Learning in the Face of Digital Distractions: Empowering Students to Practice Self-Regulated Learning

The Prevalence Of Digital Distractions

Digital technology has become a consistent presence in college students’ lives (Bauer, 2018). Specifically, digital technology is an essential part of students’ academic courses (Kruger, 2015). For example, students may use their laptops during class to take notes. In addition, college students use digital technology to connect with one another (Kruger, 2015). While digital technology offers opportunities for learning and connection, it can also trigger students to participate in off-task behaviors in academic settings (Dontre, 2020). Students’ off-task usage of digital technology such as tablets, cellphones, or laptops is commonly referred to as digital distraction (Flanigan & Kim, 2020; McCoy, 2020). Importantly, students’ engagement in digital distractions is not necessarily always prompted by the digital device itself; rather, many factors (e.g., task factors, environmental factors, learner factors) may influence a students’ engagement in digital distractions (Brady et al., 2021). In particular, students’ motivation and emotions may be especially connected to their engagement in digital distractions (e.g., Brady et al., 2021; Calderwood et al., 2014; Gupta & Irwin, 2016).