance, and reduces life satisfaction among students. In
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contrast, Lineweaver et al. (2012) found that the use of mobile phones negatively affects
academic performance and positively affects anxiety. They also learned that academic
performance is positively related to satisfaction in life, while anxiety is negatively related to life
satisfaction. Lineweaver et al. (2012) concluded that those who often use a mobile phone have
higher anxiety rates and lower satisfaction with their lives than those students who use the phone
much less frequently.

Meena, Mittal and Solanki (2012) have described social networking sites (such as Twitter,
Facebook, etc.) as virtual communities under which the users possess the ability to develop their
distinctive public profiles, communicate with their friends or family members, and based on
shared interest, they are also able to meet with other individuals on these websites. Meena et al.
(2012) further added that there has been an exponential increase in the usage of such websites.
Numerous studies have been conducted recently to explore the constructive utilization of SNS in
education. Akhtar and Tuba (2015) conducted a successful experiment in favour of SNS which
helped the students in their studies. The ease with which these social networking websites can be
used and their ability to provide immediate gratification to the users has dramatically modified
the way students in particular and people, in general, spend their leisure time.

Meena et al., (2012) argued that teenagers (or young adults) have been usually observed to
pay less focus on the time that they spent on these popular social networking sites. This, as a
result, can create several negative implications for these young adults. Findings of Meena et al.
(2012) highlighted that these negative implications associated with the increased use of social
networking sites are mostly in the form of decreased participation within the real-life social
community, poor academic performance and increased level of problems in personal
relationships. Meena et al. (2012) also concluded that the behavior of the young adults associated
with using social networking sites more frequently and spending a higher amount of time on
them can indicate potential addiction towards online social interaction.

To deal with these problems, Meena et al. (2012) recommended that it is the duty of both
the teachers and parents to ensure that while using social networking sites, their children remain
safe. Both parents and teachers should guide the young adults by instructing them not to give
their personal or confidential information to those people on such online platforms who they do
not know. They should also encourage children to speak with them openly if they are getting

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victimized from harassments or cyberbullying. Finally, parents and teachers should also warn,
control or regulate both the activities, as well as the time that young adults spend on various
social networking sites. Al-Harrasi and Al-Badi (2014) have stated in their study that increased
utilization of social networking sites by the students of various educational institutes like college,
school, and university, has become substantially relevant within their academic lives. A
significant potential to increase the use of such sites, as well as to spend more time on them has
been added by the use of smartphones. However, by interacting with different social networking
websites for long hours in order to obtain different types of information from various sources can
create the problem of information overload for the students. Al-Harrasi and Al-Badi (2014)
argued that this, as a result, can make it highly difficult for the students to filter the information
that they obtain from these websites and they could also face issues in determining what sources
of the information can be considered as reliable before using them within their studies.
Nevertheless, the findings of Al-Harrasi and Al-Badi (2014) indicated that social networks affect
the performance of the students both positively and negatively, depending on their ability to
identify and use reliable sources of information while completing their course-related work.

Within the study of Setiawan (2019) which was conducted on accounting students, it was
mentioned that for the last 30 years, the profession of accounting has acknowledged and
recognized the significance of utilizing information technology to provide education to the
students. The institutes of education around the world have utilized the platforms of the internet
to provide high-quality materials of learning to the students and to foster prompt and
uninterrupted communication with them. Nevertheless, Setiawan (2019) argued that using the
technologies and platforms of the internet can also create distractions for the students if these
technologies/platforms are utilized for non- learning purposes. Setiawan (2019) stated that
internet usage within the classrooms during lectures for activities other than learning or to
conduct education is typically described as cyber- slacking that students do within their
classrooms. However, the findings of the research which was conducted by Setiawan (2019) on
the undergraduate accounting students revealed that cyber-slacking within the classrooms had no
significant effect on their academic performance.

Research Methodology
Quantitative research design was employed to conduct this study to measure the adverse
impact associated with the use of technological devices on the students’ performance. Using
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purposive sampling technique, 100 students from a private degree awarding institute were
selected for this study. A survey questionnaire was used to extract the data from the participant.

• Within the sample of this research, the majority of the respondents/students represented the
ages of 36 to 45 years (i.e., 28 percent) since most of the responses within the questionnaire
were provided by those students who were enrolled under the MBA program in a private
degree awarding institute.

• Similarly, most of these respondents who participated in the survey were also either
employed or self-employed (i.e., 36 percent and 37 percent, respectively). Likewise, the
majority of the respondents had an income of around PKR 21,000 to 30,000.
Cronbach’s Alpha value which was obtained during the analysis was approximately 89.5 percent.
This result suggests that the composite scores which have been obtained from the 15 questions
(i.e., the number of items) that were asked from the students are reliable and internally
consistent.
Analysis for Hypothesis 1
Model Summary
Adjusted R Std. Error of
Model R R Square Square the Estimate
a
1 .972 .944 .943 .15549
a. Predictors: (Constant), Multitasking

ANOVAa
Sum of
Model Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 39.804 1 39.804 1646.420 .000b
Residual 2.369 98 .024
Total 42.173 99
a. Dependent Variable: Dropout Rates
b. Predictors: (Constant), Multitasking

Coefficientsa
Standardized
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients t Sig.

