Who does not want a higher grade? While there are many things to consider if a student cannot perform well in his exam, the most significant one has been distractions by electronic devices for many years. We have come from using a regular phone to smartphone, and desktop to the laptop; we have been evolving. However, we should not forget the consequences of using such devices while in a lecture class.
To understand how such devices affect a student’s academic performance, exams, in particular, a team of researchers from Taylor & Francis Group has conducted an experiment that consists of 118 cognitive psychology students at Rutgers University. These students are divided into two groups, among these, one group was allowed to use such devices, others were not. Also, the group who were permitted to use these devices were asked to note down if they had used them only for academic purposes.
The study found that having a device didn't lower students' scores in comprehension tests within lectures, but it did lower scores in the end-of-term exam by at least 5% or half a grade. This finding shows for the first time that the primary effect of divided attention in the classroom is on long-term retention, with fewer targets of a study task later remembered. Besides, when the use of electronic devices was allowed in class, performance was also poorer for students who did not use tools as well as for those who did.
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Not only do these devices lower scores of a student who is using, but it also the those who are dedicated to academics. Therefore, such devices such as laptops, and any form of screams are significantly impairing students academic performances. So, educational institutions should keep this in mind before allowing their students to use such gadgets in classrooms.
Researchers also recommend that teachers should bring awareness of what will happen if such appliances are used in classrooms. Also, there have been numerous evidence that suggests taking notes with the hand is much better than on laptops.