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B Std. Error Beta

1 (Constant) .362 .094 3.848 .000
Multitasking .932 .023 .972 40.576 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Dropout Rates

Key Findings
• T-value of the independent variable is approximately 40.576. According to the rule of 2,
when the t-value of the coefficient under the regression analysis is above the value of 2, the
independent variable is considered statistically significant at 0.05 level of significance
(Brook, 2018).
• The p-value of this independent variable is also below 0.05, which again proves that it is
truly reflecting the responses of the population of students.
• The value of R under the table of model summary indicates that multitasking and dropout
rates of the students are highly correlated to each other by approximately 97.2 percent.
• The value of R square in the table is indicating that approximately 94.4 percent variation
under the dropout rates of the students is caused by the change under the variable of
multitasking.
• The value of adjusted R squared (i.e., 94.3 percent) is also depicting the same trend/result.
• The p-value of the ANOVA table is further supporting this finding since it is also below
0.05, which means that hypothesis 1 of this research has been accepted by the above model.

Analysis for Hypothesis 2

Model Summary
Adjusted R Std. Error of
Model R R Square Square the Estimate
a
1 .956 .915 .914 .18464
a. Predictors: (Constant), Multitasking
ANOVAa
Sum of
Model Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 35.747 1 35.747 1048.529 .000b
Residual 3.341 98 .034

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Total 39.088 99
a. Dependent Variable: Poor Grades
b. Predictors: (Constant), Multitasking

Coefficientsa
Standardized
Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) .562 .112 5.034 .000
Multitasking .883 .027 .956 32.381 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Poor Grades

Key Findings
• The coefficient of multitasking is passing the t-test as per the rule of 2. This is because the
table of coefficients is clearly demonstrating that the t-value of multitasking is greater than 2
(i.e., 32.381) and thus at a 95 percent confidence interval, it can be considered as statistically
significant.
• The model summary table is also demonstrating that R-value (i.e., the correlation between
explained and explanatory variables) is approximately 95.6 percent. This means that
multitasking and poor grades are highly correlated with each other.
• The value of R-square is showing that the 91.5 percent variation under the variable of poor
grades is caused by the change within the variable of multitasking.
• The p-value of the ANOVA table is also showing a value that is less than 0.05 level of
significance. Therefore, it can be concluded that the habit of multitasking on mobile phones
and laptop devices is undermining the performance and grades of the students drastically at a
95 percent confidence interval.

Analysis for Hypothesis 3

Model Summary
Adjusted R Std. Error of
Model R R Square Square the Estimate
a
1 .972 .944 .943 .15549

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a. Predictors: (Constant), Multitasking

ANOVAa
Sum of
Model Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 39.804 1 39.804 1646.420 .000b
Residual 2.369 98 .024
Total 42.173 99
a. Dependent Variable: Loss of Concentration
b. Predictors: (Constant), Multitasking
Coefficientsa
Standardized
Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) .362 .094 3.848 .000
Multitasking .932 .023 .972 40.576 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Loss of Concentration

Key Findings
• The coefficient of multitasking for hypothesis 3 is also appropriately passing the t-test at a 95
percent confidence interval, since the critical value of t-statistic (i.e., 40.576) is higher than 2.
• This result can also be validated by looking at the p-value of multitasking in the table of
coefficients, which is below 0.05 level of significance.
• R-value in the model summary table for hypothesis 3 is demonstrating that multitasking and
loss of concentration have a strong relationship with each other.
• The R-square value is also highlighting that 94.4 percent variation in the variable associated
with loss of concentration can be accounted for by the variation under the variable of
multitasking.

• The p-value of the ANOVA table is also below 0.05 level of significance, which is further
proving that the hypothesis is statistically significant.

2. Conclusion and Recommendations

From the above-provided findings, it can be adequately inferred that multitasking on

laptop devices and mobile phones by the students for non-learning purposes can adversely

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impact their concentration on their studies. These findings were also supported by the past
research studies by other authors that have been already discussed under the literature review
section of this research report.

One logical explanation behind the adverse impact of multitasking on the concentration is
related to the tendency or urgency of the students to use their electronic devices like mobile
phones or laptops to reply to the messages that they receive while conducting their studies,
which as result, distracts them (Mokhtari et al., 2015). Moreover, while using these devices for
the purpose to conduct their studies, students also get distracted when they receive any pop-up
messages, notifications or when they see certain browsers (Google Chrome) or applications
(such as video games) while using their laptops or mobile phones that lures them to stop their
work and waste their time using these software applications for non-learning purposes (such as
using Facebook or playing video game). This, as a result, undermines their concentration and
makes students incapable to give appropriate time and focus on their studies (Rosen, 2017).

It can also be inferred that when students lose their concentration due to their habit of
multitasking and fail to give adequate time to their studies, their grades, as a result also get
adversely affected. Whether studying from home or within their classrooms, the impact of
multitasking remains the same (i.e., adverse) on the academic performance of the students if they
use their laptop devices or mobile phones for non-learning purposes (Mathew, 2015). For
instance, the habit of today’s students to use social networking sites constantly incites them to
give less attention to their lectures that are delivered by their teachers in the classrooms, since
they get busy in browsing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and so forth. At the
same time, when these students are at home, their behavior remains the same or
counterproductive towards their studies as they often waste their valuable time playing games or
browsing websites/applications on their electronic devices (May & Elder, 2018). Due to these

habits and lack of attention on the studies, students fail to learn their course materials and
comprehend the lectures of their teachers appropriately which reduces their performance within
their exams, and as a result, causes them to attain poor grades.
The above-provided reasons can also be used to explain the increased dropout rates of
students in educational institutes (such as Universities) due to the habit of multitasking. Since the
emergence of Web 2.0 and the resulting increase under the use of social networking sites, the
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dropout rates among the students on every level of education have increased exponentially. This
same goes for the development and use of different electronic devices like mobile phones,
laptops personal computers, and so forth. Even though some studies have indicated that the
millennials and post- millennials are on the track to become the most educated generation of all
time, it is also the generation that is getting increasingly affected by the negative impacts that are
created by the innovations in technologies (Fry & Parker, 2018).

Today, students have not only become increasingly distracted from these technologies or
electronic devices, but they have also become substantially dependent on their use to conduct
their studies (such as basic calculations). The increased reliance of the students on the internet to
attain knowledge has been referred to as one of the causes behind their downfall or failure by
several researchers. This is because it has been advocated by many teachers and researchers that
not every information on the internet can be considered as reliable, correct or authentic and
famous websites like Google or Wikipedia have also been criticized by several professors for
providing false or incorrect information to the students (Zhu et al., 2011).

Therefore, even if students use these electronic devices like mobile phones or laptops to
gain access to the internet for academic purposes, they can still face the risk of flunking in their
courses/classes. Moreover, it would not be wrong to say that increased innovations and
emergence of various social networking sites, applications, games, or software have increased
the multitasking behavior of the students of today’s generation (i.e., millennials), which in turn,
has increased their dropout rates within their educational institutes substantially in comparison to
the old generations such as veterans, baby boomers, and generation X (Kuron et al., 2015).

The best and perhaps the only appropriate solution to eradicate or mitigate the potential
drawbacks associated with the use of electronic devices like laptops and mobile phones and to
change the habit/behavior of the students related to multitasking on such devices during their

studies is related to the interference or involvement of both the parents and teachers of the
students. For instance, it is recommended to teachers to provide appropriate guidance or
counseling to the students by making them aware of the negative impacts associated with the
increased use of technological devices for non-learning purposes (including the potential of the
internet to give false information) so that students can make necessary efforts to change their

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behaviors.

This also includes strictly monitoring the behaviors or activities of the students when they
use such electronic devices for academic purposes. Other than academic or learning purposes,
the use of electronic devices and mobile phones should be completely banned by the teachers or
the administration of the educational institutes. Even when the students use such electronic
devices for learning purposes, it should be the duty of the teachers or the administration of the
educational institutes like Universities, to remove all those unnecessary software applications,
such as video games, from their electronic devices like laptops so that students can avoid using
these software applications while conducting their studies.

This same goes for banning all the commonly used social networking sites (such as
Facebook) or restricting the use of internet browsers like Chrome for the students so that they
avoid browsing any other unnecessary website while conducting their studies or collecting
relevant data/information to complete their reports/assignments. On the other hand, parents
should also monitor the activities of their children by restricting their use of mobile phones or
laptop devices during the specific time of the day under which their children conduct their
studies. They should also monitor their children when they use electronic devices or the internet
for academic purposes to ensure that they avoid using such mediums during their studies for
unnecessary activities like browsing Facebook or playing video games.

References

1. Aagaard, J. (2015). Drawn to distraction: A qualitative study of off-task use of educational

technology. Computers & Education, 87, 90-97.

2. Aagaard, J. (2015). Media multitasking, attention, and distraction: a critical

discussion. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 14(4), 885-896.

3. Aguilar-Roca, N. M., Williams, A. E., & O'Dowd, D. K. (2012). The impact of laptop-free
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